Motivational quotes on Instagram might be that nudge of encouragement you need in the morning, as you prepare to face the day. But sometimes you need something more; something like an interview with a visionary woman, discussing her career trajectory – including the biggest professional challenges and, more importantly, greatest achievements and lessons learned. An insight into someone else's career path might make you see your own job, weaknesses and ambitions in a whole new light, or be the kickstart you need to reevaluate your goals.
If you haven't stumbled upon it before, welcome to the (hopefully) empowering How I #MadeIt series. Regardless of industry or field, understanding the way others tackle a problem in the workplace or confront career frustrations could provide the inspiration to help you on your own path.
From Sharmadean Reid, founder of WAH Nails, and Matches Fashion buying director, Natalie Kingham, to Tate curator, Catherine Wood and Head of London College of Fashion, Frances Corner, women are killing it in the game. They (and many more) kindly shared their words of wisdom, to help us all approach work in a better way. Happy reading!
In terms of high-street heavyweights, it doesn't get much bigger than the three women behind Finery London, one of our favourite affordable womenswear brands to emerge over the past couple of years. There's Emma Farrow, who worked at Topshop for almost 15 years, heading up design at Topshop Unique, and was instrumental in making the megastore one of the most prominent brands in the market. Then there's Rachel Morgans, a former head buyer at both ASOS and Topshop, and finally Caren Downie, the former fashion director at ASOS, whose fast fashion expertise is unparalleled.
It's no wonder that such an indomitable and influential trio was able to create a new brand that perfectly bridges the gap between accessible clothing and directional, sophisticated designs that make up the perfect wardrobe staples for the discerning, modern woman. From party dresses and elegant tailoring to the most covetable footwear, Finery London ought to be your first port of call – if it isn't already.
We caught up with Caren to discuss her career trajectory and the evolution of the online womenswear brand she started with her friends and former colleagues.
Photographed by Luke & Nik.
Some people are so high-functioning you can only assume they have a magic watch. Frances Corner is one of those people; she is the Head of London College of Fashion, UAL, an author currently writing her second book, an avid campaigner for sustainability in fashion, a mother, and an advisory member of the British Fashion Council. “I suppose sometimes it is like spinning plates,” says Frances modestly. “I just have to be organised.”
Frances’ primary passion lies in education, and she has more than 20 years of experience shaping creative higher education courses and institutions. She has been running LCF since 2005, placing a strong focus on developing its research department and steering the college’s forthcoming relocation from central London to east London’s Stratford.
The role is to oversee the vision for the school and its students, but Frances’ fashion standing helps; she recently did a TED talk on fashion and tech, has been named in the Business of Fashion 500, and in 2009 was awarded an OBE for services to the industry. Her book, Why Fashion Matters, dispels the tired idea that fashion is frivolous while offering industry insight and explaining the theory behind fashion as self-expression.
To find out more about Frances’ take on why fashion matters, as well as how to balance personal projects with a high-pressure senior role, we popped by her office at LCF. There, she told us what higher education means to her, as well as to her students.
Photographed by Morgane Lay & Jonny Cochrane.
At a time when the fashion industry is in a state of flux and entrepreneurs, emerging designers and established brands alike face countless challenges in an unstable market, it's encouraging to hear of a recent retail success story.
Over the past decade, Shoreditch has emerged as one of London's leading shopping destinations, particularly for the discerning customer seeking out independent boutiques and concept stores. Modern Society, which opened on Redchurch Street in October 2015, offers a concise edit of fashion, homeware, literature and artwork (the photography on the walls is also for sale). And if you're less interested in shopping and just looking to while away a couple of hours and watch the well-dressed world go by, there's a cosy café at the front of the exceptionally chic store – it looks exactly like the interior of our dream abode.
We caught up with founder of Modern Society, Nazifa Movsoumova, to discuss opening a store, building her team and her fashion vision.
PHOTOGRAPHED BY MORGANE LAY & JONNY COCHRANE.
The art world is an intimidating place and the idea of a curator even more so. Someone who has a near-encyclopaedic knowledge of their field, an ability to schmooze their way seamlessly through art parties and the creative vision and patience to pull off a show that can be years in the making. Tate curator Catherine Wood meets all of these criteria, and yet, when you talk to her about her work, she makes the industry sound accessible.
Having worked on curatorial teams at the British Museum and the Barbican before moving over to Tate in 2002, Catherine reassuringly says she picked up experience and direction gradually, without always having a sense of where she would end up. Today, however, she has a focussed interest in performance, having been responsible for Tate’s live programme for almost a decade, and having curated the major group show A Bigger Splash: Painting after Performance, at Tate Modern in 2012, which featured the works of Jackson Pollock, David Hockney and Cindy Sherman.
