Her Story
About Merri
Merri Gleckler is the CEO and Owner of Kashwére, a globally recognized luxury lifestyle brand built around emotional comfort creating products that bring warmth, connection, and comfort people can feel in everyday life.
For more than 27 years, Merri has led Kashwére with authenticity, transparency, innovation, and uncompromising quality, establishing it as a trusted luxury comfort brand among leading retailers, fine hotels, spas, high-end corporate gifting clients, and discerning customers around the world. Under her leadership, Kashwére has earned widespread recognition through prominent editorial features, spa and wellness publications, and prestigious consumer accolades, including Oprah’s Favorite Things.
Before building Kashwére into an international success, Merri developed a strong foundation in sales, marketing, and brand development through leadership roles with respected companies including London Fog and Marithé François Girbaud. Her passion for global culture and design was shaped by her studies in Chinese language and culture, including a year abroad in Beijing, where she became proficient in Mandarin and developed a deep appreciation for international perspectives. These experiences helped shape her entrepreneurial vision, global perspective, and customer focused approach to business.
Beyond business, Merri has long been guided by a strong sense of purpose and philanthropy. Long before her own experience as a cancer survivor, she believed in quietly supporting charitable causes, disaster relief efforts, and organizations that help others.
As the owner of a women-owned business, Merri is also passionate about sharing the challenges, lessons, and realities she has experienced and continues to experience as an entrepreneur. She hopes that by being open about her journey, she can help inform, encourage, and inspire other women business owners, as well as the next generation of leaders.
Kashwére is currently in the process of obtaining WBENC certification, further reflecting Merri’s commitment to women’s leadership, entrepreneurship, and business excellence. For Merri, true success is measured not only by business growth, but by the positive impact a company has on people’s lives.
What continues to inspire Merri most are the countless stories from customers who turn to Kashwére during life’s celebrations, challenges, and everyday moments of comfort.
Guided by the belief that when you put good into the world, good comes back, Merri remains dedicated to leading with heart, integrity, and compassion.
Her Interview
Ten minutes with Merri
01What do you attribute your success to?
I attribute much of my success to being goal driven, hardworking, and committed to continuous growth. Throughout my career, I have approached challenges with determination, stayed focused on my goals, and remained open to learning, evolving, and adapting along the way. I believe success comes from dedication, resilience, transparency, adaptability, never becoming complacent, and never quitting, even when the path is difficult.
Outside of work, I enjoy wellness, fitness, spa experiences, and cooking , all of which help me maintain balance, stay grounded, and support a healthy, fulfilling lifestyle.
02What’s the best career advice you’ve ever received?
The best career advice I have ever received is simple: never quit. Success comes from perseverance, staying focused on your goals, and continuing to move forward through challenges, even when the path is difficult.
I have also learned the importance of surrounding yourself with positive, supportive, like-minded people who encourage your growth and believe in what is possible. Just as important is building a team of people who know more than you do in areas where you need support. Strong leadership is not about having every answer; it is about recognizing where others can bring expertise, perspective, and strength.
Most importantly, I believe in using your voice and experience to advocate for others. Some of the most meaningful success comes from making a positive impact on the people around you.
03What advice would you give to young women entering your industry?
My advice to young women entering this industry is to communicate confidently, build strong relationships, and never be afraid to put yourself out there. Take chances and pursue opportunities that challenge you, even if you have to learn along the way.
Trust your abilities, stay open to growth, and surround yourself with people who support and challenge you in the right ways. Most importantly, be proud of your accomplishments, own your success, and remember that your voice, perspective, and leadership have value.
04What are the biggest challenges or opportunities in your field right now?
One of the biggest opportunities in my field right now is expanding Kashwére’s presence across luxury hospitality, wellness, retail, and high-end corporate gifting. As the demand for thoughtful, memorable, and emotionally meaningful products continues to grow, Kashwére is well positioned to deepen existing partnerships and build new relationships around the world.
My focus remains on delivering exceptional products that bring comfort, elevate everyday living, and create meaningful connections with customers and business partners.
One of the challenges in the industry is that Kashwére is often grouped with a broader category of “soft” brands. While softness is part of the experience, Kashwére is so much more than that. What sets us apart is our emotional comfort positioning, uncompromising quality, long-standing luxury distribution, and the trust we have built over more than 25 years.
Like many successful brands, we have seen others attempt to imitate aspects of what we do. While imitation may be a form of flattery, authenticity matters. Kashwére’s story, heritage, product integrity, and customer connection are what make the brand truly distinct.
05What values are most important to you in your work and personal life?
I believe in doing things for the right reasons and putting good into the world, because when you put good out, good comes back. Philanthropy has always been an important part of who I am and who we are as a company. Kashwére has a great heart, and we have always chosen to support causes, communities, and individuals in meaningful ways without making that support about publicity or marketing.
For me, giving should come from a genuine place. It should be about the impact, not the recognition. That same belief carries through to how I lead, how I build relationships, and how I choose the people and organizations I align with. The people we associate with matter, and I believe in surrounding myself and Kashwére with good people who share strong values, integrity, and purpose.
I am also deeply supportive of women and women-owned businesses. I believe in using my experience to encourage, inform, and support other women, including the next generation of leaders.
At the forefront of everything is wellness. Without wellness, you truly have nothing. It is the foundation for how we live, how we work, and how we care for ourselves and others.
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