AllBright Issue Two Summer 2019 UK EDITION

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OLIVIA WILDE on making her directorial debut and her mission as a clean beauty activist

BILLION DOLLAR BEAUTY featuring Charlotte Tilbury, Anastasia Soare, Tata Harper, Gucci Westman, Kylie Jenner, Huda Kattan and Rihanna PLUS: Emeli Sandé on starting afresh • Elizabeth Day's guide to claiming your success Sabrina Gidda on food and feminism • Brigette Romanek's eclectic interiors • Immersive travel Poppy Jamie's start-up and self-care secrets • The future of FemTech • Summer's best dresses C E L E B R AT I N G A N D C H A M P I O N I N G W O M E N T O I N S P I R E C H A N G E ALLBRIGHT COVER 2.indd 1

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ISSUE TWO SUMMER 2019

WELCOME LETTER

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The Summer Edit

lot has happened at The AllBright since the launch of the magazine this spring. First and foremost, we opened our second club on Mayfair’s Maddox Street – a majestic space extending over five floors, with two roof terraces, a state-of-theart fitness studio, holistic wellness rooms and a destination restaurant.

Designer Suzy Hoodless is behind the elegant decor, while executive chef Sabrina Gidda has curated a fresh, sustainable menu for members. Take a look at the photos from our launch party on pg.24, as well as an insight into the club’s striking art from our resident curator Beth Greenacre on pg.14.

Next up is our first international club, The AllBright West Hollywood, opening in Los Angeles this summer – read all about the club’s inspiring interiors in our interview with designer Brigette Romanek on pg.86.

We’ve also released our first book, Believe.Build.Become, a pragmatic guide to supercharging your career. Turn to pg.52 for our advice on how to work on your inner resilience.

In this issue, we focus on the billion dollar beauty industry, with exclusive interviews and profiles of the inspirational female founders leading the way, like Bobbi Brown, Charlotte Tilbury, Anastasia Soare and Gucci Westman. Each has an amazing story, as well as practical tips on how to succeed in business.

So too does our cover star – founding member Olivia Wilde, who’s not only an actor, model, producer and activist, she’s also a passionate clean beauty ambassador. She talks to us on pg.26 about organic skincare, female friendships and directing her first film, Booksmart.

We’re also celebrating our incredible members. Beached founder Meg Gallagher shares how she swapped a corporate career to launch her beauty brand on pg.56 and we speak to Dr. Stephanie Goodwin and Saska Graville on pg.94, who met at the club and have launched a platform to help women through the menopause.

Combine all that with life lessons from writer and self-help author Elizabeth Day, start-up tips from Poppy Jamie and words of wisdom from singer Emeli Sandé, and this issue is essential – and empowering – reading.

BYREDO Sundazed Eau de Parfum 50ml, £110; LOVESHACKFANCY Dress, £499; TORY BURCH Lee Radziwill Satchel Bag, £655; JIMMY CHOO AT HARVEY NICHOLS Dheila Sunglasses, £340; AMINA MUADDI Thalia Velvet Pumps, £440; TOM FORD BEAUTY Boys & Girls Lipstick, Ashley 19, £29

See you in the club.

Anna Jones Co-founder

Debbie Wosskow, OBE Co-founder

debbieandanna@allbright.co @AllBright

@WeAreAllBright

AllBright

ALLBRIGHT MAGAZINE is published for THE ALLBRIGHT by Neighbourhood Media Limited EDITORIAL DIRECTOR Charlotte Adsett (charlotte@allbright.co) EDITOR Georgie Lane-Godfrey (georgie@allbright.co) CREATIVE DIRECTOR Ray Searle (ray@allbright.co) CONTRIBUTORS Hilary Armstrong, Luciana Bellini, Emilie Bellet, Elizabeth Bennett, Harriet Cooper, Elizabeth Day, Charlotte Flint, Beth Greenacre, Lisa Harvey, Edwina Langley, Ming Liu, Amerley Ollennu, Jes Salter, Cassie Steer DIRECTOR, COMMERCIAL PARTNERSHIPS Nicki Singh (nicki@allbright.co) COMMERCIAL PARTNERSHIPS MANAGER Sarah Gardiner (sarah@allbright.co) COMMERCIAL PARTNERSHIPS EXECUTIVE Matilda Hartley (matilda@allbright.co) VICE PRESIDENT & GENERAL MANAGER, US Natacha Hildebrand (natacha@allbright.co) THE ALLBRIGHT, 24-26 MADDOX STREET, LONDON, W1S 1QH © 2019 Neighbourhood Media Limited. All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, whether in whole or in part, without written permission.

The publishers and editors are not responsible for unsolicited material and it will be treated as unconditionally assigned for publication subject to AllBright magazine’s right to edit.

allbrightcollective.com

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CONT I S S U E

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ALLBRIGHT. 8 ON THE AGENDA

Where to go and what to do this summer

12 A LIFE IN COLOUR

Abstract expressionist Lee Krasner is finally getting the recognition she deserves

14 CHANGING PERSPECTIVES

Art curator Beth Greenacre discusses The AllBright Mayfair's new female-focused collection

18 THE DOWNLOAD

The best things to watch, listen and read right now

20 COMEBACK QUEEN

Emeli Sandé on heartbreak and the healing power of music

24 IN THE CLUB

Behind the scenes at The AllBright Mayfair's launch party

28 WILDE ABOUT THE GIRL Actor and clean beauty activist Olivia Wilde on making her directorial debut

34 BILLION DOLLAR BEAUTY

Meet the businesswomen turning their beauty brands into unicorns

46 COLOUR CORRECT

The women leading the charge for inclusive beauty

52 BELIEVE.BUILD.BECOME

AllBright founders Debbie Wosskow and Anna Jones explain the importance of resilience in their new book

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54 THIS WORKING LIFE

TV presenter and wellness entrepreneur Poppy Jamie talks start-ups and sisterhood

56 THE PIVOT

Meg Gallagher explains how she reinvented her career to build her beauty brand, Beached

58 DON'T ASK, DON'T GET Emilie Bellet reveals the art of negotiation

60 TIME TO SHINE

Writer Elizabeth Day tells us why we need to start claiming our success

66 DRESSED FOR THE SEASON

The AllBright's edit of the best dresses to see you through summer

68 THE POWER OF ONE

How Tiffany turned itself into the independent woman's jeweller

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ENTS. CEL EBR AT ING A N D CH A M PION I NG WOM E N T O INSPIR E CH A NGE ALLBRIGHT. I S S U E

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OLIVIA WILDE on making her directorial debut and her mission as a clean beauty activist

BILLION DOLLAR BEAUTY featuring Charlotte Tilbury, Anastasia Soare, Tata Harper, Gucci Westman, Kylie Jenner, Huda Kattan and Rihanna PLUS: Emeli Sandé on starting afresh • Elizabeth Day's guide to claiming your success Sabrina Gidda on food and feminism • Brigette Romanek's eclectic interiors • Immersive travel Poppy Jamie's start-up and self-care secrets • The future of FemTech • Summer's best dresses C E L E B R AT I N G A N D C H A M P I O N I N G W O M E N T O I N S P I R E C H A N G E

Front cover

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Olivia Wilde photographed

by Thomas Slack

72 SPACE TO BREATHE

Introducing the new, cutting-edge treatments at The AllBright Mayfair

74 INNER STRENGTH Nike Master Trainer Joslyn

Thompson Rule introduces the new Stylist Strong studio

76 THE FUTURE'S FEMALE

How FemTech is taking wellness to the next level

80 THE MASTER CHEF

Sabrina Gidda talks turning the

tables on male-dominated kitchens

86 ARTFUL DESIGNS

Brigette Romanek discusses the interiors at The AllBright's new West Hollywood club

90 NATURAL SPLENDOURS

The best hotels around the world for an immersive getaway

94 WE MET AT THE ALLBRIGHT Meet the members joining forces to create a new website

96 THE BEAUTY PIONEER Shining a light on Madam C. J. Walker

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MEET THE CONTRIBUTORS I

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ELIZABETH DAY Elizabeth Day is an award-winning author, journalist and broadcaster. Her latest book, How To Fail: Everything I’ve Ever Learned From Things Going Wrong, is part-memoir, partmanifesto and a Sunday Times Top 5 bestseller that was born out of her chart-topping podcast, How To Fail With Elizabeth Day. Celebrating all things that haven't gone right, the podcast discusses things guests have learned about failure, for better or worse. ‘Beauty is knowing yourself: taking the time to accept and honour who you truly are, with all the light and shade,’ she says.

BETH GREENACRE A curator and consultant for over 20 years, Beth Greenacre began her career working for Gavin Turk – one of the 90s ‘Young British Artists’ – before curating David Bowie’s personal art collection up until his death. Now, as AllBright’s resident curator, she’s put together a collection of exceptional works by female artists for the new Mayfair cub. ‘Traditionally, the female form has only been considered by the male gaze,’ says Beth, ‘so for the club I wanted to subvert that and examine it from a female perspective.’

OLIVIA WILDE Cover star Olivia Wilde is an American actress, producer, director and activist leading the charge in the battle for clean beauty. Last month saw the release of Booksmart, a sharp yet sweet comingof-age story and her directiorial debut. ‘There’s real value in the nostalgia that these films can bring up for all of us that are beyond this age,’ she explains. ‘I think it’s important to reconnect with your younger self, no matter how old you are.’

MING LIU CASSIE STEER Cassie is a journalist and brand consultant who has worked in the beauty industry for over 15 years. In this issue, she interviews Charlotte Tilbury, Tata Harper and Jen Atkin – three female founders of successful beauty brands. ‘The notion of what constitutes ‘beauty’ is so transient, shifting with social media and the zeitgeist of the time,’ says Cassie. ‘But to me, nature and positivity are perennially beautiful.’

A watch and jewellery writer who contributes to FT How To Spend It, The New York Times and The Wall Street Journal, Ming discusses the changing way we purchase jewellery and how heritage brands like Tiffany are adapting. ‘With more women buying pieces for themselves, jewellery is ever-more about confidence and self-expression,’ she explains. ‘Today, it’s a beautiful statement about who I am, what I’ve achieved and where I’d like to go.’

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Cindy Sherman

NAT IONA L P ORT R A I T G A L L E RY 27 June - 15 September

Eloquent, provocative, ground-breaking…

American photographer Cindy Sherman has been transforming herself into unsettling characters for four decades, capturing them on film to explore the tension between facade and identity. This major new retrospective – which traces Sherman’s development from the mid-1970s to the present day – includes the seminal series Untitled Film Stills, as well as 150 conceptual self-portraits and a new work never before displayed in a public gallery.

npg.org.uk

TheLONDON Diary

by H A R R I ET COOPER

Spanish shoe designer Manolo Blahnik – whose exquisite footwear is revered the world over – has delved into his own personal archives for the captivating show An Enquiring Mind: Manolo Blahnik at the Wallace Collection, which sees some of his most iconic designs juxtaposed with the museum’s masterpieces; 10 June - 1 September; wallacecollection.org

KISS MY GENDERS

H AY WA R D G A L L E RY 12 Ju n e - 8 S e p t e m b e r Over 100 works of art from the 1960s onwards have been brought together for this compelling group exhibition, which explores and engages with gender fluidity, as well as with non-binary, trans and intersex identities. Through photography, painting, sculpture and installation, artists from around the world have moved beyond the conventional understanding of the body, opening up new representations of the human form.

southbankcentre.co.uk

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arts & culture

NATALIA GONCHAROVA Tate Modern, 6 June – 8 September In 1913, aged 32, Natalia Goncharova held a major exhibition in Moscow, firmly cementing herself as a leader of the Russian avant-garde. She challenged convention ever since, whether displaying futurist body art, creating monumental religious paintings or designing for fashion houses in Paris. This, the first UK retrospective of her work, explores Goncharova’s inspirations from folk art to modernist trends; tate.org.uk

BALLET

ROMEO & JULIET

S A DL E R ’ S W E L L S 7 - 31 August

Choreographer and director Matthew Bourne has worked his magic once again, this time with his contemporary reimagining of Romeo & Juliet. In true Bourne style expect vitality and vivid storytelling, as London’s brightest young dance talent join forces with the acclaimed New Adventures company to beautifully depict the tale of Shakespeare’s star-crossed lovers, who encounter passion and tragedy at the mercy of Verona’s patriarchal society.

THE SUMMER EXHIBITION

ROYA L AC A DE M Y 10 Ju n e - 12 Au g u s t Acclaimed British painter Jock McFadyen RA curates the 251st Summer Exhibition, the world’s largest open submission art show, which brings together art in all mediums by leading artists as well as new talent.

Highlights include an animalthemed ‘menagerie’ with works by Polly Morgan and Charles Avery; two galleries curated by artist sisters Jane and Louise Wilson RA; and exhibits by Tracey Emin RA and James Turrell.

sadlerswells.com

royalacademy.org.uk

Secret Rivers

M U S E U M OF L ON D ON Un t i l 27 O c t o b e r A fascinating look at London’s historic waterways and how they’ve shaped both the city and the people within it. Artworks, previously unseen artefacts, photography and film all reveal stories of life by the capital’s rivers, streams and brooks, as well as serving to show how these bodies of water played an important role in the city’s imaginations.

museumoflondon.org.uk

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STANLEY KUBRICK

DE S IG N M U S E U M Un t i l 15 S e p t e m b e r To mark the 20th anniversary of Stanley Kubrick’s death, the Design Museum celebrates the work of one of the greatest filmmakers of all time with a fascinating exhibition, curated

by Deyan Sudjic. Visitors walk into the show on a replica carpet from the iconic scene in The Shining, before entering a ‘one-point perspective’ corridor mirroring Kubrick’s famous camera technique. Each of the subsequent rooms is themed around one of his genre-defining masterpieces, including 2001: Space Odyssey, A Clockwork Orange, Lolita, Eyes Wide Shut and Dr Strangelove, where a vast archive of film sets and props, costumes and storyboards help us to better understand the genius behind the lens.

designmuseum.org

If you like your music festivals minus the mud and mayhem, Meltdown is a nine-day series of live gigs at the Southbank Centre, SE1 (3 - 11 August) and, this year, funk and soul trendsetter Nile Rodgers curates the programme.

