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THE FASHION EXPERT
A New Look for
NEW YEAR It’s nearly New Year’s Eve, and traditionally this is the time we look at ourselves and wish we were different. But what if we didn’t? What if we looked in the mirror and liked what we saw? Emma Beaver is the personal shopper and stylist determined to make sure that people are empowered by their wardrobe, not intimidated by it… Words: Rob Davis.
HANDS UP if there’s something about yourself you’d change. Everyone now has their hands in the air, I’d have thought. Some marketing, after all, is predicated on creating problems to solve. Fine lines and wrinkles? Try this face cream. Lifeless hair? We’ve a conditioner for that. Looking a bit last season? Here’s this season’s collection… That’s a cynical position, but only to a certain some degree. Whilst treating ourselves to some decent cosmetics or a trip to the hairdressers or embarking on a shopping spree can be a pleasure, traditionally there’s been great pressure on women especially – but everyone generally – to pay attention to their appearance, historically by undermining our confidence in it. But the fashion world is changing. And now, making people feel bad is a recognisably poor way to market a product. Empowerment replaces intimidation, and nobody exemplifies that more than Emma Beaver, the area’s personal shopper and stylist, whose mission statement is to make everyone look good and feel good irrespective of their body or their budget. What Emma doesn’t know about fashion isn’t to be known. That’s because for over a decade she has worked at the heart of the industry, as a clothing designer and buyer at many different price points with the industry, happily watching the fashion industry slowly becoming more virtuous.
Emma’s experience, however, has also ensured she’s armed with a working knowledge of the tricks of the trade within the industry, and so she has amassed a wealth of insider information which makes her insight into your wardrobe and the way you shop absolutely invaluable.
fashion, along with concepts like sustainability and ethical production. Nonetheless it did inspire me enough to enrol at the London School of Fashion which was a wonderful experience. I was just a stone’s throw from Oxford Street and Bond Street. I was right in the heart of fashion industry… and I loved it!
So this month, to ensure you feel warm and fuzzy when you open the wardrobe door – instead of deflated and intimidated – who better to ask than the very person who has traditionally been competing for your clothing spend?
What was your big break?
What’s a fashion stylist?
During my sandwich year I worked at Debenhams as a trainee buyer. It was about 2006 and I would work alongside Jasper Conran or John Rocha; huge names in the industry. After that I went to work at Next, which has been one of the most consistently successful and well-regarded retailers across the UK.
It’s somebody who can give objective and honest advice to help you dress better, quicker and easier. It’s someone who will make you feel good, regardless of body shape or the budget you have available for your wardrobe.
What were your earliest memories of fashion?
I knew I loved fashion from the age of nine or 10. One of my earlier memories was watching The Clothes Show with my late mum. It was presented by Selina Scott and Jeff Banks, and I remember it seemed very glamorous, with catwalks and models. It was a programme very much of its time, when fashion was allowed to be elitist and special, with some very severe looking models. Today’s market is more characterised by inclusively and the democratisation of
My degree was a four-year course in Fashion Management, and included an education in the role of business and the supply chain in the fashion industry as well as considering the design of our products.
A coveted job?
The recruitment process lasted two days and it was rigorous. There are only 30 or so places which open up each year and there are thousands of applicants not only because the retailer is so big and respected, but because the company is brilliant at educating its team. Next has a ‘buying school,’ which is essentially a post-graduate on-the-job education at the UK’s most successful retailer. >>
Main Image: Personal shopper and stylist Emma Beaver has worked with the buyers, designers and management of large retailers such as Next, Yours and Joules.
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