{"id":13606,"date":"2022-02-20T20:24:04","date_gmt":"2022-02-21T01:24:04","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/blackfashioncanada.ca\/database\/?post_type=cpt_portfolio&p=13606"},"modified":"2026-07-07T00:27:45","modified_gmt":"2026-07-07T04:27:45","slug":"judith-adams","status":"publish","type":"cpt_portfolio","link":"https:\/\/blackfashioncanada.ca\/database\/profiles\/judith-adams\/","title":{"rendered":"Judith Adams"},"content":{"rendered":"\t\t

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Judith Adams discovered her love for luxury at five years old in Jamaica, admiring her aunt's beautiful hilltop house.<\/li>\r\n \t
She built a prestigious career in high fashion, working at Herm\u00e8s for nine years before becoming assistant boutique director at Chanel.<\/li>\r\n \t
In 2017, she co-founded Studio D Boutique in Toronto, blending affordable luxury with exclusive European designers and quality craftsmanship.<\/li>\r\n<\/ul><\/span><\/div><\/div>\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/section>\n\t\t\t\t
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Judith Adams discovered her fascination\u00a0 for life’s finer things\u00a0 long before she knew the names Herm\u00e8s or Chanel.\u00a0It was in her home village of Argyle Mountain, Jamaica, where young Judith\u00a0 got her first glimpse of luxury.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>
Each morning, <\/span>walking the village roads to school, five-year-old Adams would stop to admire her aunt’s pristine hilltop home, bathed in sunlight<\/span>. <\/span>She remembers thinking in awe, “I want to live a life like that.”<\/span><\/p>
In these quite moments, without realizing it, <\/span>Adams sowed the seeds of her aspirations and\u00a0 appreciation for a life of quality.\u00a0 <\/span>She didn’t yet understand luxury as fashion or designer labels, but\u00a0 she did recognize beauty and elegance and how it could make you feel.<\/span><\/p>
Now, on a chilly November afternoon, Adams warmly greets a longtime client passing by Studio D, the luxury boutique she co-owns with her husband Derrick. Wearing a refined white t-shirt\u00a0 and a leather jacket resting neatly on her shoulders, she moves effortlessly through the space filled with European fashion labels.<\/p>
It’s clear that the little girl from rural Jamaica who\u00a0 dreamed of an elegant life didn’t just find luxury. She built a career helping others experience it.<\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/section>\n\t\t\t\t
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The mirrored staircase in the apartment of Coco Chanel, 21 rue Cambon, July 5, 2013<\/figcaption>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/figure>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t
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Judith and Derrick Adams at Coco Chanel's apartment, 21 rue Cambon, July 5, 2013.<\/figcaption>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/figure>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/section>\n\t\t\t\t
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Early Life and Career<\/h2>\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t
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Bright lights welcomed eight-year-old Adams and her family to Toronto on a wintry Christmas Day in 1974. Friendly and outgoing, she joined the social committee at Central Commerce High School and discovered that connecting with others came\u00a0 naturally. “I’ve always loved being around people, communicating and bringing communities together,” she confirms.<\/p>
She landed her first retail job at a small, family-owned jeans store. Every bit of money she earned went towards the latest designer clothes, not just for herself, but also her sisters. \u201cEven today, my sister recalls when I surprised her with a pair of yellow designer jeans and what it meant to her,\u201d\u00a0 recalls Adams fondly.\u00a0<\/p>
For her, fashion was never just about owning designer clothes. Fashion was her language and a way of expressing herself through the silhouettes and colours she loved, and sharing that joy with her special\u00a0 people.<\/p>
Adams\u2019 fashion career began at Adrienne Vittadini, an American fashion brand. As an assistant manager at their Yorkville store, she built a loyal clientele, eventually leading to her being scouted by Herm\u00e8s in 1998.<\/p>
For nine years, Adams was the ready-to-wear and fragrance specialist\u00a0 at Herm\u00e8s, dedicating herself to the brand and community.\u00a0 She learned that luxury retail had less to do with selling products and everything to do with cultivating relationships.<\/p>
“I learned that luxury isn’t just about the product,” Adams explains. “It’s about exceeding expectations and creating an unforgettable experience.”<\/p>
Business woman Simona Shnaider, has watched Adams build one of Toronto’s most respected careers in luxury retail for over three decades. What impressed her wasn’t simply Adams’ impeccable style, but the effortless way she made every client feel understood.<\/span><\/p>
“Judith is exceptional with people,” says Shnaider. “She understood her customers before they even had to explain themselves. That’s a very rare quality.”<\/p>
Shnaider recalls that Adams remembered not only what clients purchased, but how they lived, travelled and dressed. “She always knew what I liked, what I didn’t like. If Judith said she would find something for you, she did. That kind of follow-through is almost impossible to find today.”<\/p>
One purchase, in particular, has become inseparable from Adams in Shnaider’s memory.<\/p>
“More than 25 years ago, I can still remember saying, ‘Judith, I think I need a Birkin.’ She looked at me and laughed, ‘Honey, of course you need a Birkin.'”A few weeks later Adams called to say the coveted bag had arrived; a gold leather Birkin.<\/p>
“Whenever I look at that bag, I think of Judith,” says Shnaider. “Back then it wasn’t about waiting lists or status. It was about trust. She knew exactly what I wanted and made it happen.”<\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/section>\n\t\t\t\t
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Scrubs in The City with VIP client, June 4, 2016<\/figcaption>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/figure>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t
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\u201cTo me, luxury isn\u2019t defined by price,\u201d she says. \u201cIt\u2019s an emotion, a way of carrying oneself through life.\u201d<\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t