Equally civilised, the Somerset House Summer Series in WC2 (11 - 21 July) promises 11 nights of openair concerts from pioneering musicians across a range of genres, including the

Boutique Festivals Sights and sounds of the summer

critically-acclaimed Doves who return after a decade away from the limelight. Citadel at Gunnersbury Park, W3 (14 July) has been called the ‘calmer post-Lovebox antidote’ and bills itself as the perfect soundtrack to your Sunday with top musical acts alongside comedy, arts, workshops,

street food and prosecco on tap. The London Street Photography Festival in Hackney Wick (23 - 25 August) is a series of curated exhibitions and events showcasing this most dynamic genres of photography; while the

literati should head for the Queen’s Park Book Festival in NW10 ( 29 - 30 June), a weekend celebration of the literary arts, including talks from Howard Jacobson, Sadie Jones and Linda Grant. For something a little different, Art Night (22 - 23 June) is a free contemporary festival, which puts art into extraordinary locations for one night only, this year focusing on Walthamstow and King’s Cross.

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arts & culture

THEATRE

60 YEARS

TAT E BR I TA I N

A presentation on the gallery’s Main Floor tells the story of diversity within British art, spanning 1960 to the present day, from a female perspective.

The new display, curated by Sofia Karamani, celebrates three themes spaces and structures, our relationship to the idea of home, and playing with fictional identities to challenge social stereotypes - and includes works from Tate’s own collection by artists including Maggi Hambling, Sarah Lucas, Rachel Whiteread and Lynette Yiadom-Boakye.

tate.org.uk

The Song Project ROYA L C OU RT 12 - 15 Ju n e

When Dutch singer-songwriter Wende and Royal Court Artistic Associate Chloe Lamford invited five writers to spend a day together talking, every topic was covered from rage and dancing to love and DNA. The themes discussed were turned into lyrics, the lyrics then became songs. The result is four days of live music, performed in the Jerwood Theatre Upstairs.

royalcourttheatre.com

It’s a bittersweet summer for Fleabag fans, as its creator Phoebe Waller-Bridge brings her multi-award-winning comedic play, directed by Vicky Jones, home to London for her final farewell performance at the Wyndham’s Theatre, WC2 (20 August – 14 September).

Meanwhile, John Malkovich returns to the stage after 33 years in Bitter Wheat at the Garrick Theatre, WC2 (7 June – 21 September). Written and directed by Pulitzer Prizewinning playwright David Mamet, it tells the story of a depraved Hollywood mogul and takes inspiration from the #MeToo movement. Also in the West End, Clive Owen stars in a new London revival of Tennessee Williams’ brooding classic The Night of the Iguana (pictured above) at the Noel Coward Theatre, WC2 (6 July – 28 September). Across town, Idris Elba has joined forces with Kwame Kwei-Armah to co-create Tree, a music theatre production at the Young Vic, SE1 (29 July - 24 August); based on Elba’s own album Mi Mandela, it’s a journey into the heart and soul of South Africa.

And dream team playwright Jack Thorne and director John Tiffany turn their talents to domestic drama in The End of History… at the Royal Court, SW1 (27 June – 10 August).

OPEN GARDEN SQUARES WEEKEND

A magical weekend which sees London’s hidden green spaces, usually closed to the public, throw open their gates and welcome visitors. As well as an opportunity to immerse yourself in some of the capital’s finest private gardens and 18th-century Georgian squares, expect horticultural talks and a series of guided walks, including one exploring rooftop gardens. 8-9 June; opensquares.org

allbrightcollective.com

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Living Colour

Photograph by Irving Penn Lee Krasner, Springs, NY, 1972 Š The Irving Penn Foundation

As the Barbican prepares the first major exhibition of Lee Krasner’s work in Europe for more than 50 years, assistant curator Charlotte Flint takes a look at the life of this pioneering American artist

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n our current moment, museums and galleries are working to address the lack of diversity within their collections and finally foregrounding the work of women. As such, female artists are fetching record prices at auction and 2019 promises exhibitions of women who were often marginalised and ignored at the expense of their male counterparts. One of these women is Lee Krasner, a formidable artist, whose importance has too often been eclipsed by her marriage to Jackson Pollock.

Born to a Russian Jewish Orthodox family in Brooklyn, New York, in 1908, Krasner grew up against a backdrop of increasing liberation for women in the United States, who were granted the right to vote in August 1920. Meanwhile popular Yiddish cinema featured rebellious ‘jazz babies’, who renounced the backwardness of their parents and adopted dreams of being American and individual.

Fuelled by this spur towards ambition and independence, Krasner decided to pursue a career in art. Although the artistic scene in downtown New York was blossoming, it was sharply juxtaposed against the widespread poverty and stagnant job market caused by the Great Depression, triggered by the 1929 Wall Street Crash. Artists at this time struggled immensely to continue making work in such a harsh climate.

As a result, Krasner was politically active during the 1930s and 40s, attending numerous protests to demand union recognition and wage increases for artists. ‘I was practically in every jail in New York City,’ she said. ‘Each time we were fired, or threatened with being fired, we’d go out and picket. On many occasions we’d be taken off in a Black Maria and locked in a cell.’

While Krasner was gaining recognition and respect within the New York art scene, she also continued to rail against the discrimination rife within the male dominated world of artists, writers and critics in the city.

Although she faced this with her usual tenacity, Krasner was frequently overshadowed by surrounding male artists – notably by her partner, and later husband, the artist Jackson Pollock. As one of the first generation Abstract Expressionists, Krasner’s fight for recognition as a woman artist helped open up opportunities for future female Abstract painters including Grace Hartigan, Joan Mitchell and Helen Frankenthaler.

From top: Palingenesis, 1971 Pollock Krasner Foundation; Self-Portrait, c. 1928 © The Pollock-Krasner Foundation, Courtesy the Jewish Museum, New York; Bald Eagle, 1955, Collection of Audrey Irmas The Pollock-Krasner Foundation. Photo by Jonathan Urban; Abstract No. 2 , 1947, IVAM Centre, Spain. © The Pollock Krasner Foundation. Photo provided by IVAM.

allbrightcollective.com

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In her recent book Ninth Street Women, author Mary Gabriel says of the female Abstract Expressionist painters: ‘These women changed American art and society, tearing up the prevailing social code and replacing it with a doctrine of liberation,’ a statement that is exemplified when read in the context of Krasner’s life.

Pursuing a career in art against the ruins of the American Depression and the Second World War and constantly working against the misogyny of the New York art scene, Krasner faced many challenges, yet continued making work against all obstacles. One of the most tenacious artists of the twentieth century, Krasner demonstrates the fundamental role that these avant-garde women played in shaping our current landscape and we are delighted to give her voice the platform it richly deserves.

Lee Krasner: Living Colour is on at Barbican Art Gallery from 30 May – 1 September 2019; barbican.org.uk

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THE FEMALE GAZE The AllBright’s resident curator Beth Greenacre selects her highlights from Maddox Street’s rich, female-focused art collection

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Alexis Hunter Self-Portrait 1977 Silver Gelatin Print Copyright the estate of Alexis Hunter, courtesy Louise Clarke Collection

hen curating the art at the new AllBright on Mayfair’s Maddox Street, the idea was simple – to explore the female form. After all, what better place to do this than at a club created by women, for women?

This inaugural hang brings together over 80 artists, spanning a period of 60 years and geographies that cover the Middle East, America, Asia, Africa and Europe.

Across the five floors, you’ll witness artists associated with the first wave of feminism, celebrated contemporary artists and those who have forged a career outside of the traditional arts education system.

But despite the collection’s breadth, gender is a unifying factor. The female body is a subject traditionally colonised by male artists, but when explored by women, the male gaze is conscientiously subverted. Work on display by recent graduate Alexi Marshall creates unapologetic and intimate images of contemporary young women, which hangs alongside images of women from previous generations like The Headless Woman shot by the celebrated photographer Diane Arbus, and self-portraits by others, such as Tracey Emin and Katharina Sieverding.

Here I have highlighted a small number of works for you to look out for on your next visit.

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arts & culture

Alexi Marshall Jib jab juice, 2018 Linocut print, ink on Japanese paper, Copyright the artist, courtesy Camden Arts Centre

ALEXIS HUNTER

Born in New Zealand, Alexis Hunter was an important feminist artist and influential figure in the Women’s Art Movement in Britain in the 1970s. Best known for her staged photographic works, Hunter explored the medium and its potential to upend the power dynamics of the day found in advertising and popular culture to counter the dominant male gaze.

By looking at the commoditised imagery of women at the time, Alexis subverted the medium of photography by exploring ‘the female gaze’. Here, for example, she interrogates selfrepresentation, and her almost naked body, as seen in a mirror via her camera lens, encourages us to ask who is observing whom?

Alexis also spoke out about the practical difficulties of being a female artist at the time, with printers declining to reproduce her work and male art handlers in Newcastle refusing to install her work in 1975 due to the content. She died in 2014 and the importance of her work is only just beginning to receive the recognition it deserves.

ALEXI MARSHALL

The inclusion of Alexi Marshall in this hang is a celebration of our young artists – Alexi has only recently graduated. In her print-making practice, she uses linocut – a forceful approach to making work that adds

Linder Untitled, 2007 Collage Copyright the artist, courtesy a private collection

an immediacy and directness to her imagery. Her subject matter explores themes of gender and youth through unapologetic and intimate images of women. By showing them out drinking, smoking and exploring their sexuality in non-idealised terms, it brings the dialogue back to what it’s like to grow up as a woman in contemporary society today.

LINDER

Having grown up in the suburbs of Manchester the music scene there dominated my childhood years.

Though I'm little young to have directly experienced the punk movement of the 1970s, it remains the soundtrack to personal moments

allbrightcollective.com

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of teenage angst. Linder is an artist who emerged from that scene and who raises questions about gender, commodity culture and display in her work.

Using commercial magazine imagery, she favours a Surrealist tactic of collage to subvert the original shot by reconfiguring or reimagining the characters and giving them a new life. Often the images she uses are highly sexualised in order to subvert the existing conditions and explore the commodification of the female form.

Flowers appear in both pieces at The AllBright Mayfair, objects which themselves have been sexualised throughout art history – just look at the paintings of Georgia O’Keeffe.

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Tracey Emin Mother 2 - So Close It Came, 2017 India ink hand painting on lithograph Copyright the artist, courtesy Louise Clarke Collection, image courtesy Counter Editions, Margate

TRACEY EMIN

The placement of a work by Tracey Emin over a fireplace on the first floor feels quite domestic and there is an immediacy to the subject matter that suits this. However, there is a rawness to this and her other work hanging on the third floor; they aren’t poetic renderings of the female form but instead stark representations of female sexuality. Emin's sexually provocative attitude and insistence on using her own life events as inspiration for work is what firmly locates her within the history of feminist discourse.

LARA DAVIES

Based in Cardiff, Lara Davies paints reproductions of art produced by men

as a way to take back ownership of the subject matter. This is the first time she’s ever looked at the female figure, in a piece made especially for The AllBright. Based on a famous painting by Gauguin, it’s a bold move for Lara considering the French artist’s problematic relationship with the women he painted. Gauguin was a ‘self-professed savage’ who lived life on the outskirts of society; well known for his darkly romantic paintings of youthful girls in Polynesia.

Lara works from digital images of works of art reproduced in reference books as a way of removing herself from the original work. You may see the glare Lara has painted from the sheen on the page of the book, or, as in this instance, the spine and curve of the opened page, which work to emphasise the sense of distance allowing for space to reconsider the original subject matter.

DARA BIRNBAUM

Lara Davies ‘The Bathers' page 2 from 'Gauguin Polynesia’, 2019 Oil on canvas Copyright and courtesy the artist

Well known as a feminist artist, Dara looks at the gendered imagery around the female figure, especially in the media. In the late 70s, she made an incredible and vital film called Technology/Transformation: Wonder Woman, which looks at this complex superhero character. The artist

Dara Birnbaum Technology/Transformation: Wonder Woman, Contact Sheet 1, 1978 Black & White vintage print on Kodak paper Copyright the artist, courtesy Louise Clarke Collection

Wangechi Mutu Snake Eater Original Lithograph Printed on 300 g. Velin d’Arches paper Edition of 60 Copyright the artist, courtesy Edition Copenhagen

reconfigured the opening sequence from the film as Wonder Woman makes a jolting transformation from her everyday character of Diana Prince into her alter ego. It’s a very physical experience, and you’re made to reconsider the absurdity of those female stereotypes, from the mundane secretary to the strong, sexualised superhero clad in spandex pants. The piece hanging in The AllBright Mayfair is a black and white contact sheet from this ground-breaking film.

WANGECHI MUTU

The hang showcases artists from various countries, such as Wangechi Mutu. The Kenyan-born artist looks at the misrepresentation of black women

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arts & culture in contemporary society, and all the associations, generalisations and stereotypes that brings.

In the lithographic print on the 2nd floor, Mutu addresses perceptions of conflicting cultural projections played out on the body, investigating themes of gender, race and colonialism.

MEL BRIMFIELD

Mel Brimfield is a performance artist known for her wit – she often references other artist’s works and popular culture in her own practice.

This darkly amusing piece is a nod to the history of performed sculptures and to feminist artist Martha Rosler’s 1975 performance, Semiotics of the Kitchen. In it, Rosler dresses as an apron-clad housewife who parodies cooking demonstrations and the frustrations of oppressive gender roles – something we can all identify with from time to time. Here in On Board, an exhausted female protagonist is pinned to the wall by an ironing board, showing the complex balance between weight and gravity, but also hilarity and fear.

Mel Brimfield On Board, 2010 Black and white photographic print produced in association with Edward Moore and Joanna Neary Copyright the artist, courtesy Louise Clarke Collection

GILLIAN WEARING

Gillian Wearing Lily Cole, 2009 C-Type colour photograph printed on Matt Fuji Crystal Archive paper Copyright the artist, courtesy Louise Clarke Collection, image courtesy Counter Editions, Margate

You may have heard of Gillian Wearing before – her statue of the suffragist Millicent Fawcett stands in London's Parliament Square.

Wearing often uses masks and prosthetics in her portraits to disguise the sitter, bringing into question the idea of masquerade and what we hide behind. This image is particularly striking because it’s Lily Cole, a famous actress and model who we

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feel is familiar to us simply because we recognise the image of her. But the mask is of the actress herself, and since it’s cracked it brings to mind the notion of the fragility of self-image.

This idea of illusion is particularly relevant in today’s social mediadominated society where the digital version of ourselves is never quite the same as reality. It makes us question our ways of coping with the world outside, especially as women.

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BOOKS 5 reads to see you through summer TRICK MIRROR: REFLECTIONS ON SELF-DELUSION

CITY OF GIRLS

by Elizabeth Gilbert

THREE WOMEN

by Lisa Taddeo Award-winning journalist and long-time New York contributor Lisa Taddeo embedded herself with three ordinary women for eight years to write this deeply immersive narrative about their erotic lives and longings, which exposes the complexity and fragility of female desire.

