We value creativity, passion, and practicality.

Coral+Hand provides brand-specific expertise contributing unrivaled levels of commitment and specialization to our partners. Our team of industry leaders directly collaborate with our clients from vision to product. At C+H we get it done, and take pride in mapping the next phase of growth for our partners. Quite simply, we love what we do!

 

   We are proud to be a hands-on agency owned and directed by women. Our approach is rooted in listening and learning how to make your brand be its best. We identify, we strategize, and we collaborate. We value the power of the process and what success means to you.

 
 

Katie Hand Charlson

Katie Hand Charlson is a third generation fashion luminary, having learned about the industry from her earliest days through her father, a chief merchant and chief executive officer in menswear for several decades and stories of her grandfather, a visionary in his own right as president of the revered American brand, Arrow Shirt.

With a keen eye for identifying trends and valuing trend-proof style, a flair for creating her own looks and an interest in not just the end result but the process, upon graduating from college, Katie packed her bags and headed to London where she began her career interning as an assistant buyer for one of England’s oldest retailers, Austin Reed. In 1996, Katie was offered a spot in the prestigious Executive Training Program at Saks Fifth Avenue where she learned the fundamentals of fashion from all perspectives with a heavy emphasis on merchandising. Eager to learn about branded product, Katie joined Tommy Hilfiger in the late 90’s where played an integral role in launching its womenswear category. At Tommy Hilfiger, Katie Hand met Joy Corle and they recognized one another as kindred spirits and formed a fast friendship, now in its third decade! Katie’s career as a Fashion Merchandiser has extended to many top brands including Polo Jeans and Lilly Pulitzer. In 2008, Katie assumed the role of Director of Product Development and Production for Talbots, a specialty retailer with sales in excess of 1 billion USD.

Katie’s exceptional work ethic, creative spark, and cultural savvy have provided myriad opportunities both at home and abroad to connect with industry leaders and innovators. That, coupled with her invaluable relationships that she has developed and nurtured, provide her with not just a high level of expertise but a clear sense of brand nuance and direction. In creating Corle + Hand, Katie, in partnership with Joy, has been able to offer up her leadership to a dynamic array of partners while directing her expertise to the specific needs of each client in the C+H stable.

Joy Corle Clancy

From the time Joy was a little girl, she dreamed of living in New York City. Her mother’s sense of style, her father’s work integrity and her sister's WWD magazines, helped carve her path in life. Joy’s childhood dreams were fulfilled when she attended The Fashion Institute of Technology, a place singularly focused on producing and motivating creativity. The school opened doors for her and after graduation she began her career at Bloomingdale’s respected Executive Training Program. There, she quickly learned the ins-and-outs of the retail business which helped shape who she is today. Joy’s sales career began at Tommy Hilfiger; one of the most exciting and influential companies in the 90’s. Everyone considered it Tommy University as employees were armed with an abundance of tools and were surrounded by brilliant, creative people who became family. Within a week, a unique and rare friendship was forged between Joy Corle and Katie Hand. They became fast friends, partners from the start. Through the years, Joy has built a reputation in strengthening and expanding sales within large brands like Coach, Polo Jeans and Lilly Pulitzer. She also has been instrumental in helping small companies build and broaden their brand. After 20 years, Joy was ready to go out on her own with the support of her friend and partner, Katie Charlson. Now she dedicates every day to Corle + Hand clients and uses her vast knowledge and expertise to guide them to success.

Liz Denbigh

Liz joined Corle + Hand in June of 2018 after graduating from Ithaca College. Liz has quickly learned the ins and outs of the fashion industry, becoming an instrumental part of the C+H team. Liz oversees client management, logistics, sales prep, social media and keeps the team organized and on time.

Melissa Sandagata

Melissa is a longtime colleague and collaborator with Katie and Joy. They all met back in the ‘90s working for Tommy Hilfiger and while all have charted individual paths, Corle + Hand has reunited them each bringing her unique expertise to the team. Melissa has over 20 years of design experience leading teams and executing seasonal product lines for both wholesale and retail brands. She is expert at creating consumer product from collection level to mass retail. She knows what key elements are required to create strong brand identity, interpret seasonal trends and maintain consistent fit.  

Angelina Minger

Angelina was introduced to fashion early. Watching her mother make clothes throughout her childhood inspired her to major in Fashion Merchandising. Angelina began her fashion career after graduation, joining Lilly Pulitzer in apparel production management. It was there that she learned and perfected the skills needed to deftly manage overseas production in Asia, South America and Europe. Angelina always admired Katie for her work ethic and expertise in the fashion industry and jumped at the opportunity to be part of the amazing team that Katie and Joy have built at Corle + Hand.

Jill Cunningham

Calendars, timelines and to-do lists, Jill’s background is centered around timing! After starting her career in the apparel and footwear industry as a distribution and logistics manager for AND1, Jill then joined Lilly Pulitzer managing logistics and customs functions. With her position tightly entwined with production, she soon managed factories and added production manager to her resume. Having worked together at Lilly Pulitzer, she knew Katie’s track record of success and was eager to jump onboard the exciting launch of Corle + Hand. Jill’s role at C+H and her work ethos are informed by the Lilly Pulitzer adage ‘On time or we miss it’.

 
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Katie Charlson

Founder
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Melissa Sandagata

Designer
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Jill Cunningham

Production Manager
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Angelina Minger

Production Manager
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We are personalized and comprehensive - one size does not fit all.

 

The life cycle of a fashion product is complicated.
Coral + Hand can help you in any of these areas your brand needs and more.

Why wait?


 

We are industry leaders who guide our clients in design conception, product development, global sourcing and production, merchandising, retail planning and forecasting, domestic and international sales, e-business, marketing, brand building, organization/restructuring and relationship development and management.

 
 

What our Clients are saying about us


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You’re one step away from beginning great things.

 
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