NEW YORK, USA // Tim Tareco, Vice President of Creative Global Visual Merchandising and Design, oversees the visual presentation in nearly 2,000 M·A·C stores around the world. The word visual, however, doesn’t begin to explain the experience he creates for customers. Not only does he guide the design of the overall visual aesthetic – everything from merchandise display to windows – he also oversees the design of M·A·C’s special event spaces to animate collections, even personally selecting the custom music playlists and catering menus for each main collection. He’s behind the design of 22 window programs and over 5,000 Retail and Special Events in 55 countries per year.
Tareco was first drawn to M·A·C over 11 years ago. “It felt very indie, a little underground with a kind of irreverent coolness,” he says. “You knew it was about individuality and, from the M·A·C AIDS Fund and VIVA GLAM, the brand clearly had soul.”
A minimalist at his core, Tareco actualizes that individuality by inviting all sources of inspiration. Walking the streets of Chelsea’s art galleries, getting lost in a new city, obsessing over architecture, a show at MOMA, a Broadway play or shopping in a hardware store, everything he does helps form and influence the ever-changing work at M·A·C.
Tareco’s talent for building a 3-D experience began as a child in the suburbs of Boston. “I wanted to be an architect and I would build things from the floor plan up, usually designing houses, interiors, furniture – my main building supplies were Legos,” says Tareco. “Later on, I just knew I wanted to live in New York and work in design.”
While studying architecture, he worked his first job as a retail manager for a small brand in New York where he discovered his passion for visual merchandising. “I was into the visual and merchandising side and realized that I was good at it and I enjoyed doing it.”
He then took a position at Giorgio Armani where he learned the power of branding consistency. “It was a visual dictatorship.” As a man with extremely high standards himself, it was a foundation in exactitude. “It trained me to have control of a space and look at all of the minute details that ultimately create the most beautiful environments.”
After honing his talent with visual direction and retail display at Giorgio Armani, he went on to become Visual Director at Donna Karan, then Calvin Klein, and finally Burberry before joining M·A·C in 2002. His rise through its ranks was organic, his role growing with the expanding needs of the brand. Tareco began overseeing all 3-D visual merchandising, window design and event design, while working on the Sean John fragrance launch as well as a stint for Bobbi Brown to refocus its look at counter.
Colleagues describe Tareco as emphatic, funny and a passionate perfectionist – qualities that keep his team enthused and amused. When he’s not signing off on visuals, in meetings, flying to San Francisco or Shanghai to oversee an event or new installation, Tareco is on his way to Pilates, or walking his schnauzer, Linus. He’s also involved in the annual AIDS Walk New York, where in the past several years he was the top fundraiser. Even his fund-raising pitch was well crafted and featured his adorable dog. “I’m persuasive. Whatever it takes. And why not? It’s for a good cause.”