A coming-of-age tale set in 1940s New York from Eat, Pray, Love author Elizabeth Gilbert, which follows the dizzying Manhattan adventures of nineteenyear-old Vivian Morris, exploring the themes of promiscuity and female sexuality, as well as the idiosyncrasies of true love.

Out 4 June Bloomsbury

Out 9 July Bloomsbury

by Jia Tolentino

THE MOST FUN WE EVER HAD

by Claire Lombardo This debut from Claire Lombardo, set in Chicago, follows the lives of four adult daughters whose parents have a fairytale romance they can’t seem to replicate. A gripping portrayal of a family’s becoming, already garnering rave reviews for its humour, wisdom and pathos.

Credited as being ‘a peerless voice of her generation’, the New Yorker’s bright young talent Jia Tolentino has penned nine nuanced essays which brilliantly tackle the fractures of contemporary culture, touching on the internet, the self, feminism and politics.

Out 25 June Doubleday

Out 6 August HarperCollins

WHISPER NETWORK

by Chandler Baker Named after the unofficial information channel that women use about men whose sexual behavior falls on the spectrum from creepy to criminal, this is a thriller for the #MeToo era about four women in a legal firm who take a stand against their questionable boss.

Out 2 July Sphere

W H A T W E ' R E R E A D I N G , W AT C H I N G , D O W N L O A D I N G & F O L L O W I N G

FILM

The CULTURE Fix Cinema's best upcoming offerings WHERE’D YOU GO, BERNADETTE Cate Blanchett takes the titular role in this Richard Linklater-directed comedy-drama, based on Maria Semple’s novel, about agoraphobic architect Bernadette Fox, the mother of a loving family who mysteriously vanishes one day. Out 9 August.

MIDSOMMAR You’ll need nerves of steel to sit through writer-director Ari Aster’s latest horror film, in which Florence Pugh and Will Poulter star as a young couple who travel to an oh-so-quaint Swedish village for its fabled midsummer festival.

But all isn’t quite as it seems... Out 5 July.

LATE NIGHT A veteran late-night television host, played by Emma Thompson, enlists the help of a writer (Mindy Kaling) to help revamp her ageing show, with laugh-out-loud results. Actress and comedian Mindy penned the screenplay, which Emma attests is ‘one of the best scripts I've ever read’. Out 7 June.

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APPS

arts & culture

3 fashion apps for a happier wardrobe

TAG WALK A comprehensive search engine - billed as ‘the Google of fashion’ – which enables users to search for models, trends, accessories and fashion shows using keywords.

GOOD ON YOU

MODERELIER

Sustainable fashion can be a minefield, but this app enables you to check a brand’s eco ratings, discover new ethical labels and get exclusive offers.

A personal styling app that uses AI to create outfit ideas out of clothes that are already in your wardrobe, and even includes hair and makeup products.

PODCASTS

OVER MY DEAD BODY An on-the-edge-of-your-seat true crime drama from the creators of Dirty John, telling the story of an unravelling marriage which ends in murder. TBD WITH TINA BROWN This weekly podcast is a platform for candid conversations with thought leaders, as well as a peek inside Tina’s diary and her recommendations on what to read and watch. JULIE: THE UNWINDING OF A MIRACLE After learning she had Stage IV colon cancer, Julie documented the process of preparing for death in this podcast (and a book). It’s heart-wrenching but also a reminder that we need to seize the day.

Te l e v i s i o n

3 shows to stream this season

The Handmaid’s Tale Season 3 Out June 5 (US)/ UK tbc, Channel 4/ Hulu There is much speculation around Season 3, which sees Elisabeth Moss return as protagonist June/Offred in the dystopian drama, based on Margaret Atwood’s 1985 novel. In true defiant form, June will help the resistance movement against the oppressive, fascist regime of Gilead.

MUSIC

All available from the Appstore

In 2017 her track ‘Finders Keepers’ went viral, followed by a string of hits including the ever-so-catchy ‘Call Me Up’, and, this summer, rising star (and daughter of Neneh Cherry) Mabel releases her much-anticipated debut album High Expectations, a smooth mix of R&B and pop (Out 12 July). Madonna is back with a new album (her 14th) entitled Madame X who, explains the seven-time Grammy Award-winner, is ‘a secret agent travelling around the world... and bringing light to dark places.’ The 13-track LP includes a collaboration with Colombian reggaeton artist Maluma (Out 14 June).

Award-winning artist/producer/songwriter Mark Ronson’s fifth album, entitled Late Night Feelings, features leading female talent including Miley Cyrus, Camila Cabello, Alicia Keys, Lykke Li and Yebba (Out 21 June).

Stranger Things Season 3 Out 4 July, Netflix The wait is almost over… The sci-fi series, a compelling homage to the 1980s, returns to the fictional town of Hawkins, Indiana, with all the original cast onboard (Winona Ryder, Millie Bobby Brown et al) for the upcoming third season, which focuses on ‘forces of evil that are new’.

Homeland Season 8

INSTAGRAM

It will leave you yearning for adventure, yes, but the beautifully-curated @wearetravelgirls is also a global travel community created to connect, educate and empower female travellers around the world.

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Date tbc, Showtime/ Channel 4 In a departure from its recent DC and New York locations, Homeland’s 12-episode farewell was shot in Morocco, which stands in for Afghanistan, where CIA analyst Carrie Mathison (Claire Danes) will be back at the front lines in the ‘war on terror’.

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New Beginnings Following on from her pitch-perfect performance at the launch of the new AllBright Mayfair, Emeli Sandé speaks about solidarity, strength and starting afresh with her third album INTERVIEW LUCIANA BELLINI PHOTOGRAPHY SIMON EMMETT

I

f ever there was a song title that perfectly encapsulated the sentiment behind The AllBright, it’s You Are Not Alone – a fact that’s not lost on Emeli Sandé. Taken from the Scottish singer’s upcoming third album, Real Life, the track was the perfect opening number for her performance at the launch party of The AllBright Mayfair. ‘This song embodies what this album means for me and I hope everyone that listens to it knows how strong they are,’ she told the packed room. ‘It’s everything this organisation stands for.’

The queues to get a spot in that audience had snaked down two flights of stairs at the club. But then again, this is a woman who knows how to command a room. When Sandé released her debut album, Our Version of Events, in 2012, it spent ten weeks at the top of the UK charts and became the UK’s bestselling of the year, shifting over two million copies. The album went on to break the 50-year record previously held by The Beatles for the most consecutive weeks inside the Top 10.

Sandé has won four Brit awards and performed on some of the world’s biggest stages, including for Barack Obama at the White House and at both the opening and closing ceremonies of the 2012 Olympics. But her prowess as a singer is closely matched by her prowess as a songwriter. To date, Sandé has penned songs for the likes of Rihanna, Alicia Keys and Katy Perry, and even picked up an MBE from Prince Charles last year for her services to music. Not bad for the girl from Aberdeenshire who originally planned to be a doctor.

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But these successes don’t mean that it’s all been plain sailing for Sandé. In 2014 she suffered a painful divorce from her long-time partner, Adam Gouraguine, and her second album, Long Live the Angels, didn’t reach the same dizzying heights as her first. The combination of the two took a toll on her confidence and self-esteem, leading Sandé to embark on a self-imposed career break and retreat from the public eye. But her intimate, stripped-back performance at The AllBright showed that Sandé is back, and her music is better than ever. Here, she tells us about the challenges throughout her career and how she overcame them.

When you started in 2008, how did you know that switching from medicine to music was the right decision?

Growing up, my dad was always adamant that we appreciate the opportunities we had for education, because he grew up in Zambia and it was education that changed his life. So I went to study medicine, because that’s a secure job. But I just couldn’t stop making music. I loved medicine and it was fascinating learning about the human body. But I could see the people that were deeply passionate about medicine, who would go the extra mile and would study all night – all the stuff I wasn’t doing. I would, however, work crazy hours and go the extra mile for music, so I realised, ‘This is my passion that will keep me running for the rest of my life.’

Luckily I was able to defer medicine for a year when I was 21 and my dad said, ‘You know what?

We’ve seen you non-stop singing since you were six. I think you should go for it.’ So I just had to go for it.

You recorded this third album following an intense personal journey of self-discovery – talk us through the process of making it.

In 2014 I separated from my husband and I went through this period of really wanting freedom and wanting to do whatever it took to truly understand myself. Taking

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a break from promoting, that’s when I could spend time with my family and catch up with real life.

And that’s when I started falling in love with music again. So for this album, I built a studio in my house.

One of my first tattoos when I moved down to London when I was 21 was [the Virginia Woolf book title] A Room of One’s Own, because I was so inspired by that message of having your own space and your own time to create.

Having a space where I could just meander and try new things, that was a real breakthrough for me.

Without that, I wouldn’t have been able to develop the songs.

Tell us about the message in Sparrow, your first single from the album...

I had one line in my head for months: ‘I’ve got wind beneath my wings, I think I’ll make it to morning.’ The whole theme of the song is about that courage to get through the night, and I think because my personal life really reflected a sense of joy and breakthrough that was just naturally coming through in everything I was writing. I did lack self-esteem and confidence in who I was and what I wanted to represent; I think the greatest theft anyone can experience is that of their confidence, and it’s such a hard thing to describe to someone.

I think going through that has made me a much stronger person.

I thought, ‘Wow, if I’ve been able to go through this process and feel as I do now, I want to be able to share that.’ I wanted to paint this picture of survival but in a graceful way, in a way that could be represented by a sparrow.

Can you talk about how you dealt with the rollercoaster journey of huge success to an emotional low point?

Music is a big therapy – just sitting at the piano and venting out my emotions. Also understanding how much nutrition and health plays in your mental outlook. I moved in with my sister 18 months ago and she’s vegan and does all the cooking. I also got into meditation.

Sometimes, just slowing your mind

down is the most important thing you can do.

How do you make sure your music is authentic?

I can usually tell from people’s reactions; if I play a song to my sister, she’ll say stuff to subtly let me know, like ‘yeah, cool beat!’ But when I played Sparrow to her for the first time, she was in tears.

That’s when I thought, ‘Ok, this is for the 'real' pile.’

Tell us about your beauty evolution – now that the blonde quiff is gone, does this mark a new beginning?

I wanted everything in my life to be natural and authentic, from the music to how I looked to my hair.

The quiff was cool but it’s not very good for your hair. And if you keep straightening your hair and putting so much effort into changing who you are, what kind of message is that giving younger girls? I feel so empowered by keeping it natural. When I was growing up in Scotland, beauty was a big issue for me; I remember being so embarrassed on a couple of occasions because I had the wrong shade of makeup on. None of the shops there stocked for my colour. If I were a kid now and was able to buy foundation from the Fenty line, I think that would have really helped my self-esteem – to know that you’re worthy of having a colour made for you.

What first drew you to The AllBright and what does its ethos mean to you?

It really appealed to me because sisterhood and empowering women has been a massive part of my life. My manager, Ruth, was one of the first people that approached me in London. We’ve been on this journey together and always had each other’s backs. Having women around you protects you from being so easily manipulated, which I think happens a lot. Even though it’s going to be hard, having your sisters around helps knock a few doors down.

Emeli Sandé’s third album, Real Life, is released on 7 June

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The AllBright Mayfair

opens its doors

L

ondon’s most inspirational women joined us to celebrate the launch of our newest London home, The AllBright Mayfair, with a party that spread across all five floors of the club. The sisterhood was out in full force, with Kanya King, Sarah Jane Mee and Elizabeth Uviebeniné coming to explore the new space, alongside enlightened men that included Matthew Hancock MP and Ed Vaizey MP. Our cover star Olivia Wilde was given an extra special sneak preview the day before, coming straight from the UK premiere of her new film, Booksmart. There were surprises on every floor, from makeup touch-ups in the salon to our envelope wall packed full of prizes, but the undisputed highlight of the night was the spine-tingling performance by Emeli Sandé, who treated the intimate crowd on the fifth floor to tracks from her hotlyanticipated new album as well as some old favourites that soon had the whole room singing along. Then it was over to our all-female DJ line-up, which included Zoe Hardman and PabloRita, who kept everyone dancing long into the night.

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networking

Behind the Design Interior designer Suzy Hoodless was tasked with restoring the striking Maddox Street building into an elegant London townhouse using a colour palette of soft greens, pinks and clean white walls to exhibit the amazing women's art. Look out for the wallpapers worthy of Instagram, too.

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Wilde about Actor and activist Olivia Wilde is on a mission to change the face of sisterhood in Hollywood and revolutionise the beauty industry. She speaks to AllBright about female friendships, clean cosmetics and directing her first film INTERVIEW LUCIANA BELLINI PHOTOGR APHY THOMAS SLACK

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T

o say that Olivia Wilde is not your average Hollywood A-lister is an understatement. Alongside her work as an actor, model, producer and activist, passionately campaigning for women’s rights and lending her support to the Planned Parenthood and Time’s Up movements, Wilde recently added ‘director’ to her ever-growing list of accomplishments. Today, she is one of just a handful of women to make the move from in front of the camera (you’ll recognise her from leading roles in films like Tron: Legacy and Rush, as well as the hit TV series House and her breakout role in The O.C.) to behind it. Her first ever feature-length film, Booksmart, hits screens on 27 May and has already garnered rave reviews and critical acclaim, landing Wilde the Breakthrough Filmmaker of the Year award at the CinemaCon Awards and clocking up an impressive 100% approval rating on Rotten Tomatoes. And as with every important choice in her life, this decision was one born out of a fundamental desire for change.

‘I realised I had spent more than half my life on set and was starting to become frustrated that I didn’t have creative control over the projects I was working so hard on,’ says Wilde over the phone from Los Angeles, where she has been busy promoting Booksmart. ‘So I decided it was time to step up. I’m a firm believer that you can’t complain about anything unless you’re willing to do it yourself.’ The result is a whipsmart, coming-of-age comedy about two female best friends (played by rising stars Beanie Feldstein and Kaitlyn Denver), in the tradition of the great teen movies that Wilde devoured while growing up. ‘When I think about my adolescence, I think about

watching and re-watching films like The Breakfast Club, Dazed and Confused and Clueless,’ says Wilde. ‘These were movies that helped me contextualise the experience of growing up. It’s easy to discount those films as superficial, but they are significant in the messages they send to young people. And I don’t take it lightly, that responsibility to communicate to young people at a time in life that can be very confusing.’

