Josie Cruz Natori has been a trailblazer in many fields: First on Wall Street, then in the fashion industry. 

After years in finance, the first female vice president of investment banking at Merrill Lynch left to pursue a passion she’d never considered before: designing lingerie.  Her slips, gowns and pajamas retail in the $68 to $250 range and she has been so successful as to expand to Josie Baby, Josie Girl, and Natori Home.

Natori didn’t begin her career expecting to see her designs on a runway, but perseverance paid off.  “No one taught me anything about it,” she says, adding that she’s not sure she ever would have gone into designing lingerie if she knew everything it would take to succeed.  “Maybe ignorance is bliss.” 

The word “natori” is Japanese for “the highest form of art” and her eponymous business lives up to its name.  Watch the video below to hear Josie Cruz Natori explain why Wall Street couldn’t contain her creative spirit.