ABOUT ME
I’m Gurki Basra — a woman who has spent the last two decades building brands, studying human behavior, and learning what it takes for fashion businesses to thrive.
Professionally, I’m a retail and fashion strategy leader with over 20 years of experience growing and transforming multi-million-dollar businesses at some of the world’s most iconic companies. I’ve worked across merchandising, planning, finance, and wholesale — from Neiman Marcus, Barneys New York, and Victoria’s Secret to Brunello Cucinelli, Old Navy, Vince, Cult Gaia and now VICI. I’m known for being product-obsessed, financially disciplined, and uniquely able to translate intuition into strategy while always driving positive results.
I hold an MBA from the University of Texas at Austin and, because I’ve always been fascinated by why we think, love, and behave the way we do, I just wrapped up my Clinical Psychology degree at Pepperdine University and am currently also earning my Master’s in general Psychology. This new tool kit allows me to provide in depth executive coaching and support to any leadership team or individual.
Today, my work sits at the intersection of classic merchandising with a modern touch of consumer psychology. I also pride myself on the ability to build and grow strong teams. I am based out of Los Angeles, California and am available for consulting work, private executive coaching and internal executive leadership roles within merchandising, buying, product development and planning functions.
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I was raised by Sikh Punjabi parents who moved from India to France and later to Texas, and I’ve since lived in Austin, Dallas, San Francisco, Columbus, New York, and Los Angeles. That journey shaped my worldview: curious, cross-cultural, and deeply empathetic.
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My additional studies in psychology happened in a very unexpected way: I reluctantly appeared on what I thought was a small documentary about dating in New York — which turned out to be Netflix’s first dating reality show. Overnight, I went viral, landed on a Times Square billboard, and suddenly thousands of women were telling me their stories. That experience opened my eyes to how deeply modern women were struggling with identity, mental health, and self-worth. Given the fashion industry over indexes in women (both from a consumer and workforce perspective), I wanted to learn more in order to become an even better leader.
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When I’m not working, you’ll find me hiking, writing, studying psychology, spirituality, biohacking, and exploring anything that helps me understand how to improve the human experience. I also love a good matcha and croissant morning with friends. Although I don’t have my own children, I love spending time with my favorite person - my niece, Diana.