/ Hitha Prabhakar: Fashion Cents

by Anokhi Admin

Hitha Prabhakar: Fashion Cents

Jun 10, 2013

The newly minted Bloomberg TV correspondent is proof that a career in economics doesn’t have to be all business

When Bloomberg Television came to Hitha Prabhakar with the offer to be a full-time reporter, she said “Yes.” And why wouldn’t she? She’d already done just about everything else. A retail reporter for Bloomberg Television, Prabhakar currently spends her days tracking the dealings of major retailers as well as the spending habits of consumers. While finishing up her graduate degree in New York, she served as national style editor for Metro newspapers and has been in high demand as an industry expert (on both the financial and “Oh my God, who are you wearing” end of things) for publications as diverse as Forbes, Time, People, CNN, and the E! Channel.

Before that, she spent a couple years as an analyst at the now-defunct Bear Stearns bank (that whole collapse thing? Totally not her fault) and founded a consulting firm called The Style File Group, which advises hedge funds and other parties with holdings in retail companies. And somewhere along the way, there was a stint as an MTV stylist and editor, where she sculpted the look of celebs like Britney Spears, M.I.A. and Weezer. If someone were to toss out the term “renaissance woman,” they wouldn’t be shouted down for hyperbole.

“I think like any young, interested person, you have a lot of interests everywhere,” Prabhakar reflects. “When I was in college, I really had a focus on international relations. But in the back of my mind, I always wanted to be a writer. I’d always been told that there were only three career options: one being an engineer, the other being a doctor and the other being a lawyer. Since I wasn’t going to be any of those three, I thought, ‘Well, finance was the next best thing.’ And I was very interested in business issues, especially on the international front.”

After all of her financial fancy-book-learnin’ at Smith College, Columbia and the London School of Economics, banking seemed like the obvious choice. But while she classifies her brief time battling it out on the trade floor as an invaluable experience, banking was just not a life that appealed to her. “I’m a curious person,” she explains. “I like to ask a lot of questions. And when you work in an environment like that, it’s very linear. And I think a lot out of the box.”

It’s a combination of that inherent curiosity and a devotion to the ethical responsibilities of her journalistic trade that led to her first book, Black Market Billions: How Organized Retail Crime Funds Global Terrorists, a piece of work that she classifies as a “call to arms” for consumers trying to save a few bucks by picking up discount (read: stolen) designer goods. “A former colleague of mine who ran the IT department asked me if I wanted to buy a handbag. He told me that he had a friend who worked at Barney’s and there was a ring on the inside that stole items from the warehouse. After I found that, I thought, ‘Oh my gosh; this is crazy!’

Working with US law-enforcement agencies she made the jarring discovery that, from designer bags to simple beauty products, $38 billion worth of merchandise is stolen annually from retailers and put on the black market, with the proceeds quite often funding such nefarious activities as human trafficking and terrorism. “When you actually put the puzzle pieces together and track the money, it is extremely shocking. During the recession, a lot of people were trying to save a buck, which is important, but there are ways to do it without hurting the greater good. That’s why I wanted to write this book. I didn’t think people realized that this is what’s happening.”

In conjunction with Cerebral Itch Creative Agency, Prabhakar is also rolling out an iPhone app called (appropriately enough) Black Market Billions, which can be used by consumers to tag locations they suspect of selling stolen merchandise, warning other shoppers about potentially shady operations. “I’m so excited,” she laughs. “I think I’m more excited about the app than I am about the book.”

So you can add author and software publisher to her already eclectic resume. But as a new chapter in her journalistic career kicks off, it’s something a touch more personal that Prabhakar reminisces most fondly about. Back in her MTV days, she was tapped to be a mentor on the reality show MADE. She spent six weeks in a small town, coaching a floundering young woman who was 75 pounds overweight and flunking math. “For me, for so long, it was very much about how I was going to grow my business or how I’m going to perpetuate my career,” she recalls. ”And for six weeks, I had to slow it down and put the focus on this young person who really needed help. It was a really amazing experience. I think, out of everything I’ve done, that was the most powerful. Because I helped someone very specific; I turned her around 180.”

