You know her by the sunglasses she always has with her. You know her from TV, and you might know her from the tabloids, too, but Nicole Richie isn't convinced any of it works for or against her when it comes to building her design career.

She guided aspiring designers on the fashion competition show "Fashion Star," and says she sees success in the fashion business as either potentially intense and fleeting, or broad-based and sustained. It's up to the work you do -- and doing it consistently, she says.

"You're only as good as your last season," she says.

Richie, it seems, is banking on a big fall season. That's when her limited-edition collection for Macy's contemporary department makes its debut.

Richie, 30, isn't an industry novice. She's gained recognition for her lines Winter Kate and House of Harlow, but the Nicole Richie for Impulse collaboration, best described as contemporary clothes styled with Richie's bohemian flair, is her greatest exposure yet. The clothes, including maxi dresses, asymmetrical skirts, cropped tops and fitted jackets in an array of jewel tones and prints, will be in 100 stores and available online starting Sept. 12.

She hasn't taken the task lightly.

"I'm traveling all year just with various appearances that I do for Winter Kate and House of Harlow," she says. "And the reason that I do these appearances is because I really get to come face-to-face with my customer, and as I'm watching them in the store I can see what pieces they're wearing, I can see what they're drawn to, what people's favorite pieces are."

Richie, who grew up in the spotlight as the daughter of Lionel Richie and co-starred with Paris Hilton in the reality show "The Simple Life," doesn't mind working behind the scenes. "It's important to always be a student on some level," she says. "I don't think you should ever hit a place where you feel that there is nothing left to learn."

Getting glammed up is part of her job, but Richie, who has two young children, Harlow and Sparrow, says she's not always picture-perfect. She carries the big round sunglasses she's famous for as well as bobby pins wherever she goes for a quick transformation.

"There are often times that I do look a hot mess," she says. "It's a work in progress."

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Richie wants success via Impulse