Wilde’s own teenage years were ones of bohemian liberalism. Born Olivia Jane Cockburn – she changed her surname to Wilde in high school in homage to literary hero Oscar – she was raised in the affluent Washington DC neighbourhood of Georgetown by a family of journalists. Her London-born father, Andrew, is a reporter who has written for the likes of Vanity Fair and The New York Times, while her mother, Leslie, is an investigative journalist and filmmaker. Both her uncles were journalists, as was her grandfather, and it wasn’t unusual for literary heavyweights like Salman Rushdie or Christopher Hitchens to pop over to the family home for dinner. She eschewed the traditional path of drama school and, aged 19, eloped with an Italian Prince, Tao Ruspoli – the couple got engaged at Burning Man and were married on a school bus with only two witnesses. She has described their marriage in the past as ‘unconventional’ and they subsequently divorced when Wilde was 27, a time she has cited as a significant period of change in her life. ‘I started taking things more seriously when I was 27, which I think is when a lot of women begin to step into leadership positions,’ she says. ‘That’s when I started making a short film and music videos, and found that I was so much happier in the role of the director.’ She says the second significant period in her life came last year, while she was making Booksmart.

“I do think for women there are these markers in their lives – 27 and then 35 and beyond.

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“Female friendships are sacred to me.

They have gotten me through the most difficult times in my life and I am deeply committed to them. I think that as you get older, you realise the profundity of that connection, of having a chosen sister” ‘I directed the film when I was 34, and I do think for women there are these markers in their lives – 27 and then 35 and beyond. For me, there’s been a significant shift at those ages, and I think that’s connected to a sense of confidence that comes from maturity.’

When Wilde discusses her experience of directing, the immense joy it elicits in her is palpable, but she admits she still suffered from a classic case of imposter syndrome before starting the project. ‘I do think what was holding me back for a long time is what holds a lot of people back,’ she says. ‘I thought, “I’m not qualified, I don’t know enough.”

And then I thought, “Wait a minute – I’ve spent so much time on sets, I have shadowed so many great directors, surely I’ve gained enough knowledge.”’ While she confesses that the experience was gruelling – the entire film was shot in just 26 days with a young and largely inexperienced cast, two of whom had never been on a film set before – she says she found it profoundly energising. ‘Even though it was exhausting, I was electrified by it. When I reflect on it now, it’s kind of incredible that all I remember is the thrill of it and the deep sense of happiness and gratitude. But somehow, all of the positive emotions have eclipsed any of the stress.’

She attributes that largely to the team she assembled, in particular her youthful cast members. ‘I was really moved by Beanie and Kaitlyn and how willingly they threw themselves into this process and committed so completely,’ she says. ‘As actors get older, it

becomes about, “Alright, I have a family, I can’t commit all my time to this.” Or “I have several projects”, or “I own a company”, or “I’m afraid to give too much of myself, because I’m managing my image.” Young people at the beginning of their careers are so vulnerable and fearless. I found that to be really inspiring.'

Alongside charting the trials and tribulations of transitioning from adolescence to adulthood, the film also explores the complexities of female friendship, another theme close to Wilde’s heart. It’s something she was hell-bent on getting right on screen, to the point where she asked the two main characters to live together for a month before filming started, because she knew ‘the texture of that long friendship is a really hard thing to fake. It’s a multi-layered type of chemistry.’

When I ask how important female friendships have been in her own life, she suddenly turns serious. ‘Female friendships are sacred to me. They have gotten me through the most difficult times in my life and I am deeply committed to them. I think that as you get older, you realise the profundity of that connection, of having a chosen sister. It is extraordinary to feel that type of love and trust and vulnerability.’ She starts to lament how much society overvalues romantic relationships before catching herself and clarifying, with a laugh, ‘That’s not to say that I don’t value romantic love, because I do and it’s wonderful!’

(Wilde is engaged to the actor and comedian Jason Sudeikis, with whom she has two children, Otis

and Daisy, and to whom she gave a cameo role in Booksmart.) ‘But I do think there’s something about the chosen family of sisterhood, of female friendship, that is really remarkable. It’s important to connect to someone who understands you on a different level to a romantic partner.’

The notion of sisterhood has become even more important in a post-Weinstein Hollywood, and Wilde has been a vocal supporter of the Time’s Up movement and the welcome changes it has brought to the film industry.

‘Time’s Up has been a total shift for this business and for me personally,’ she says. ‘Historically, actresses were kept apart and there’s this narrative perpetuated by men that we don’t like each other, and yet it couldn’t be further from the truth. There’s been this shift in terms of women coming together in a non-competitive manner and understanding our value and our power when shared.’

She says this change in attitude has allowed her to connect with other high profile women who are going through similar challenges, something she has found incredibly comforting. ‘I remember when I was starting to put Booksmart together and I saw Brie Larson at a Time’s Up meeting. She just held me and reassured me and told me that I could call her at any moment. And then she checked in throughout the process of the film.

This is someone who Hollywood – or, rather, the myth of Hollywood – would assume is a competitor.’

Another myth she struggles with is that perpetuated by the vast majority of the American beauty industry, who

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Olivia's Clean Beauty Picks

SKIN CARE

SOAPWALLA Deodorant Cream, £16. 'This is one of the only natural deodorants I’ve found that actually works.' contentbeautywellbeing.com TRUE BOTANICALS Nourishing Cleanser, £38; Nutrient Mist, £22; Radiance Oil, £87.

'I use this trio as part of my daily routine to keep acne at bay.' truebotanicals.com

MAKE-UP

W3ll PEOPLE Expressionist Liner, £14. 'This plant-based liquid liner is easy to apply and it stays on.' w3llpeople.com KJAER WEIS Cream Blush, £41.

'It goes on so smoothly, it’s almost like another layer of moisturiser.' kjaerweis.com RMS Concealer, £34.

'This gives great coverage, it’s light, and it blends really easily.' spacenk.com RODIN Lip Balm, £25. 'I love this for adding a sheer shine.' spacenk.com

HAIR

CHRISTOPHE ROBIN Hair Oil with Lavender, £35.

'This is my go-to for restoring my super-dry ends.' lookfantastic.com; TRUE BOTANICALS Shampoo, £27; Conditioner, £27.

'I use these daily to make my hair feel really silky.' truebotanicals.com

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“For me, clean beauty is a political act. Once I started learning more about the harsh ingredients in our products, and our children’s products, it became necessary for me to seek out the companies that are doing things differently” claim to be helping you become the best version of yourself while including carcinogenic and poisonous ingredients in their products. ‘Beauty is a tricky thing – it’s very interesting to me that we all willingly sacrifice our health in the name of perfection,’ she says. ‘For me, clean beauty is a political act.

Once I started learning more about the harsh ingredients in our products, and our children’s products, it became necessary for me to seek out the companies that are doing things differently.’ One such company is natural and organic skincare brand True Botanicals, for whom Wilde is the Chief Brand Activist. ‘It’s wonderful to be a part of their movement, because they’re trying to change the way the industry actually works, not just trying to achieve success themselves.’ Wilde now only uses True Botanicals products on her skin – from her shampoo, conditioner and body lotion to her facial cleansing and moisturising regime - and credits them with finally putting a stop to her adult acne flare-ups. There is still one area she struggles to clean up, though. ‘My makeup bag is still not clean enough and I’m always looking for alternatives,’ she says. ‘I recently found this RMS Beauty concealer that I love, and I’m so happy because they’re a wonderful organic company. With my platform I want to help educate people about opportunities for finding alternatives to this truly gross and poisonous stuff that’s out there.’

She believes the beauty industry still has a long way to go in terms of diversity, but is encouraged by signs that things are moving in the right direction. ‘It brings me great joy to see women of all races – and men, of course – being celebrated for their beauty. I think it’s really interesting how Instagram has democratised the process of advertising. Now consumers are choosing their beauty icons rather than waiting for a corporate entity to tell them who to aspire to be.

That’s very exciting to me.’

So other than lighting a fire under the film world and taking on the multi-billion dollar beauty industry, what’s next on Wilde’s agenda? ‘I’m still figuring that out,’ she says.

‘Booksmart was my entire life for two years and now that I know the sacrifice that’s necessary, I’m being very careful about what I throw myself into. This is a reality for female directors with children. It bothers me that there has always been this brotherhood of men in this industry. You think of the great directors of the Seventies – Scorsese, De Palma, Spielberg, Coppola – and how they had each other’s backs. And I really want that to exist for women. There’s no reason why we shouldn’t have that same sort of structure and collaborative energy.’ She pauses.

‘But I am excited, because I do find there are more opportunities for female directors right now. And who knows how long that will last? I’m going to grab hold of it and make as many interesting things as I can.’

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Queens The

Billion Dollar Beauty

You don’t need to be an investment expert to see that the beauty industry is booming, with the sector breeding more unicorns than ever before.

But as ever-increasing brands evolve to encompass that billion dollar status, a common denominator is emerging – savvy female founders. Able to monetise their millions of followers on social media or channel their industry insider status, these women are disrupting the skincare and cosmetic sectors one perfectly branded product at a time. Here, through a series of exclusive interviews and profiles, AllBright introduces the beauty revolutionaries

The Social Media Star

Kylie Jenner What started as a sell-out (in seconds) $29 lip kit back in 2015 has led to a sprawling – and game-changing – make-up empire for reality star Kylie Jenner. In March, Forbes named the 21-year-old as the youngest self-made billionaire, overtaking Facebook's founder Mark Zuckerberg who hit the milestone aged 23. Today, her hugely successful Kylie Cosmetics line has expanded to include eyeshadows, blushes, make-up brushes and highlighters (make that, ‘kylighters’), and Forbes estimated that the company made $360m (£274m) in sales last year alone. ‘It’s the power of social media,’ Jenner told Forbes. ‘I had such a strong reach before I was able to start anything.’ She’s right: when you have a 175 million-plus following across Snapchat, Instagram, Facebook and Twitter, that’s (at least) your marketing taken care of. Hanging off her every make-up application, preview and product launch announcement, sales from captivated cosmetic fans come directly from her platforms. Along with numerous brand partnerships under her belt, she’s breaking boundaries as a next-gen beauty icon and proving to be an unstoppable force in the business world. Not bad for someone once branded with a ‘famous for being famous’ tagline...

kyliecosmetics.com

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billion dollar beauty

The Eyebrow Evangelist

ANASTASIA SOARE Known in the industry as ‘the Eyebrow Queen’, Anastasia Soare founded Anastasia Beverly Hills, a brand worth over $1.5 billion, with products sold in 25 countries across the world ‘The best business advice I ever received was to not worry about anyone copying me, and instead focus on making my name synonymous with eyebrows,’ says Anastasia Soare, the founder of billiondollar beauty brand Anastasia Beverly Hills. Clearly, it worked – today the name ‘Anastasia’ is synonymous with eyebrows across the world.

Immigrating to the US from Romania with no money and limited English, Anastasia started working in an LA salon, developing a technique on how to shape eyebrows according to bone structure. ‘There was nothing else like it back then in 1990,’ recalls Anastasia.

‘After a few years, I started renting a room in a small salon. The owner didn’t

believe I would be able to make enough money to meet rent through eyebrows alone.’ But within four years, she had opened her first Anastasia Beverly Hills salon. ‘To be successful you need to do your homework and take things stepby-step,’ advises Anastasia. For me, a solid business is one which is built, slowly but wisely; take your time.’

Over the years, Anastasia has also built a roster of high-profile celebrity clients, from supermodels such as Cindy Crawford and Naomi Campbell to Oprah Winfrey. The latter proved an important one – Anastasia credits Oprah as her big break after she was invited her to appear on her talk show just after launching her first product line.

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On air, she demonstrated her ‘golden ratio’ – a trademarked approach to shaping eyebrows inspired by Leonardo da Vinci.

‘Eyebrows should start at the point aligning with the middle of the inside of the nostril, and end at the outside corner of the eye,’ says the eyebrow expert. ‘The human eye is encoded to recognize that harmony and balance of proportion – that’s something my art teacher taught me when I studied Leonardo Da Vinci’s ratios.’

The appearance catapulted Anastasia to a national audience and the brand grew exponentially. ‘Oprah was the “Instagram” of the 90s,’ explains Anastasia. ‘She has an incredible reach and is one of the smartest women I have ever met. She really believes in everything she endorses, and her viewers know that.’

Today, of course, Anastasia can use her own online profile to promote her brand. ‘Social media has completely changed the beauty industry, but we had already established a good foundation for our brand before we started using it,’ she explains. ‘It’s great to use these platforms – they can really help you promote your product – but you need to have that infrastructure in place first to be able to sustain the demand it generates.’

Together with her daughter, Claudia, Anastasia run the @anastasiabeverlyhills Instagram account, which has over 19.3million followers. While this might be unusual for a business founder at her level, Anastasia feels it’s important for authenticity: ‘We know the brand better than anyone, and we want to connect with our customers.’

It’s that level of dedication which Anastasia says is key in building a successful business. ‘You need to be passionate. I could take a month off, but I never would because I care too much about my business. I do this because I love it, not because I have to.’ anastasiabeverlyhills.com

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The Make -Up Maven

Charlotte Tilbury Beauty editor Cassie Steer speaks to the British make-up artist who turned old-school Hollywood glamour into a thoroughly modern beauty brand

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f the word ‘darlings’ could be trademarked, ownership would surely default straight to makeup magnate and MBE, Charlotte Tilbury. Having known Tilbury in my capacity as a beauty editor for just shy of 15 years, I can confirm that whilst ‘darlings’ has indeed become her informal insignia, scattered like florid confetti throughout all of her social media posts, there is absolutely no affectation to it.

The phrase is quite simply ‘her’. Tilbury's engaging and endearing manner has attracted legions of fans – 2.7 million of which follow her on Instagram. Not to mention the five million who have viewed her feline flick tutorial over on YouTube.

This remarkable reach has allowed Tilbury to democratise the beauty arena.

‘I wanted to create a brand where no one felt daunted by beauty but instead, excited and empowered by it, so that every woman and man would feel like they had me sitting with them at their vanity tables,’ she enthuses. ‘I have always believed in the power of make-up.

It really is so much more than decoration.

Make-up has an incredible ability to empower women and men and I truly believe it can change your life!’

Indeed, her brand mantra, ‘Give everyone the right make-up and they can conquer the world!’ is one that resonates.