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In 2006, Adams received a call that would alter the course of her career. Roger Forcier, president of Chanel Canada, invited her to join the company as assistant boutique director at the Bloor street flagship store. Despite admiring Chanel for years, she turned him down, uncertain she was ready for such a prestigious role.<\/p>
A year later, encouraged by her husband and inspired by her two children, especially her daughter Kelsey, Adams reconsidered. “I couldn’t tell my daughter to chase her dreams if I wasn’t willing to chase mine,” she says. This time, in 2007, she accepted.<\/p>
After she accepted the offer, Adams was curious as to why she was chosen. Forcier replied that when they surveyed clients about whom they wanted to work with, her name was mentioned repeatedly.<\/p>
“That touched me deeply,” Adams says quietly with emotion in her eyes. “It’s incredibly moving when other people see \u00a0your strengths before you see them yourself.”<\/p>
Shnaider believes Adams helped define one of the strongest eras in Chanel Toronto’s history.<\/p>
“Judith and Anne were an incredible team,” she says. “Honestly, I don’t think the Chanel boutique was ever better. They understood luxury, but more importantly, they understood people and relationships.\u00a0 That’s what clients remember.”<\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/section>\n\t\t\t\t
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\u00a0Throughout her career, Adams has encountered her share of systemic racism, gender inequity, salary disparities and subtle micro-aggressions. Yet she refused to let those experiences define her.<\/p>
“I never allowed others to undermine my worth as a human being,” she says. “I envisioned a future that created success and happiness, and I went after it with dogged determination.”<\/p>
That determination would eventually lead Adams beyond the world of luxury retail brands and into entrepreneurship.\u00a0<\/p>
In 2015, Studio D shoes, curated by her husband, Derrick Adams, opened\u00a0 in the Lawrence Park neighbourhood. Filled with exclusive European designer footwear, Judith gradually realized this was her opportunity to create her own luxury retail space.<\/p>
Two years later in 2017, after a decade at Chanel, she joined Derrick at Studio D. His expertise in designer footwear complemented her strategic planning and marketing expertise in women’s fashion. \u201cI felt empowered,\u201d she says. \u201cGrounded in who I wanted to be and my legacy.\u201d<\/p>
She shares with us their struggles obtaining funding to finance Studio D and how her white peers didn\u2019t face this same reality. They were\u00a0 able to leverage their combined years of experience and each other\u2019s areas of expertise to finance and build Studio D from the ground up.<\/p>
Their vision blends affordability with luxury. The family-run boutique offers a curated mix of emerging and established European luxury brands, high fashion, elegant, sophisticated looks from<\/span>\u00a0the likes of MIISTA, MSGM, Chloe, Missoni and Sebastian Milano.<\/span><\/p>
Studio D moved to its current location in the Manulife Centre in 2021. Powder blue walls accent chartreuse coloured sofas. <\/span>Black and white marble counters showcase Italian-crafted footwear, elegant jewelry, and Studio D Priv\u00e9 handbags.\u00a0<\/span>Gold-trimmed shelves display No Name and Philippe Model Paris shoes. Mannequins sport EMANO designs, topped with trendy berets for winter.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>
Ensuring that customers feel welcome is one of Adams\u2019 main priorities.\u201cI\u2019m all too familiar with feeling uneasy in luxury fashion environments,\u201d she explains.<\/span><\/p>
“When a Black customer walks in, asking if I\u2019m the owner; seeing the smiles when I answer \u2018yes\u2019,\u00a0 makes us feel so good and so proud,\u201d shares Adams. She says BIPOC communities have been a constant source of support and agrees how important it is to give back to Black and other racialized groups.<\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/section>\n\t\t\t\t
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PARIS BOMBAY Me\u0301tiers D'Arts launch event at Chanel flagship store with clients June 27, 2015<\/figcaption>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/figure>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t
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At both Herm\u00e8s and Chanel, Adams built lasting relationships by combining luxury expertise with attention to details. She remembered her clients’ tastes, anticipated their needs and, perhaps most importantly, followed through.<\/p>
“If you asked Judith for something, you knew it would happen,” says Shnaider. “She always knew what I liked, what I didn’t like, and she always delivered. That level of follow-through is something that’s missing today.”<\/p>
After watching Adams’ career over three decades, Shnaider has no doubt about what sets her apart. “She’s grown and evolved with every stage of her career, and somehow she just keeps getting better.”<\/p>
Beyond her expertise, Shnaider believes Adams possesses something less tangible.<\/p>
“Judith has this wonderful disposition,” says Shnaider. “Whenever you’re in her presence, you just feel calmer. She understands fashion, she understands business, and she understands people.”<\/p>
Then she pauses before offering perhaps the most fitting description of all.\u00a0“There’s something about Judith that’s timeless,” Shnaider adds. “She’s incredibly chic, almost old hollywood.<\/span> She has presence.”<\/span><\/p>
That presence has become Adams’ signature. Whether at Herm\u00e8s, Chanel or\u00a0 Studio D boutique, her career is defined by delivering outstanding customer service.<\/p>
The image of a little girl gazing at her aunt\u2019s hilltop home in Jamaica still inspires her today. In her journey working for the highest luxury\u00a0 brands to lifelong connections and Studio D collaborations, Adams isn\u2019t just a dreamer, she\u2019s an achiever.<\/p>
\u201cTo me, luxury isn\u2019t defined by price,\u201d she concludes. \u201cIt\u2019s an emotion, a way of carrying oneself through life.\u201d<\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t
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Judith and Derrick Adams at Studio D boutique, Manulife Centre<\/figcaption>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/figure>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t
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After she accepted the offer, Adams was curious as to why she was chosen.<\/p>
Forcier replied that when they surveyed clients about whom they wanted to work with, her name was mentioned repeatedly.<\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t
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