Opening Lines
The Talented Mr. Detwiler (And Ms. Malahoo)
By: Jim Wagner, EditorHe is responsible for hundreds of packages with a Chanel logo. She is responsible for a dozen Iman Cosmetics. Jim Detwiler works for one of the most famous cosmetic and fashion houses in the world. Desiree Malahoo works for a company with a famous founder. Detwiler has a staff of designers, engineers and artists. Malahoo's support team consists of a few gifted individuals. Detwiler's efforts are scrutinized a dozen ways. Malahoo is on her own. Detwiler and Malahoo are as different as night and day, but they share a common trait. They share a desire to create the best packaging they can
Detwiler and Malahoo recently spoke at HBA Global Expo. As Detwiler spoke, detailing the steps and plans that went into the creation of Chanel's Precision line, Malahoo shook her head in amazement. After his presentation she walked slowly to the podium to deliver her story about the I-Iman line of color cosmetics. She began by laughing into the microphone. In brief, she said, her experience was completely different from Detwiler's, that she and her designers would have loved to have his resources and that long, long days were the price for creating I-Iman. But she wasn't complaining. She recognized and admired Detwiler's desire to create something that was better than anything else on the shelf.
Malahoo also recognized that although Detwiler may have had better resources, he had a proportionally larger assignment. Precision launched in 26 different skus requiring new bottles, tottles, caps, dispensers, tubes jars and cartons. All were black and white or translucent, and all had a soft matte finish. Detwiler's description of the carton, with help from Joseph Cundari at his supplier Cultech, left the audience shaking their heads. The thoroughness of it all was way beyond what most companies can achieve.
For her part, Malahoo was under-staffed, under-budgeted and crushed for time. Her team could have settled for less, but they held on to their conviction that the right package was out there if they looked hard enough. Eventually they found what they needed, compacts molded in rich, dark colors with deeply profiled windows which act like lens and magnify the products. The packages, from HCT Packaging, helped Malahoo and her team create a luxury feel within budget and time constraints.
There's a moral to the story of Detwiler and Malahoo. As the other speakers were talking about their packages and their design stories, guess who was in the front of the room, asking questions, taking notes, playing with samples as they were passed around. Neither Detwiler or Malahoo had to stick around once their presentations were finished, but they did and they listened very closely. Yes they are talented, and yes they are lucky to work for companies that appreciate their skills, but it's their desire to learn and improve that sets them apart. That's the lesson Mr. Detwiler and Mrs. Malahoo have to offer. And it's the reason they'll be back at HBA or some other forum explaining why their packages, despite all the obstacles in their path, were selected as the best in their class.