Accounts to follow this month
see. Certain buyers in the US for example, are not used to buying colour, yet with my brand they say they sell out of colourful styles very fast. I think my customer is a global woman, a citizen of the world. And she wants to look great and be comfortable while being just that.
What in this market is luxury? Luxury to me is doing things my own way and not feeling I have to fully respect the rules the system gave us. And in terms of product, luxury is something timeless with impeccable quality that has a world and history of craftsmanship behind it. Nothing is perfect, and I don’t strive for perfection, but to give my all in order to create and give my clients the best possible version of my work. How do you approach client engagement and retention? Even though I don’t do direct-to-consumer sales yet, I have a genuine relationship with my clients. If they experience an issue, they’ll DM me on Instagram and I’ll make sure it’s solved. They tell me what they like, what they want me to bring back and what they are annoyed about and I take notes. I believe that your customer is your boss and I am lucky to have a digital friendship with them. Tell us about how the FENTY collaboration happened? Rihanna is a muse, client and a genuine ambassador of the brand. When I launched Amina Muaddi, Jahleel Weaver, Rih’s stylist and now Fenty’s deputy creative director messaged me to congratulate me on the launch. He told me he loved the collection and had purchased multiple pairs for her from several retailers. She started rocking my collection and a few months after Fenty launched they reached out to me to be a part of the project. It’s exciting and I am thrilled to work with such an inspiring woman and the Fenty team. The first Fenty drop designed by me will launch in June 2020. We love Alfie – your French bulldog. How has life changed since having him and how do you travel with him? He filled my life with love and positivity. I never feel lonely with him. I can’t travel with him a lot, because of his breed and weight, but where we are allowed I love having him with me. He brings me joy. You’re friends with The Attico girls and Tina
Kunakey- how did you all meet, via the industry? I’ve been friends with Giorgia for 10 years and with Gilda for about five years. We all went to university in Milan and met right after we finished, through common friends. I met Tina in Ibiza in 2017, through her husband’s sister while we were vacationing together. When I moved to Paris she was by my side and was there for me during difficult times. Tina was one of the few friends I had in Paris and is now one of my closest. So of course, when I launched my brand, she starred in my first campaign. Are you an under packer or an over packer?
Slow packer, over packer, forgetful packer, worst packer. I hate packing. How do you like to dress off-duty? I always wear leather pants or denim and a tee/ hoodie/sweater. That’s my uniform. But sometimes I get bored and switch up to a “more is more” type of look. I’m a Gemini so when I need to be stimulated, I change. Whose style in the fashion industry do you admire? So many women! I am lucky to be surrounded by cool, chic women – my friends are Holli Rogers, Barbara Martelo, Christine Centenera, Julia Sarr Jamois, Giorgia and Gilda and many more. And of course, my muse Rihanna. Are you an online shopper, where do you shop online? I guess I’m an online researcher but I still like to shop in physical stores. I prefer the retail experience. I love seeing the interiors and universe of a brand, touching the fabrics, trying on the product to understand the tailoring and the fit. I love my job and doing research, but to be honest I’m not obsessed with shopping so I do it rarely – mostly when I travel. What was your first investment piece? Shoes.
Prada shoes! Which Instagram accounts do you follow for
fashion & beauty? So many! For fashion, many of my friends! I also like stylist Ursina Gysi’s aesthetics, sculpting in time and Prada archives. For beauty I follow Rosie Huntington-Whiteley and her Rose Inc, my make-up artist @aliandreamakeup and @ intothegloss.
What is your in-flight beauty routine? I never wear makeup on a flight. I like to use a mask, whether cream or sheet, then I’ll do my usual
“I communicate my brand. I don’t need anybody to do it for me”
beauty routine: a serum, eye cream and face cream. I spray a lot of hydrating water mist on my face throughout the flight. And I drink a lot of water to balance the guilt because I snack non-stop on long flights.
Do you have any pre-bedtime rituals? When I’m not too tired I like to take a bath, moisturise, do my beauty routine, spray some lavender on the sheets and have a warm tea infusion. But sometimes after work, I barely have the energy to wash my face and apply my creams.I love watching Friends before I go to bed or read a little, otherwise I can’t fall asleep easily. What do you carry with you always when travelling? It depends where I travel! But my passport and my heels always! The of course my phone charger and battery. My beauty cases: one for all my products, one for my makeup. And then the clothes depend on the destination. What effect has social media played in your
career? Nowadays social media is important to any brand and it had an important role in diffusing mine. To begin with, I launched my brand on social media. I went to a big PR firm before and told them I wanted to do a ‘See Now Buy Now’ launch through social platforms – as my first collection was going to be sold almost exclusively online through key retailers. They tried to convince me to change my mind so I moved on and decided to launch on my own just by posting the first campaign images on Instagram. When the first drop sold out in a day I was shocked but I realised how amazing it is that we are to be able to communicate with our clients and with the press without a filter. We can find out faster and more directly from them how they react to the product. What advice would you give to your younger
self starting out? I suffered a lot from stress when I created my first company. I would tell myself to accept the things I cannot change. God knows better, His plan is always better than ours. If you had not launched Amina Muaddi, which other role would you choose career-wise?
I’d still be a creative and an entrepreneur. I like fashion, interiors, travel, art, food and I like helping people – so probably something where I can blend those worlds together.