Many of her peers are now following suit and jumping on the ‘mindful make-up’

“From the very beginning I had a crystal-clear image of how I wanted the brand to be: incredibly personal, magical and unique”

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bandwagon, but it was Tilbury who had the foresight to champion it from the start. ‘Make-up has this ‘magic’ ability to morph your state of mind,’ she says. ‘It can pick you up when you’re feeling down, and literally re- energise you. I call it the psychology of make-up because if you look good, you exude confidence and the world reacts to you in a powerful, more positive way.’

Evidently, many people agree.

Charlotte Tilbury Beauty now ranks as one of the fastest growing brands on both sides of the pond, with a new flagship store set to open in LA in June. In fact, with a pre-tax profit of £2.6 million in 2017, and over 100 store counters worldwide, the company has been tipped as a future billion-dollar enterprise.

Considering her reputation in the industry, this might not be surprising.

As a beauty editor, I knew Charlotte as an exceptional make-up artist and backstage stalwart with a client-list that reads like a Who’s Who of Hollywood. But I also knew her as one of the coveted ‘Mossy Posse’ (Tilbury and Kate Moss go way back) – the girl gang we all wanted to belong to.

Despite these credentials, when Charlotte launched her brand back in 2013, beauty editors like myself were sceptical. We were, after all, seeing on average 50 new launches a week.

That scepticism was soon quashed.

From the fool-proof formats to the first-rate formulas, there’s a reason why the Instant Eye Palette garnered a waiting list of over 30,000. The hype hasn’t abated either: her best-selling ‘Pillow Talk’ collection – born from her iconic pinky/nude shade of Lip Cheat lip liner – flew off the shelves every 15 seconds when it was relaunched in January this year.

‘From the very beginning I had a crystal-clear image of how I wanted the brand to be: incredibly personal, magical and unique,’ explains Charlotte. ‘I saw an opportunity for simplicity in the market, focusing on creating products that were easy-touse and easy-to-choose for consumers, a space where I could really innovate and disrupt the beauty world with every product. I

wanted to create my own limitless beauty brand.’

Which is exactly what she did. The brand rapidly became one of Selfridges’ most popular make-up counters and has won over 230 awards, including the coveted CEW UK Award for Best British Brand, four times, and Vogue Beauty Awards Best Influencer Brand.

Charlotte's Best Sellers

LUXURY PALETTE Eyeshadow, £39 HOLLYWOOD FLAWLESS FILTER Highlighter, £30 PILLOWTALK Lipstick, £24 CHARLOTTE'S MAGIC CREAM Moisturiser, £49 FULL FAT LASHES Mascara, £23

Today, it’s hard to imagine a beauty hall that isn’t be-decked with her now iconic rose-gold wares. But while people may buy into the sophisticated branding, they also buy into the allure of Charlotte herself. I distinctly remember first setting eyes on her backstage in Milan – a vision of oldschool Hollywood glamour in sky-high heels (incidentally, I have never seen Charlotte in anything less than a four-inch heel – even while heavily pregnant) and a signature pencil skirt.

Charlotte is unashamedly feminine in a world where some women at the

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top often feel like they need to adopt masculine traits in order to succeed. ‘I am very lucky to be surrounded by a matrix of powerful, remarkable, magical women, all of whom I admire for many reasons,’ she says, ‘whether it’s my glamourous mother Patsy who has always given me great advice, my creative sister Leah or my brilliant CEO Demetra. It is incredibly important to have strong women around you who challenge, support and inspire you.’

The fact that Tilbury is undoubtedly a ‘woman’s woman’ is easy to see, not least through her charity endeavours. Last month she pledged £1m to Women for Women International in her role as Global Ambassador for the charity. Since 2016, Charlotte has been committed to helping women survivors of war rebuild their lives through a number of initiatives, including donating a portion of proceeds from sales of her first Hot Lips collection.

Her glamorous image may hark back to a golden era of days gone by, but Tilbury is a thoroughly modern businesswoman. ‘The beauty industry is one of the most forward-thinking, magical and experimental sectors in business – it evolves every day,’ she explains. ‘From the continued rise of social media, to new advances in technology such as augmented reality and Artificial Intelligence, I know we’re heading towards totally revolutionising the shopping experience. I am always pushing the boundaries and breaking the rules, and I will continue my mission to share the power of make-up with everyone, all around the world!’

Rule-breaking aside, what’s her top tip for channeling that Charlotte Tilbury attitude? ‘One of my positive mantras that I live by is ‘dare to dream it, dare to believe it, dare to do it!’ You have to remain focused, driven and structured in order to be able to take it on, but at the same time it’s incredibly rewarding.’ Now, with major international expansion plans on the horizon, get ready to see Charlotte Tilbury paint the world ‘Pillow Talk’ pink. charlottetilbury.com

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name just a few) for giving brands like hers a leg-up. But she’s also keen to pay that sense of sisterhood forward, such as setting up ManeAddicts.com, a digital platform designed to nurture and inspire budding fellow hairstylists. So how exactly does one go from hairdresser to superstylist? Consider the following, the secrets to her success:

The Head For Business

Jen Atkin

Hairstylist Jen Atkin is expertly shaping the strands of the A-list whilst singlehandedly carving out a new beauty landscape WORDS CASSIE STEER

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o say Jen Atkin has more than one string to her bow is somewhat of an understatement.

Hairstylist to the Hollywood elite, businesswoman, innovator and CEO, Atkin, who has been dubbed ‘the most influential hairstylist in the world’, epitomises the ultimate modern businesswoman blueprint. But then again, the story behind the owner of haircare brand OUAI is a truly millennial one.

“The end goal is to stop making the conversation just about women being pretty and start celebrating the spirit and power of being a woman”

In an age where innovation is often drowned out amidst the cacophony of social media and the sheer volume of output, Atkin has found a way to stand out from the crowd. Whilst her career started out on the traditional Hollywood trajectory (think Utah girl moves to LA in search of work), her rise to the top was catalysed by jumping on board the reality star bandwagon and hanging out with its major names. Kim Kardashian, for example, now ranks as her best friend.

A former agent warned her such friendships would be the death of her career, but Atkin’s A-list connections have been instrumental in creating her empire. Today her influence, which across all her enterprises collectively amounts to almost 4.3M followers, catapults her to the realms of superstardom in a world where ‘hairstylist’ and ‘celebrity’ are as interchangeable as ‘reality star’ and ‘trendsetter’. Her story is a true 21st century phenomenon.

Social media-savvy Atkin might credit her stellar client list (which includes Chrissy Teigen, Adele, Jennifer Lopez, Bella Hadid, Katy Perry and the whole Kardashian clan, to

You need a certain level of drive; I started out cutting hair in my parents’ garage.

I was obsessed with Natalie Imbruglia’s short haircut in her ‘Torn’ music video when I was a teenager in Utah. No one could give me the cut I wanted, so I went to the store, bought a pack of shaving razors, and starting cutting my own hair before moving onto my friends. After high school I drove to California with literally $300 and my Honda Civic hatchback. I called all the salons in Allure’s beauty directory until finally someone returned my call and I started working as a receptionist at Estilo Salon in Beverly Hills. It was so exciting.

My motto from day one was ‘life is hard, looking good should be easy’. I wanted to empower women by creating tools, products and content that made it easier for them to do their hair without a stylist.

So, in 2016, I created OUAI. It’s for the girl-on-the-go who only has five minutes to do her hair. The name came from my love affair with Paris – it’s where my husband and I had our first date, and where we got married. ‘Ouai’ is French for ‘yeah’ – so it’s about saying ‘yes’ to being that effortlessly cool, modern French woman who appears like she did nothing, but still looks flawless.

I wanted to change the conversation in business and beauty. As a business, we’re always trying to innovate the beauty industry whilst also remaining authentic and creative. To succeed, companies need to be multifaceted and more like lifestyle brands than just pure beauty. The end goal is to stop making the conversation just about women being pretty and start celebrating the spirit and power of being a woman.

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The Holistic High-Flier

Bobbi Brown

Bobbi Brown exited her eponymous billion dollar brand in 2016 to set up Evolution_18, an indie start-up focusing on beauty from the inside out. Here, she explains her holistic take on beauty and intuitive approach to business It felt odd to me that there were men in boardrooms making decisions about what women want for our hair. It’s always been my dream to have my own haircare line, but it was also important to me to have a group of women talking to other women about their haircare needs. Luckily I think that more brands are trying to empower women these days. Personally, I’m constantly inspired by the women around me. In fact, 75% of my team are women.

Social media removed the guessing game when it comes to customer demands. I’ve always been obsessed with social media – I’m a total over-sharer – and I’m a bit of a tech nerd, so creating a social presence came really naturally to me. It’s a great platform for showcasing work and new talent, but also for directly connecting with your audience. We’ve had an open dialogue with our community from day one. For example, my followers inspired us to launch innovations like our Dry Shampoo Foam, a first to the market, which helped us take dry shampoo to the next level.

When we think of success in business, we usually think of money. But, to me, business is creating something that makes people's lives better. As I’m promoting my work, I'm also trying to start conversations about, ‘What can I do for other people?

What can I create that will make people's lives better?’ That’s what business should be about, and I think successful businesses understand that. Taking away that financial goal and instead focusing on your message and what you're really about is important.

Be as authentic as you can because that's what people crave right now.

Why did you decide to start afresh and set up Evolution_18?

I’ve written nine books, and they all featured beauty-inspired food along with make-up tips. My last book, Beauty From The Inside Out, is based on my philosophy that what you put in your body directly influences how you look. This book showed me that there is an audience that is ready for more when it comes to wellness.

What’s the ethos behind the brand?

Beauty begins within. For me, health and wellness is not something new. I have always believed that the better you take care of yourself on the inside, the better you’ll look on the outside, so I wanted to create simple, effective products that encapsulate this.

Why did you study to become a health coach?

I have always been curious and open when it comes to health — and I wanted to take that to another level. It was not only an opportunity for me to learn more, but it played a huge role in being able to develop effective products. After all, nutrition and beauty go hand-in-hand. What you put in your body is just as important as what you put on it. When you’re eating a balanced diet and drinking a lot of water, it shows on your skin.

What’s the key to a successful reinvention?

Starting over isn’t always easy. It can lead to a lot of doubt and a lot of people telling you no — and I don’t like being told no! Always trust your gut.

If something doesn’t feel right, go with what does. On top of this, authenticity and passion are key. If you’re going to do something new, it should be something that you are passionate about and that you truly believe in.

How do you think the concept of beauty is changing?

Beauty is something that is constantly evolving, and I think in terms of clean beauty, more and more brands will make the shift to using clean ingredients. It’s no longer a marketing tactic, it’s becoming the standard.

However, what I love most is seeing brands becoming more inclusive, more diverse and more open to feedback from their customers. For me, beauty will always be about feeling confident. evolution18.com

The best piece of advice I’ve been given is ‘be humble, work hard, and don’t try to compete with anyone else’. There’s enough to go around for all of us to be successful.

Also, don't expect success overnight – it takes years of hard work to build a longstanding career.

BOBBI’S TOP BUSINESS TIPS • Trust your gut. Don’t be afraid to ask questions or change direction.

• Build an inspirational team. Surround yourself with people you can learn from, and never stop learning.

• Be nice to everyone. You never know who knows you or who you are going to meet.

theouai.co.uk; maneaddicts.com

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The Conscious Luxury Creator

Gucci Westman

One of the most in-demand make-up artists, Gucci’s looks have graced countless magazine covers, runways and red carpets.

Now, she’s taken that knowledge to create her own clean cosmetics line, Westman Atelier. This is how she did it WORDS GEORGIE LANE-GODFREY

How did you get into beauty?

I went to Christian Chauveau Make Up School in Paris, where I learnt to use make-up using a stick format, which really shaped my approach. From there, I did unpaid editorial shoots and indie movie jobs to gain experience. The turning point in my career was probably when I met photographers Bruce Webber and Annie Leibovitz. They introduced me to so many people and other key influential names in the industry – one of them being Vogue's Creative Director Grace Coddington, which led me to my first two Vogue covers.

Vital Skin Foundation This foundation has so many skincare ingredients at proven efficacy levels, so that it works throughout the day on soothing and calming your skin. It has a nice luminous finish while still being buildable. I wanted to be able to reapply without having to take everything off and start again.

Baby Cheeks Blush Stick A true multi-tasker, I love using this stick for lips, cheeks and lids. It has a super creamy texture so melts into the skin, whilst the ingredients help soothe and balance moisture levels.

PHOTOGRAPHY: ALEXI LUBOMIRSKI

How did you make the transition from make-up artist to businesswoman?

It wasn’t easy, but from my previous role as Creative Director with brands such as Lancôme and Revlon, I was constantly in the labs and part of the product development process, so I saw both development and creative sides.

I also learned about the difference between ‘marketing levels’, where you only need to include a drop of something to be able to say it’s in there, and ‘efficacy levels’ where the levels are active enough to actually make a difference to your skin. I knew I wanted performance-driven products, so I needed to find a lab that would deliver this without compromising on ingredients. The one we chose is incredibly strong in innovation, but it’s been difficult at times to achieve the results I want without using some of the common ingredients that I won’t allow.

We got there in the end.

GUCCI’S HERO PRODUCTS

Super Loaded Tinted Highlighter I wanted to create an universal shade that could be used to highlight, add warmth and give definition to the face. It includes Hyaluronic Acid Filing Spheres, designed to smooth and fill wrinkles for a lifting effect, as well as Caper Extract to help reduce inflammation and enhance skin well-being.

What’s the most important thing for success in the beauty industry today?

Transparency is key. We are living in a time where it’s so important to rise to the occasion and be nimble and move quickly in terms of people’s demands and savvy nature. Clean beauty is more than just a trend. We are learning so much about harmful ingredients and the ramifications of them, meaning that brands are being forced to become more accountable. In my mind, there are three vital cornerstones for modern beauty brands: luxury, efficacy and clean, consciously-crafted ingredients. westman-atelier.com

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Rosie Huntington-Whiteley Fo u n d e r o f Ro s e In c

Describing herself as ‘the model who has tried it all’, Rosie HuntingtonWhiteley launched Rose Inc while on maternity leave last May. An outlet for everything the supermodel has learned about beauty over the course of her career, Rose Inc offers all the advice you’ve ever wanted in one digital forum. ‘The make-up artists, the designers, the skin experts and the hairstylists – they’ve all been my teachers, and I’ve been taking notes,’ she wrote in her first blog post for the site. ‘I’ve racked up quite the degree for a girl who grew up on a farm in England.’ But as well as insider beauty tips and tricks from Rosie and her A-lister friends, there’s also a curated e-commerce site of her favourite products, generating income from affiliated links. With big plans in the pipeline, this digital beauty destination is set to be the next disruptor. roseinc.com

Rihanna

Fo u n d e r o f Fe n t y B e a u t y Terms like ‘trailblazer’ and ‘game changer’ appear all too frequently when it comes to founder success stories. But in the case of Rihanna, these descriptions are apt. When the Barbadian singer launched Fenty Beauty back in September 2017, no-one could have been prepared for its meteoric level of achievement. The range reportedly achieved $100 million in sales in its first 40 days on the market, and is now set to be worth $1billion by the end of the year. But the brand’s success was far more than simply financial.

