From blogging as a teen to BBC World News to leading one of the world’s most prestigious fashion business Master’s programs, my career within fashion has been multifaceted and proof that 10-year plans don’t work.

Growing up as a Third Culture Kid - belonging everywhere and nowhere- I found comfort in devouring the pages of Vogue and seeing the same bedazzled couture dresses presented in different ways, depending on the place of each magazine’s origin. Vogue Italia a little more abstract, Vogue Deutsch, leaned into expressionism, Vogue Paris brought the va-va-voom, American Vogue - big and bold. As a 10-year-old, this was my first foray into the world of fashion marketing and the reason why I fell in love with fashion. The magic behind the diverse imagery and cultural interpretations drew me in and I wanted to be part of this world.

Fast forward to 2013 when I launched my blog Modern Melange, a site for fashion criticism and commentary. I wrote about the major collections and thanks to a loyal readership was invited to cover fashion weeks and press events, also contributing to the likes of ShowStudio, Achtung Magazine, and AustrianFashion.net. There I saw the remarkable good exhibited throughout the industry, including boundless creativity, and the not-so-good, primarily the excessive waste and (un)intentional disregard for finite resources. I was also struck by the rapid changes technologies brought upon the industry - the new way designers presented collections, the way the front-row fixtures evolved from primarily editors and buyers to online influencers and celebrities, the way we all began to consume fashion instantly.

These observations led me to pursue a PhD in Marketing at the University of Exeter, exploring the effects of digital disruption on the value-creation processes within fashion and I pivoted from a journalist to an ethnographer; observing and interviewing leaders in fashion to better understand cultural shifts and evolving dynamics within practice.

After completing my PhD in 2020 and desperate to apply my research into practice, I founded and led a fashion technology startup named RETURE, then celebrated as the world’s first fashion upcycling platform. Launched during the middle of the pandemic, our technology aimed to reduce garment waste and provide growth opportunities for young creatives passionate about embedding sustainability. With pop-ups at The Corner Store at Selfridges London and Westfield Stratford and press in British Vogue to The Telegraph, I am proud to have played a minor role in growing the circular fashion conversation and teaching the value of fashion upcycling.

Once realizing through experience that my purpose lay within education (over entrepreneurship), in 2022 I joined London College of Fashion as Course Leader of the MA Strategic Fashion Marketing program where I have the ultimate privilege of teaching passionate students from around the globe. I am a fashion business pedagogy-geek and it feels great.

My journey within fashion has been a rollercoaster, with unexpected twists and turns, fortunately leading me to become a fashion lecturer, mentor, and commentator. Did I know at 18 this was my path? Absolutely not! Did I expect to become a PhD or an entrepreneur? Nope.

All I know now is the only failure we create is by not trying.

Whether in the classroom at LCF, on a screen, panel, or wherever else - I look forward to sharing my fashion marketing insights with you and supporting your journey in this rather magical industry.

Warm wishes,