“Luxury is not about speed, it’s not about volume. It’s about quality, creativity and authenticity.”

2020-09-01 -

launched it seven years ago. We sell you the tools to get the whole look and we are in a position to merchandise beauty alongside the fashion so we can give the customer the head-to-toe option, which is a great service. Skincare has become amongst the most important categories.

Which brands or beauty products are your real hero buys?

There are a few, but there is a newish collection that we launched earlier this year, a new brand called Decree which is amazing. It’s super simple – there’s a morning wash, an evening wash, two serums, mosituriser and sun care. The Augustinus Bader body cream and Frederick Malle Carnal Flower I’ve worn many, many times.

What today is luxury in this time of fashion’s reset?

I think it’s being able to do things on your own terms. Luxury is not about speed, it’s not about volume. It’s about quality, creativity and authenticity and that pertains to everything from products to relationships to how one spends one’s time.

How do you approach client engagement and retention and does this approach differ in terms of men and women?

It’s super important to us and the way we approach it we will never stop evaluating. We can always do more and we can always learn from what we’ve done and try to do it better. As a company we are very nimble. To use lockdown as an example, we came up with really innovative ways to engage our customers. Where we had been reliant on offline activity with clients, we turned our focus to how we could do more in terms of digital? Is it a digital wardrobe clear out? Is it introducing you to the designer and having a very special moment with them? In terms of is it different for men and women – no. But the kinds of things we do are different. The ‘what’ can differ, but the ‘how’ doesn’t.

Which Instagram accounts do you follow for inspiration - or books would you recommend?

For Instagram I have been very interiors focused. I always start with Architec

What effect has social media played in the luxury industry and which channel do you feel will be strongest in future?

Social media has had a massive impact. Instagram particularly, has had such a huge effect obviously because it is so visual in nature and it has also affected the way brands market themselves, it helps them democratize fashion in terms of access. For me as an individual and for us as a company it’s really interesting as a way to source new brands and again the ability to access them directly. It creates dialogue, you can have dialogue with the customers and it is a fantastic way of doing that. I don’t think Instagram has peaked at all. And I think there is much more to come.

You’ve been in the business for 13 years – how did your previous roles help you succeed in your role?

I feel lucky because I have had a pretty broad career, but there has been a through-line – sales. Selling a product, marketing a product – I’ve always been product focused, always customer focused, always balancing creativity in business. I think advertising is amazing training – how to run a meeting, how to contact clients. When I was at Disney it was how you package an idea, how do you sell an idea and pitch in. LVMH was my introduction to the luxury retail sector and also to digital. It’s all come together in a sense and it has been pretty diverse, but there are some real consistent themes that run through. tural Digest or World of Interiors and then I have a host of really small antique dealers and vintages dealers and vintages shows across the UK mainly. And I can basically go down the enormous rabbit hole that is Pinterest. I just moved house, so for me it’s all really house focused.

We love your style; how do you approach planning a seasonal wardrobe?

I don’t have a wardrobe strategy. I know what I like. I love the seventies, that seems to be consistent. I’ve never really met a prairie dress, high-collared blouse, or corduroy I didn’t really like and that never changes. For summer I definitely embrace more colour. I invest in pieces I can wear again and again, so classic brands such as Saint Laurent are my constant and then what goes around them will change.

Over the years of attending shows, have you mastered any packing tips to keep it light?

Planning. Anyone who says, “Oh I just throw it in the bag” either overpacks or is telling a false story. It also depends on what season of shows. Everyone will say watch it on the outerwear, but I think when you are going to shows in February and March it’s cold – it’s hard to keep it light in winter. It’s much easier in September.

This year has proven challenging for many businesses and leaders. If you face a chal

lenge – what have you found is personally the most successful way to overcome it?

I am not super reactive. I think and I digest and then I spring into action. I think it’s really important to not go it alone – your team plays such an integral role. It’s about galvanising people around you and action is super important. Identifying a clear plan, clear target and all working together.

I have got my beauty routine with my Decree. I have my weekly masks, I have a weekly fruit acid peel. I try not to go onto Instagram or anything ever before I go to bed. I might have a quick look at something important that I have to look up. But I am not emailing before I go to sleep and I am always reading something.

Do you have any pre-bedtime rituals? What advice would you give to your younger self starting out?

Trust your instinct. Go with your gut. Don’t be a slave to your CV. If it’s something that you find interesting and if it’s the right move for you, then it’s the right move for you and whether it creates the CV that you have always dreamed of don’t worry about that so much. I would say find out what you like to do, take your time, ask questions and just go for it. I know that might sound easier said than done, but you have to kiss a few frogs, so to speak. Your first job is not necessarily the job you stay with forever and that’s okay.

If you were not President at NET-A-PORTER and MR PORTER, which other role would you choose career-wise?

I love my role very, very much. If I was not doing what I am doing, I would possibly be an art dealer. Or –an archeologist, simply because I am fascinated by finding something undiscovered.

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Oversized single-breasted twill jacket Another Tomorrow

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