Very admirable stuff, and yet another job she’s apparently awesome at. Clearly Hitha Prabhakar can do just about anything she wants. So what’s next? Scientist? Ice-road trucker? Nah, she’s just fine where she is. “This career path is made for me,” she assures. “I can’t imagine myself doing anything else that would make me as happy. I was meant to be a journalist.”

BY MATTHEW CURRIE / PUBLISHED IN THE 9TH ANNIVERSARY / JANUARY 2012 ISSUE

COMMENTS

The ANOKHI Blog

Hello! From The Editor-In-Chief!

FROM THE EIC-HELP HAITI

Disney Releases Aamir Khan Flick Taare Zameen Par On DVD

Padma Lakshmi In Top 20 of Askmen.com's Top 99 Women Of 2010

Anokhi Fashion - Location Shoot

Remembering Alexander McQueen

My Healthy Valentine

Greetings From The Health And Wellness Editor!

May 2010 Fashion Teaser

The Art Of Beauty

LA Fashion Week Coverage

ANOKHI MAGAZINE CONTEST ALERT! WIN AN EXCLUSIVE WEDDING SARI BY MANISH MALHOTRA !

ANOKHI Magazine Is A Proud Sponsor Of The Upcoming DIL Gala Fundraiser-Mughal Nights Set To Shine In Toronto

ANOKHI Women's Club Is Proud To Sponsor 30 Dates As It Returns To The Stage In Celebration Of Their 2nd Anniversary

We Want YOU! Sexy & Successful 2011 Nomination Call!

Newsletter Sign Up

Subscribe to our FREE newsletter for all of the latest news, articles, and videos delivered directly to your inbox each day!

Technology

South Asian Heritage Month: How 5 South Asian Authors Are Challenging Societal Norms & Stereotypes

Current News

Bollywood Inspired Mother's Day Gifts Ideas For Our Special South Asian Stars: Grandma, Mom and Aunty

FEATURED

Cover Stories

by Anokhi Admin

Hitha Prabhakar: Fashion Cents

The newly minted Bloomberg TV correspondent is proof that a career in economics doesn’t have to be all business

COMMENTS

YOU MAY ALSO LIKE

Newsletter Sign Up

South Asian Heritage Month: How 5 South Asian Authors Are Challenging Societal Norms & Stereotypes

Bollywood Inspired Mother's Day Gifts Ideas For Our Special South Asian Stars: Grandma, Mom and Aunty

FEATURED

South Asian Heritage Month: How 5 South Asian Authors Are Challenging Societal Norms & Stereotypes

South Asian Mother-Daughter/Mother-Son Fashion Designer Duos Building Powerful Brands

Bollywood Inspired Mother's Day Gifts Ideas For Our Special South Asian Stars: Grandma, Mom and Aunty

Sustainable And Eco-Friendly South Asian Fashion Brands

Men's Skincare Tips Inspired By Our Fav Bollywood & Hollywood Actors & Influencers

Revealing Truths: South Asian Cinema's Contribution to Earth Day Awareness

Trending

South Asian Heritage Month: How 5 South Asian Authors Are Challenging Societal Norms & Stereotypes

South Asian Mother-Daughter/Mother-Son Fashion Designer Duos Building Powerful Brands

Bollywood Inspired Mother's Day Gifts Ideas For Our Special South Asian Stars: Grandma, Mom and Aunty

Popular

South Asian Heritage Month: How 5 South Asian Authors Are Challenging Societal Norms & Stereotypes

South Asian Mother-Daughter/Mother-Son Fashion Designer Duos Building Powerful Brands

Bollywood Inspired Mother's Day Gifts Ideas For Our Special South Asian Stars: Grandma, Mom and Aunty

Emerging Talents and Established Icons: Celebrate South Asian Heritage Month with Us!

Sustainable And Eco-Friendly South Asian Fashion Brands

Men's Skincare Tips Inspired By Our Fav Bollywood & Hollywood Actors & Influencers