Fenty Beauty represents a new generation of beauty, one that champions diversity by dropping 40 different shades of foundation on launch. A feat that was previously unheard of, it received international acclaim and sent other brands scrambling to follow suit and widen their offerings in a phenomenon coined ‘the Fenty Effect’. fentybeauty.com

Huda Kattan Fo u n d e r o f Hu d a B e a u t y

Last year, Huda Kattan’s retail partners advised her against launching a new beauty product in November or December, saying it would “tank” because of the holiday timing.

Still, the self-confessed rule breaker launched The New Nude Palette from her eponymous range of internet-breaking products on 1 November. 1 million units, and apparently 15% of her company’s total retails sales later, she has emphatically proved them wrong. But Kattan knows her market. The financier-turned-make-up-artist-turned-superstar-blogger and global beauty entrepreneur first launched her Huda Beauty range in 2013, with her two sisters, when she couldn’t find false eyelashes to buy.

Today, Huda Beauty sells more than 140 products and has grown into one of the fastest-growing beauty brands, and one that’s valued at an astonishing $1.2 billion. Her next step? ‘I’m really excited about launching our new skincare line,’ she told Vogue Arabia. ‘I have a lot of plans to diversify the business without taking my eye off Huda Beauty.’ hudabeauty.com

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The Green Game Changer

Tata Harper Combining innovation with 100% natural products, Tata Harper is paving the way in the clean beauty movement WORDS CASSIE STEER

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here’s a reason Tata Harper has been dubbed ‘The Queen Of Green.’

Leading the vanguard in farm-to-face beauty, the Columbian native is on a mission to gently convert us to ‘100% natural and non-toxic’ beauty, one recyclable glass pot at a time.

Having taken up residence on her 1,200 acre farm – Tata Harper HQ – in Vermont over 18 years ago, Harper is one of the names at the helm of the green skincare movement. It’s a lucrative place to be – according to the Soil Association, sales of certified organic and natural beauty products are estimated at £86.5 million in the UK alone as natural beauty brands begin to outperform their conventional counterparts.

‘It really is a movement and not just a trend, largely because it’s led by consumers who are demanding the removal of controversial chemicals from their products first,’ says the former industrial engineer, who was that disenfranchised consumer herself 15 years ago when the phrase ‘clean beauty’ had yet to be coined. ‘I just came into this hoping to provide alternatives for people like me who wanted super hi-tech, concentrated, efficacious products that had no synthetic chemicals. In the future, I think it’ll be a standard required by all brands at all price levels.’

Harper has undoubtedly set the standard herself; cramming as many highly concentrated bioactive botanicals into her products as possible. The results have earned Tata Harper its cult status and loyal customer base. In fact, pre-Goop Skincare, Gwyneth Paltrow once proclaimed it was the only brand she put on her face.

But convincing everyone else of the ‘farm-to-face’ movement hasn’t always been simple, with critics questioning just how effective a 100% natural product can be. ‘It’s something I get asked a lot and it’s

a legitimate question, as the first generation naturals introduced to the market were more focused on the ‘natural’ part than being efficacious, so many people ended up extremely disappointed with their quality and performance,’ explains Harper. ‘Much of that bias also comes from 50 years of marketing a specific viewpoint, because synthetic ingredients are obviously much cheaper to make. But the fact of the matter is that the most innovative ingredients in medicine as well as beauty often come from nature in the first place.’

Surprsingly, doubts came from inside the clean beauty movement, too. Harper’s ‘more is more’ ideology, which eschews the singleingredient approach of her ‘natural’ peers, raised eyebrows with many ‘insider experts’ arguing it couldn’t be done.

But Harper was determined to prove that thinking wrong. Showing the grit it takes to build a successful business, she decided to do things differently from the outset. ‘I’m definitely the outsider of the beauty industry,’ she says, admitting that she never checked what the rest of the beauty world was doing as a point of reference.

‘It’s the determination that comes from doing something you’re passionate about,’ she shrugs,

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recalling her course of action. ‘You don’t take no for an answer.’

Despite this willpower, the process of actually getting the brand off the ground wasn’t easy. ‘The formula was probably the biggest challenge – everyone thought I was crazy trying to attempt what I set out to do. By year three, I was beginning to think I might be crazy too,’ she laughs. ‘But what I also realised was that a lot of the challenges were more psychological and cultural rather than technological. It’s all about finding the right people who are willing to look at things in different ways. I didn’t ever know if it would work, I was just willing to invest my time and resources to try and figure it out.’

Figure it out she did, discovering natural preservatives that had been created in Germany in lieu of parabens, location labs in Australia that created natural waxes to negate the need for emulsifiers, and opting for glass packaging because it’s infinitely more recyclable than plastic.

These processes still all take place on the former organic dairy farm that doubles as her home. ‘In my opinion, Vermont is still one of the most beautiful places in the world,’ she enthuses. ‘My ex-husband and I bought the farm because we loved it and it’s an amazing place to bring up my kids, but it’s also important that we remain vertically integrated so nothing’s out-sourced like the majority of the beauty industry.’

It’s an authenticity which informs her ‘softly, softly’ approach to getting the brand out there, admitting that many of the challenges and restrictions she’s faced have been self-imposed. Indeed, Harper has been very careful about how she expands the brand globally, preferring to play the long game, and has only recently started looking at launching in Asia. ‘A lot of the disruption you see on the market now is just noise without much innovation. For us, it’s not about being everywhere or making a lot of noise, it’s about being truly innovative.’ Fortunately, Tata Harper doesn’t need to shout to be heard.

We’re all ears.

The Skin Saviour

Jamie Kern Lima The founder of IT Cosmetics turned her problem skin into a billion dollar business

There’s a reason businesses which address a personal problem are the most successful – they often turn into passion projects. Take Jamie Kern Lima, for example. The former news anchor became fed up with receiving comments about her blotchy skin on air, and so began searching for a product which would actually remedy it. As such, Kern Lima set about testing products claiming to conceal her rosacea, a hereditary skin condition which causes redness. When she couldn’t find any that worked, she partnered with cosmetic surgeons and dermatologists to develop her own instead.

The result was IT Cosmetics (IT stands for Innovative Technology), a problem-solving make-up line which launched in 2008. Said to be to beauty what Spanx is to lingerie, IT Cosmetics eschews any sexiness in favour of simply getting the job done. It’s a formula that’s worked. IT Cosmetics reported $182million in net sales in 2015, jumping to $400million the year after. A yearon-year increase of 56% doesn’t go unnoticed, and in 2016 IT Cosmetics was acquired by L’Oréal in a $1.2billion deal.

While Kern Lima is said to have pocketed approximately $410million of that sum, her real triumph came in negotiating her position at IT Cosmetics moving forward. As it stands, Kern Lima is the first woman to maintain her role as CEO in L’Oréal's 109-year history – proof of the value a great female founder can really bring. itcosmetics.com

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patent knee-high boots. I knew working for her was cool even then.

After immigrating to California, I was convinced the future of skincare was about education.

There was a glaring reason why skin therapists in the States weren’t successful – they lacked training.

Skincare was a segment that was ready to explode, and at the time there was an incredible depth and hunger for entrepreneurship in America, so my husband and I set up the International Dermal Institute – a training programme for therapists.

Having worked in skincare myself, I saw an opportunity in the industry. I knew therapists needed a better education, but I also knew they needed a product line which represented the kind of work we were doing. One that targeted skin issues without the usual, problematic ingredients like lanolin, mineral oil and fragrance. As a result, Dermalogica was born.

T h e S k i n c a r e Ty c o o n

Jane Wurwand Dermalogica founder Jane Wurwand went from salon Saturday girl to founder of the world’s biggest skincare brands. This is what she learned along the way WORDS GEORGIE LANE-GODFREY

Resilience is one of the key qualities of an entrepreneur.

I learned it from my mother. She was widowed at the age of 38 with four daughters to raise, and had to go back to work overnight to put food on the table. She told me that you can’t control what happens to you, but you can control how you respond to it. So when life throws you a curve ball, you need resilience.

I fell in love with the industry as a teenager. I got a job at 13 working in a local salon, but since I was underage, I was made to work out back in the

laundry room. I didn’t mind – I’d never been anywhere as glamorous as that salon. When I was 16, they hired a skin therapist called Belinda. After talking to her, I went to study skincare straight from high school.

Working for Mary Quant taught me the need to be unique and stay true to your vision. She had just launched her skincare and make-up line and instead of picking people steeped in experience, she chose to hire people who she felt represented the brand.

My uniform was a short black dress with a daisy on the pocket and black

We self-funded and started Dermalogica with $14,000.

We never gave any equity away. It’s why, when advising new entrepreneurs, I say if you don’t have to give away equity, don’t, and if you do, give away as little as possible to make sure you keep control of your company.

My industry is a blueprint for female entrepreneurship. 98% of skin therapists are women and 64% of all salons are owned by women.

These women are the ‘invisible’ entrepreneurs, working on their own to build a business.

The beauty industry needs a rebrand. We need to disrupt the habit of referring to ‘beauty’. I don’t like the word – by using it we objectify ourselves and alienate all the women who feel like they don’t fit that description. Language determines viewpoints, and our viewpoints have changed so that ‘beauty’ is no longer appropriate. We’ve never used it at Dermalogica and our products are number one for salons in the ‘beauty’ industry, proving that it doesn’t hurt your brand to drop it.

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My Top 3 Success Secrets 1. Differentiate yourself A brand has a personality and voice, so be your unique self, show your emotions and bring that every day. If, as the founder, you bring your uniqueness, that will make you stand out from your competitors.

T h e F a s h i o n Wo r l d F a v o u r i t e

PAT McGRATH

She’s the world’s most influential make-up artist, who’s been in the business for 25 years.

Now her cult brand, worth over $1 billion, has finally landed in London

2. Trust your intuition Remember, you know what is actually happening. Don’t worry if other people don’t see it or understand it, if you believe in your vision just go for it.

3. Ignore the haters Don’t allow anyone, including yourself, to shrink or diminish your strength. Of course it’s important to stay humble too – don’t start falling in love with your own PR.

I always say I want to be significant, not beautiful. It’s a word that I actually stole that off my daughter.

But I think the word significant shows you’ve had an impact and you’ve made a difference to someone else.

That’s what’s important.

We have to reinvent the funding model. Currently less than 3% of all VC funding is going to women, and only 1% goes to women of colour. I think the quickest way to get money mobilised in the direction of women entrepreneurs is to start a collaborative funding model where women invest together and decide where the funding goes.

Women start businesses at 1.5x the rate of men. But 90% of all womenowned business will only ever employ that one woman. If we’re invisible and isolated, success won’t happen for us, so we need to get better connected and start collaborating. I was in an industry dominated by women, so I had that sisterhood and understand how it’s incredibly important.

When Anna Wintour calls you ‘the most influential make-up artist,’ the world takes note. But that’s hardly surprising when you take a look at Pat McGrath’s salient fashion and beauty credentials. According to Vogue, over the past 25 years, the self-confessed cosmetics nerd has worked on more than 500 magazine covers, painted the faces of some 190,000 models and been backstage at around 3,300 runway shows. The best part? She mastered her beauty skills completely herself, simply crediting her Jamaican mother for introducing her to the world of hair, make-up and fashion when she was growing up in Northampton. Since then, the now ‘mother of make-up’ has worked with the cream of the fashion crop and almost every major designer fashion house. Her creative visions led to her being awarded an MBE for her services to the beauty and fashion industry, followed by her own award-winning make-up line, Pat McGrath Labs. The collection debuted with a multipurpose gold-pigment $40 product called Gold 001 – and all 1,000 units sold out online in six minutes. Fast forward four years, and the range famous for its holographic eyeshadows, velvet-like lipsticks and next-level glosses (not to mention the made-for-Instagram packaging) finally launched in the UK, at Selfridges in April. When headlines broke that her brand had reached the $1 billion value mark, McGrath wrote on Instagram: ‘Labs exists to break the mould, and you are why I do what I do… Thank you for your boundless self-expression and your divine passion to a new standard of beauty.’ She continues to move the beauty success goal posts – while keeping crucial beauty conversations going. In short, Wintour certainly said it best. patmcgrath.com

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NEW ERA Brands owned by inspiring women of colour are redefining inclusivity within the beauty industry – and it’s about time WORDS AMERLEY OLLENNU

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recently discovered some old high school photos, and couldn’t help but cringe at the ashiness of my complexion. Back in 1999, at the age of 15, my budget didn’t allow for purchases from the few prestige brands that catered for a diverse range of skin tones like Nars, Bobbi Brown and Mac. While a relatively small number of brands solely dedicated to women of colour did exist – namely Zuri, Black Opal, Black Radiance, Iman Cosmetics and Fashion Fair – they weren’t available everywhere, and when they were, stock was often limited. I was stuck with what the mass market had to offer, and it fell short in every way. Ranges were also limited when it came to bases, and even if a foundation looked like it resembled my warm skin tone, on application it never did. Lipsticks

were frosty and lacked pigment, as did the limited shades of blushers.

When you finally found a passable formula, darker shades were constantly being discontinued, or sold in only a few locations, and overall there was a distinct lack of understanding of the types of undertones brown, black, Latina and Asian skins require. Even supermodels like Naomi, Tyra and Iman weren’t immune. On the launch of Iman Cosmetics, the model revealed that she and the few black models working at that time had to take their own mix of foundation to shoots and shows, to ensure they had an adequate base to wear. Unfathomable, when according to market researchers Mintel, black women in the US alone will spend $2.25 billion on beauty products between 2016 and 2021.

As a teen, this marginalisation of women of colour left me feeling

unworthy, unattractive and somewhat ashamed of the colour of my skin. However, fast-forward 20 years and the future of inclusive beauty looks bright. There’s a new cohort of supermodels now gracing the pages of national glossy magazines, such as Halima Aden, Adut Akech, Slick Woods, Winnie Harlow, Duckie Thot, Imaan Hammam, and, of course, Adwoa Aboah, who appeared on Edward Enninful’s first cover after he became editor of British Vogue.