This makes Catherine the perfect person to speak to about how to rise through the ranks at some of Britain’s major galleries. So, to find out more about her various roles, and whether she prefers the more glamorous side of the job – jet-setting to international art fairs and private views – or the behind-the-scenes hard graft like research and catalogue writing, we popped by her latest curatorial achievement, a major Tate retrospective of the work of American master Robert Rauschenberg.
Photographed by Luke & Nik.
In its many manifestations WAH, founded by former stylist Sharmadean Reid, has always been about celebrating womanhood, bringing together focused female creatives and budding businesswomen. Beginning humbly as a fanzine 11 years ago, while Reid was still at Central Saint Martins, WAH set up shop on Kingsland Road in 2009, primarily as a nail salon and a place where Sharmadean's group of like-minded friends could hang out, but also as a venue for talks on feminism and events. A salon in Topshop soon followed, as did two books and a product line for Boots.
Somehow Sharmadean (who was awarded an MBE last year for services to the beauty industry) also managed to find time to start WAH Power Lunches, a series of panel talks held regularly on different topics, from product development to building a business. Who better to pass on their wisdom to aspiring girls than one of London's finest examples of a #girlboss?
We caught up with Sharmadean to discuss her career trajectory, female empowerment and running her empire as a working mum.
PHOTOGRAPHED BY JONNY COCHRANE & MORGANE LAY.
Finding your place in the competitive landscape of the fashion industry is no mean feat. Though many have the creativity, passion and unique vision required, often strategy, support and business acumen are lacking. But one woman who has circumnavigated the difficulties faced in both fashion business and tech is Pia Stanchina, with senior roles at Google and Glossybox on her impressive CV.
Having recently left Google to focus on her own ventures, Stanchina has joined forces with close friend Sharmadean Reid to share her wealth of wisdom with emerging entrepreneurs, helping to develop a roadmap and strategy for their business vision via Future Girl Corp. Taking place on Saturday, 15th October, the 12-hour free event invited 100 young women to be part of seminars, talks and workshops led by female CEOs. "What I’m really passionate about and what I think about all the time is empowering women. I realised I wanted to have a more direct impact and that’s what I want to do now," Stanchina explains.
Future Girl Corp will now become a regular series of engaging, educational events, and Sharmadean and Pia are also working on a printed book targeting high-net-worth women, with a central focus on cars. What did we say about Pia's skills being vast and varied...
We sat down with the wonder woman at home to discuss her career trajectory, the reality of inequality in fashion and tech, and to mine her for business advice.
PHOTOGRAPHED BY JONNY COCHRANE.
When you're excitedly sifting through rails of meticulously designed and beautifully cut clothing in a luxury store, you might not think about how the collections you saw on the catwalk came to be hanging right in front of you. But this integral job is the role of fashion buyers, some of the most influential people in the industry, who shape the way we shop and each season select and point us towards the latest key trends.
Enter buying director, Laura Larbalestier, who spent eight years at Selfridges before making the move in 2012 to the legendary London multi-brand boutique, Browns. The Dries Van Noten devotee, who also sits on the BFC NEWGEN selection panel, invited us over to the world-famous store on South Molton Street to discuss her career trajectory, tricks of her trade and the new faces of fashion.
Photographed by Claire Pepper.
Vestiaire Collective launched in 2009, improving our wardrobes forever by offering a community platform where members can buy and sell premium, pre-owned designer clothes and accessories. But this is no average online marketplace; Kim Kardashian is a keen customer, tweeting (entirely unprompted) about her addiction to the site and last December, Vestiaire held a charity sale, selling off items from the personal wardrobes of Emma Watson, Diane Kruger, Keira Knightley, Chloë Sevigny and Lupita Nyong’o.
With treasures from our favourite brands including YSL, Chloé, Céline and Balenciaga all available for remarkably low prices, it's the one-stop destination for clothaholics. And expectedly, the cofounder, French-born Fanny Moizant, is incredibly chic. We caught up with Moizant at her equally chic west London home to discuss the expansion of the brand, the origins of her love of fashion and the future of the ever-growing business.
Photographed by Claire Pepper.
Over the past two decades, fashion has become one of the most competitive courses at university, with at least six applicants for every place at the top schools, and within the field, fashion buying is now one of the most popular pathways. So how exactly do you reach that much-coveted position and become a fashion buyer, and what exactly does the job involve?
Who better to ask than Natalie Kingham, the buying director at leading luxury retailer, MatchesFashion.com, who has worked her way up the ranks since her time as a sales assistant at Joseph, aged 20. We headed over to their Marylebone townhouse to talk to Natalie about career advice, changes within the industry since she first started out, surviving fashion weeks, and the criteria for finding the next It item.
Photographed by Eva K. Salvi.Like what you see? How about some more R29 goodness, right here?
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