MY WORLD / Frédérique Harrel

WE LIKE STYLISH PEOPLE WHO FILL THEIR WORLDS WITH MEANINGFUL STUFF. SOME OF IT BRINGS THEM JOY, SOME OF IT IS JUST FASHIONABLE CLUTTER. EITHER WAY, IT MAKES THEM WHO THEY ARE

Parisian-born blogger, confidence coach and owner of Instagram’s most-loved smile Frédérique Harrel, aka Freddie, 28, has had a life-altering 12 months. She moved from London to Geneva with trader husband Tom, soft launched her own brand of hair extensions called Big Hair No Care, and gave birth to her first baby, a boy named Hugo.

Fashion wasn’t always on the cards for Freddie who graduated with a master’s degree in finance and later returned to study for an MBA. After souring on the corporate world, she tried digital marketing for brands including Vestiaire Collective, Topshop and ASOS. In 2013, Freddie began her blog, Igobyfrankie.com (now freddieharrel.com), a platform for positivity, style and candid rants, such as, ‘Before I Am a Woman, Before I Am Black, I Am Freddie.’ After realising her strengths as a motivational speaker, Freddie extended her brand to confidence coaching, holding her popular workshops, SHE Unleashed, around London.

Now, established as one of Instagram’s most colourful new stars, she’s focused on the next phase: returning to London. ‘I miss the place,’ she says. ‘When you’re in a bad mood, you can sit on the bus and just look at people and how they’re dressed. You know, how in London everyone loves to have purple hair?

That’s stimulating. It’s exciting.’