‘It's gotten a lot better over the last few years, but it's nowhere near where it needs to be,’ says MDMflow founder, Florence Adepoju. ‘If we can't solve seemingly simple issues, like foundations for a diverse range of skin tones being made widely available, how do we deal with more nuanced problems, like diversity in advertising and unrealistic beauty ideals? It's important for brands like mine to exist and give a different point of view.’

Just like supermodel Iman’s trailblazing cosmetics line, which debunked the ludicrous excuses (made by predominantly white men in suits) such as there is ‘no market for shade extensions’, MDMflow is one of several ‘for women of colour’ indie brands helping to wake the industry up. In 2016, cosmetic scientist founder Florence Adepoju went from making lipsticks in her parents’ garden shed, to being stocked in the likes of Topshop and Anthropologie within a matter of months. Her award-winning mascara has become a beauty editor staple, but her lipsticks are particularly formulated with women of colour in mind. ‘I would never say that a white woman couldn’t wear my lipstick – of course they can. But when I’m working, I think “I am formulating a product so that a black woman can wear it”, so that the colour shows up. With my lipsticks, the darker your skin, the better it looks,’ says Adepoju.

Brooklyn-based Hi Wildflower’s range of polishes, shadows and lipsticks are designed in a similar way by novelist and perfumer Tanwi Nandini Islam. Understanding that finding the right shades can be a ‘traumatic struggle’ for brown-

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skinned women like herself, Islam set out to provide the antidote.

However, it’s brands with the ‘Fenty effect’ that are creating substantial ripples of change within the market. Some pre-date Fenty, like Beauty Bakerie, a black-owned cosmetics company founded by Cashmere Nicole. Counting popular YouTubers like Jackie Aina and Tatty Westbroke, as well as the likes of Beyoncé and Cardi B as fans, this is a brand that takes diversity and inclusivity seriously.

“Brands like Fenty and Uoma are helping to shift societies definitions of beauty – and forcing established make-up lines to do better, or be left behind” ‘My goal is to make sure I get every voice at the table,’ says Nicole.

This has translated into her tirelessly working to manufacture products that cater to all skin tones, but that have also been traditionally hard to find for women of colour, like highlighters and bronzers.

For over two years, singer Rihanna has also worked diligently on her line, creating products with formulators who have a real understanding of the nuances of darker skin and lighter skin alike.

Fenty Beauty launched in September 2017 with a whopping 40 shades of foundation, providing not only women of colour with wearable bases, but women across the colour spectrum. Teamed with an advertising campaign and ethos that unapologetically champions inclusivity and celebrates diversity, the brand is helping to shift society's definitions of beauty – and

forcing established make-up lines to do better, or be left behind.

Maybelline, Cover Girl, Dior and more all now offer 40 shades of foundation in a bid to stay relevant, finally understanding that the demand for inclusivity won’t be hushed by simply hiring a diverse celebrity face to front a campaign, only to provide unconsidered products on the counters.

Influencers and emerging beauty journalists of colour are demanding more, and other brands like Fenty and similarly loud-and-proud Afropolitan Uoma Beauty are giving women all over the world the confidence to challenge the status quo, by way of their wallets.

What’s more, these new companies aren’t just redefining colour cosmetics, they are having a direct impact on inclusivity in other areas of personal care. Take haircare, for example – there’s no

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better time to shop for lines that cater to women with waves, curls and coils. Luxury brand Oribe recently launched a collection for highly textured type 4 hair, recognising that although there are more drugstore options for women of colour, the prestige market is far from saturated with products for afro textured hair. Setting their sights on being ‘one of the first to offer this upgrade,’ Oribe have understood that fobbing women of colour off with a general curly hair line won’t cut it. One other notable brand ushering in this new era of true inclusivity is Briogeo, a clean beauty line that ditches segregation of the consumer, targeting customers by hair texture rather than ethnicity.

Founded by ex-Goldman Sachs Vice President, Nancy Twine, the blackowned brand has been profitable every year of its five-year existence, and brings in more than $10 million in annual revenue from sales at Sephora, Nordstrom, Forever 21’s Riley Rose, Birchbox and Ipsy.

It seems that mainstream brands are finally taking women of colour and their spending power seriously. Long may this new-found commitment to bringing well-formulated products that consider women of colour as much as non-women of colour to the market continue.

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Spotlight

SKIN DEEP

Skincare is the next frontier in inclusivity, with brands, platforms and product lines created specifically with women of colour in mind. These are the women leading the charge

Dija Ayodele

Aware that people of colour were being left behind in aesthetics and beauty because they faced difficulties finding practitioners who understood their specific skincare concerns, facialist Dija Ayodele launched the Black Skin Directory.

The platform connects people of colour to treatments performed by knowledgeable professionals at clinics that have both machinery and training to accommodate those with darker skin tones. blackskindirectory.com

Ozohu Adoh

Say what you see Meet the women changing beauty standards one social media post at a time…

LEOMIE ANDERSON (@leomieander son)

British model Leomie was personally selected by Rihanna to be the face of Fenty Beauty, which instantly put her at the forefront of the inclusive beauty movement.

Never afraid to call out important issues she sees, Leomie is a vocal activist in terms of representation and inclusion, using inspirational TED Talks and social media to draw attention to ignorance in the industry about working with women of colour.

JACKIE AINA

(@jackieaina) For the last ten years, ‘Auntie’ Jackie Aina has been using her YouTube channel to celebrate women of colour, winning multiple

awards and garnering over three million subscribers in the process. But as well as discussing changing beauty standards, Jackie uses her platform to speak out about issues such as colourism, which are often swept under the rug within the industry.

NYMA TANG

(@nymatang )

Shining a light on the underrepresentation of darker skin tones, vlogger Nyma is on a mission to make the beauty industry change for the better. On her YouTube channel – called ‘The Darkest Shade’ – Nyma tests the darkest versions of brands products, giving honest reviews on just how well they match her skin tone.

Spoiler alert: a lot of them don’t, proving how far cosmetic companies still have to go.

Having suffered with a dry, uneven skin condition that no treatments or cosmetics alleviated, entrepreneur Ozohu Adoh decided to make her own. Sourcing organic ingredients from Africa, she soon discovered a winning formula for her skin and went on to work closely with a lab in the UK to launch her unique and luxury line: Epara skincare. eparaskincare.com

Dr. Barbara Sturm

Research shows the increased amount of melanocytes responsible for creating skin pigment in darker skins is linked to skin inflammation.

Once she knew this, Dr. Barbara Sturm collaborated with actress Angela Bassett to create a Darker Skin Tones range tailored to the dermatological needs and characteristics of skin of colour. The collection combines science with natural ingredients for a sophisticated anti-inflammatory product range. dr-barbara-sturm.com

Rachel Roff

Recognising that North Carolina needed somewhere that specialised in clinical skincare for a diverse range of skin tones, Roff launched her first medispa, Urban Skin Solution, 13 years ago. The demand was huge, and a skincare line soon followed: Urban Skin Rx. The range is made up of ingredients that work in synergy to fade dark marks and reduce inflammation and breakouts. urbanskinrx.com

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The Industry Disrupter

Sharon Chuter Uoma Beauty founder

B

ursting onto the scene this year is Uoma Beauty, the new brand from Nigerian-born, London-based former beauty executive Sharon Chuter. Billing itself as a culturally irreverent cosmetics company rewriting the rules of inclusivity and diversity, the brand launched in Selfridges – proof of its instant popularity. But it’s easy to see why the launch was so highly anticipated, especially when fashion news channel WWD previously listed Chuter as one of the 50 most forwardthinking executives shaping the beauty industry. Born out of Nigerian founder Chuter’s frustration with the beauty industry’s inability to create products that cater to a diverse audience, Uoma is Chuter’s Afropolitan beauty revolution. This is the brand’s story so far.

How do you define inclusivity? We have 51 shades of foundation and 18 shades of concealer. But it’s not just about having an exponential number of foundation shades. Real inclusivity is about understanding the people behind the shades; understanding, embracing and celebrating our differences. We are all women of colour, our race is human, inclusivity is about bringing people together, giving them a voice and creating global pride.

Where are the mainstream brands going wrong when it comes to inclusivity within beauty? Moves made by longstanding beauty brands to be more inclusive are often not authentic and consumers are seeing straight through this inauthentic pandering. Most of the leadership at these big brands aren’t even women let alone women of colour. It's this lack of diversity amongst decision makers that makes it impossible to effect genuine lasting change. The only way to get inclusivity right is to diversify the boardrooms, the labs and the shop floor.

So, what makes Uoma stand out from the crowd? We are introducing the beauty industry and the consumer to an Afropolitan brand rooted in the celebration of heritage, that also embraces all ethnicities. It’s a fresh approach mixed with groundbreaking products. Our foundations are a first of their kind, and go beyond simple shade matching – they also take into consideration the needs of the particular skin tone, offering skincare solutions within the formula. Rose

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hybrid extract helps contribute to elastin production and reduce sebum production – two common issues found in olive skin types. While woolly thistle extract and white tea help address hyperpigmentation seen in tan and brown skin tones. We also use tomato and berry extract to ward off dullness for customers wearing our deepest shades.

Was your business background helpful when launching your new brand? Absolutely, I single-handedly brought the whole range to market within a year and only hired my team six weeks before launching. My beauty business experience meant that I knew where to go to formulate the products, what packaging I wanted, as well as the time leads needed and the ability to effectively negotiate.

However, I still faced challenges – I’m a black woman in a French male dominated industry. The most challenging part was getting funding for the brand. I funded myself up until two months before the launch, but I kept fighting and now we’re here. uomabeauty.com

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UNDER THE

INFLUENCE As our purchasing power within the beauty industry becomes increasingly lead by influencers, AllBright takes a look at how exactly social media is shaping our shopping WORDS ELIZABETH BENNETT

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ast your mind back to the last time you were looking for beauty advice and answer this: where did you go for it? The most probable answer is not very far – after all, most smart devices are usually within arm’s reach.

Today, boundless beauty advice is only a scroll away as digital platforms and social media personalities gain more influence than ever. In fact, a recent US study found that 72% of millennials buy beauty products based on Instagram posts, while 70% of Gen X-ers are likely to purchase something from a brand they follow online. Considering their spending power (Gen X earns 31% of the US’s total income, despite only making up 25% of the population), influencers clearly equate to big money.

The financial gains, however, are mutual, with digital content creators able to monetise their online presence. For example, with 1million followers on Instagram, beauty vlogger Patricia Bright

(@thepatriciabright) has revealed she earns a six figure salary easily. This income is generated via a three-pronged approach: recommending products or services in exchange for affiliate revenue (earning commission for sales they drive), creating one-off sponsored content on their platforms (a form of advertising that is clearly labelled) and collaborating with brands as ambassadors to create content, host events or simply to sell a specific product.

Case in point: Huda Kattan. The Dubai-based make-up artist started her blog in 2010, before launching her make-up brand Huda Beauty (@ hudabeauty) in 2013. Starting with just one product – a pair of false lashes – Kattan used social media and her skills as a make-up artist to market the product.

The brand now has 140 products in its line and 40 million Instagram followers, propelling Kattan to being the highest paid beauty influencer in the world. According to Forbes, the make-up mogul is now worth $550 million.

Similar tales of beauty brand success have sprouted up across the industry.

Take British make-up artists-cumYouTube stars Sam and Nic Chapman (@realtechniques), who run make-up brush company Real Techniques, which has 2.5 million Instagram followers; or Ruth Crilly (@amodelrecommends), who created haircare brand COLAB Dry Shampoo. Across the pond, LA-based influencers Marianna Hewitt (@marianna_hewitt) and Lauren Gores Ireland (@laurengores) recently launched Summer Fridays. Their first product, the Jet Lag Mask, became the best selling product on Sephora.com within a fortnight of launching and garnered approval from the likes of Kim Kardashian West and Jessica Alba.

‘Everything is done on social. We call ourselves a social-first brand and we mean that. We think Instagram first because we know it’s the most effective and fastest way to reach or audience,’ Marianna Hewitt told fashion news channel WWD. It’s no wonder then that beauty brands are now taking the influence of digital talent seriously, with many major industry names valuing influencers equally with celebrities. Take Lancôme, who snapped up Lisa Eldridge (@lisaeldridgemakeup) as their Global Creative Director in 2015. Originally famed for her red carpet and editorial work, Eldridge was one of the first well-known make-up artists to adopt a digital presence. She started creating make-up tutorials for her website and YouTube platform in 2010 and now has a reach of 3 million across her digital channels. A following which no doubt incentivised her own sell-out lipstick

Left to right: Nadine Baggott (@nadinebaggott), Lisa Eldridge (@lisaeldridgemakeup), Alessandra Steinherr (@alexsteinherr), Sam + Nic Chapman (@realtechniques), Huda Kattan (@hudabeauty)

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line, as well as a ring collection launched in response to the myriad comments she was receiving about the jewellery she wears in her YouTube videos. More recently, Lancôme appointed Chiara Ferragni (@theblondesalad), whose 777k Instagram followers saw her named Forbes’ No.1 most powerful fashion influencer, as their face.

But in an increasingly crowded digital space, influencers must stand out to succeed, with substance over style prevailing. ‘In an age where anyone can call themselves an ‘influencer’ and with a proliferation in the amount of social media content that’s available, audiences’ attention, loyalty and trust is becoming more hard won,’ observes Lucy Loveridge, Head of Talent UK at Gleam Futures, a digital-first talent agency operating in both London and LA. Consequently, audiences are eschewing advice based on personal opinions in favour of authoritative industry experts with extensive knowledge.

In the world of beauty, that space is being leveraged by established journalists to build online communities. Alessandra Steinherr (@alexsteinherr), former beauty director at Glamour Magazine UK, is just one of those industry names that has made the transition and now has 189k Instagram followers. ‘I’ve been a beauty journalist and editor for over 15 years,’ she says. ‘I’ve interviewed and learnt from the top experts in the field, but the industry is more confusing than ever, as there is more choice than ever. My advice and product recommendations are there to help people feel empowered to make the right choices about their beauty routines. So while the medium for my content may have changed, my approach remains the

same – rigorous research and only fact-based information.’

Similarly, Nadine Baggott, a 55-yearold Beauty Editor and TV Presenter with 30 years’ experience, shares advice with her 80k followers via Instagram (@nadinebaggott) and 100k subscribers via YouTube. ‘My industry experience gives me a unique position, and my background as a journalist makes me a combination of sceptical and informed. I can cut through the beauty bullshit and tell my followers what does and doesn’t work,’ Baggott commented. Her tagline, “No FaceTune, No Filters” reinforces this message, and positions her content as both authentic and trustworthy. ‘No one is following me because I am pretty, they follow me for honest advice,’ she explains.

Of course, there are other reasons consumers are heading in a digital direction for advice. While the beauty industry is often lambasted for promoting unrealistic beauty standards, a growing breed of social media accounts is offering an antidote to this glossy perfection. Part of the skin positivity movement, these accounts reject conventional beauty ideals and reconsider so-called ‘imperfections’.

Leading the charge is blogger Em Ford (@mypaleskinblog), who released a video in 2015 of her before and after make-up shots called ‘You Look Disgusting’.

Highlighting the abuse she’d received online when posting make-up tutorials and raising awareness of adult acne, the video went viral, attracting attention from celebrities such as Kylie Jenner, and received 10 million views in the first week. Similarly, Kali Kushner (@myfacestory) started sharing her adult acne story via Instagram to feel less

alone. ‘Instagram was originally for pretty pictures, but it’s become a place to share stories and connect with like-minded people. We've not only been able to begin to normalise acne but we've been able to completely shift the conversation around skin,’ Kushner, who now has 60k followers, commented.

This democratic nature of online content has also given underrepresented communities in the mainstream media a louder voice. Ronke Adeyemi created brownbeautytalk (@brownbeautytalk) in 2014 as a space for women of colour to come together and discuss the beauty issues affecting them. Today the account has evolved into an online magazine and events business bringing together beauty brands and women of colour. Meanwhile, for influencer and trans activist Gigi Gorgeous (@gigigorgeous), building an online presence has helped her raise awareness of trans issues. With 2 million followers on Instagram, plus another 2 million subscribers and contracts with Revlon, MAC, and L’Oréal, her reach is extensive. ‘Social media is fast, direct and to the point,’ explains Gigi. ‘I think that’s why it resonates so much with people.

Having this level of visibility makes discussing and learning about difficult topics much more comfortable, and people tend to be more receptive and willing to understand.’

As our lives become ever-more digitised, the influence of online creators is only set to grow. In fact, according to influencer marketing platform Activate, 67% of brands think influencer campaigns help them reach a more targeted audience. The message is clear: when it comes to beauty, get set to scroll on.

Left to right: Lauren Gores Ireland (@laurengores) and Marianna Hewitt (@marianna_hewitt), Em Ford (@mypaleskinblog), Patricia Bright (@thepatriciabright), Gigi Gorgeous (@gigigorgeous)

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FIND YOUR

RESILIENCE Following the launch of The AllBright’s new book Believe.Build.Become, the club’s co-founders give a preview of their words of wisdom when it comes to channelling that inner strength WORDS DEBBIE WOSSKOW AND ANNA JONES

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esilience is a business buzzword at the moment. Never before have we operated in such a fast-paced, frenetic world where we’re permanently connected, never switching off. While wellness is important to being able to maintain a semblance of sanity, resilience is the ability to bounce back from bumps in the road, and is the other key to avoiding burnout.

‘I know a lot about resilience,’ says Debbie. ‘When my marriage broke up, I suddenly found myself as a single mum with children aged under one and three. That certainly wasn’t a life plan, and it felt like a very public failure. But there were very clear economic realities, and as an entrepreneur I felt that the only

way out was to build my way out of it.

My business, Love Home Swap, was born out of the ashes of that very dark time.’

But resilience is something you need throughout your career as well as your personal life. ‘Things can go wrong in business on a daily basis,’ says Anna. ‘From the outside, it might look like everything is going swimmingly, but there are always challenges. In the past, for example, I worked on a project for two years and then the moment before launch, the board pulled the plug. It was tough, but you just have to remember not to take things personally.’

Of course, that’s easier said than done, so sometimes having a personal mantra to follow can be helpful. ‘I have a quote written down and kept on my desk which I read every time

things seem to be falling apart,’ says Debbie. ‘It’s one from the character of Thomas Cromwell, written by Hilary Mantel: “The things you think are disasters in your life are not disasters really. Almost anything can be turned around. Out of every ditch, a path – if only you can see it.”’

If resilience isn’t your strong suit, however, don’t despair. ‘Some people are born more resilient than others, but it is a trait you can learn over time,’ says Anna. Debbie agrees: ‘When I started my first business aged 25, I was pretty tough, but there’s no way I was as resilient as I am now. That’s the benefit of living through those knocks – you learn from them.’

So if you do need to work on your inner resilience, here’s The AllBright’s eight-step recipe to building it…

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SISTERHOOD WORKS 1. RECOGNISE THAT EVERYONE SUFFERS THE KNOCKS The first rule of Resilience Club is acknowledging that what we’re going through is hard, and then thinking, like Cromwell, “there will be a way through this”. Everyone, even the most famous of us, suffers from embarrassing setbacks or even total failures. The actress Naomie Harris says the life of an actor – which she’s been living since she was nine years old – is filled with daily rejections. ‘I remember one particularly galling moment in my early career when I turned up to a premiere of a film I was in, walked the red carpet, gave interviews about my role, and then settled into my seat to watch the film with my friends and family... only to discover that I had not only been cut out of the movie, but replaced by a different actress and no-one had told me!’ It is something she’s learned to find amusing. ‘I laugh about that moment now, but I certainly wasn’t laughing at the time.’

more senior in one organisation, I could feel the politics becoming more of a problem and I wasn’t very good at dealing with one particular person. So I got a coach to help me with that. My coach said to me, “You’re projecting what he’s doing to you back on to him, and no one likes to see their negative qualities reflected back. All he wants is to be listened to and valued.” From that moment on all my conversations with this man completely changed.’

So, whether you’ve just pitched a new idea, or got feedback on a project or asked for a pay rise and received some negative news, you’ve got to somehow absorb it and then find a way to use the experience to grow.

2. DEVELOP A PERSONAL STRUCTURE There’s a big misunderstanding around entrepreneurs and creatives that they are just unstructured, gowith-the-wind types of people. But most people still have a routine that they stick to everyday. ‘I start every day with a 6am boxing class,’ says Debbie.

‘It gets me out of the door on even the toughest days and fired up for the day ahead and helps me structure the rest of my day.’ Meanwhile, Anna spends her mornings doing Pilates. ‘I need to have a bit of time on my own to reconnect with my body as I really live in my head,’ she says. ‘But doing just one class a week isn’t enough for me; I need to make it part of my routine.’

Lots of successful people have their own morning trick, because a small ritual starts to mean something; it lets you mentally tick off one easy task from the list and leads you on to the next thing on your to-do list.

A structure is part of your armour and it helps you battle through.

3. DEAL WITH CONFLICT We can face lots of micro-aggressions on a daily basis, especially when things are stressful. Executive Chair of Newsworks Tracy De Groose remembers a time when office politics were ruining her work life. ‘As I got

The best and most innovative companies recognise failure as the by-product of the bravery needed to take risks and experiment.

Leading psychologist Dr Martin Seligman says the way that we explain setbacks to ourselves has a big impact on our resilience, so instead of thinking, ‘Why does this always happen to me?’, accept that failure happens and reframe it as a problem-solving opportunity.

Even if you can’t turn the setback into a success story, take comfort in the idea that every little knock you endure makes you stronger. Eleanor Roosevelt said, ‘You gain strength, courage, and confidence by every experience in which you really stop to look fear in the face. You’re able to say to yourself, “I’ve lived through this horror, I can take the next thing that comes along.” It’s really true.

Once you’re through this horror, you will look back and be proud about how you weathered the storm.’

7. BE KIND TO YOURSELF

4. R EMEMBER YOUR PAST RESILIENCE You need to recognise you already are resilient. It’s unlikely that you’ve breezed through life without any setback already. It is really important to remember how you have already displayed inner grit in getting through these life experiences and reflect on how you coped. But chiefly that you’re still here and fighting.

5. BE REALISTIC You have to manage your expectations.

Just as life isn’t always upbeat and fulfilling every second of the day, you do have to realise that work isn’t either. Sometimes things go right, sometimes they go wrong, you just have to accept that. Telling yourself that is a form of brain training – realigning our expectations and not setting ourselves up for a fall.

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6. REFRAME SETBACKS

Lots of people are their own harshest critic, when in fact we’ve found there are plenty of other people who will be that for you! Learning not to take failure personally is hard, but it’s essential. Instead of thinking, ‘I messed that project up because I can’t do my job,’ examine the other factors. Sometimes an idea doesn’t fail because it’s a bad one, but because of elements such as timing or a lack of resource. It’s our job to be our own personal champions.

Imagine what you would say to your best friend if she were in your position and channel that.

8. LEAN ON YOUR SISTERHOOD If you don’t have the resilience you need – and none of us do all the time – that’s when you need to find someone who can be there for you when you dip. Networks both inside and outside your workplace can really help bolster your resilience.

As co-founders, we measure each other’s resilience levels, and step in as needed. By looking after each other, we’re stronger together.

Believe.Build.Become – How To Supercharge Your Career by Debbie Wosskow and Anna Jones (Virgin Books, £14.99) is out now

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S U M M E R

2 0 1 9

Get Happy T h i s Wo r k i n g L i f e

Former television presenter turned wellness entrepreneur Poppy Jamie on start-ups, self-care and learning to say no WORDS GEORGIE LANE-GODFREY

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t just 28, Poppy Jamie is already a serial entrepreneur. Having set up her first business at 24 – a joy-infused accessories brand called Pop & Suki which she cofounded with best friend Suki Waterhouse – the former television presenter has now moved into the world of tech. Splitting her time between the US and the UK, Poppy launched Happy Not Perfect last year, a mindfulness app with a difference.

Aiming to boost your happiness without the need to meditate – the thing so many of us struggle with – it’s billed as a ‘happiness gym’ for your emotional wellbeing.

But it’s also the answer to a very modern problem – society’s growing levels of anxiety and stress. In fact, according to a 2018 study, young adults in the UK spend more than six hours a day feeling ‘stressed out’.

Like all good entrepreneurs know, the key to a successful business is to provide a solution to a problem. Taking Poppy three years of development alongside neuroscientists and psychologists, Happy Not Perfect does just that.

Here she tells us about the challenges of starting up a business and how she makes it work.

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SISTERHOOD WORKS

I try to reduce my transatlantic travel, but nothing beats in person interaction. Flying can be exhausting, but I’ve learned a few tricks to cope now. The best advice came from an interview I read with [public relations maven] Karla Otto, who said to try and save meals until you’re back on the ground, so that you signal to your body it’s a new time zone. She also said to have a massage when you land, which I now always do. It really helps the jetlag.

I’ve definitely suffered from the ‘disease to please’. Women are notoriously bad at prioritising themselves. In the past, if someone told me they could only do a 9am meeting, I’d drop everything to be there for it. But that sacrifice comes at a cost and will wear you down. So create healthy boundaries, prioritise what you need to do for you and don’t answers emails after 10pm. You’ll work better in the long run.

No matter where I am, my day starts at 7am. I’ll go to a yoga or Pilates class first thing – I prefer slow exercise to counterbalance the intensity of my day. I’ll then walk to the office for 9.30am, grabbing an oat latte on the way – it’s my favourite morning ritual.

My father taught me ‘decide in haste, repent at leisure’. I’ve learned now not to make decisions quickly, even when people are pressing you for them. An extra 24 hours could potentially save you months of trouble untying the wrong decision.

Anyone starting up their own business should know they are signing up for a rollercoaster. Every single day of the business you’re faced with different challenges which you didn’t have a week before. I have so much respect for the women I’ve met who have made it, like Jen Rubio from Away and Whitney Wolfe Herd from Bumble. It’s been a real learning curve and the hardest thing I’ve ever done – just when you think you’ve got the stabilisers off, they go back on the bike.

The key to happiness is moderating your social media. Each like sparks a feel-good dopamine hit, so when we don’t get them, it’s easy to feel self-doubt. So many people wake up and instantly check those platforms, which means you’re checking up on other people’s lives before you’ve had a chance to assess your own. So I avoid social media for the first half hour of the day – it’s an act of self-care.

It’s important to commit to your mental health rituals and practices. There have been moments I’ve really struggled because of the pressure – running a business is like having a baby; you’re consistently responsible and thinking about it the entire time. As a result, I find it hard to switch off. That’s why I do the Happy Not Perfect Happiness Workout every day – it helps me put my world into perspective.

The Happy Not Perfect founder's day-to-day essentials

I’ve learned the importance of mutual support within the sisterhood. Jameela Jamil and I often meet up and talk about our work. I love hearing about her life as an incredible social activist, but being both Brits in the US, those evenings are precious.

It’s important to trust the journey.

My personal motto is ‘what is meant for you will not pass you by’. It helps me remember everything will be all right in the end. If something is right for you, it will work out. If not, there is something better around the corner.

For more information, visit happynotperfect.com or follow @happynotperfect

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POPPY’S EDIT

FROM TOP: SAKARA Beauty Water Drops, £30, sakara.com BENEFIT They're Real Mascara, £22, selfridges.com EVERLANE The Cotton Crew Tee, £15, everlane.com; RIXO Kristen dress, £295, net-a-porter.com; SAINT LAURENT Loulou 50 boots, £865, farfetch.com; WESTWARD LEANING x OLIVIA PALERMO Seaspray 02 sunglasses, £200, westwardleaning.com; KEDS Kickstart sneakers, £69.99, zalando.co.uk

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How I Changed My Life

The Pivot

Meg Gallagher left her corporate job in communications to pursue a new career in beauty, recently launching her cruelty-free, natural and eco-friendly brand Beached. Here, she explains how she did it forward to June so my father could be there. I now understand the importance of resilience and having a clear focus.

There were highlights too, though. Executive Chair of Newsworks Tracy de Groose agreed to meet me as a favour to a friend. I don’t think she expected much to come of it, but she left the meeting agreeing to be both my investor and a chair. Following the initial fundraise, she helped shape the business model and brand, and has introduced me to numerous contacts who can help drive brand awareness. We meet weekly and her invaluable mentorship and counsel have been game-changing for the business. You can’t underestimate the power of being around women who have each other’s backs.

THE JOB An internal communications role at Barclays. I loved my job and had done well in the role, reaching VP by the age of 26. But there were hundreds of thousands of employees, so I sometimes felt like an ant in a giant colony. In the corporate world you quickly learn that, no matter how good you are, everyone is replaceable. You’re part of a big machine.

THE WAKE-UP CALL I’m originally from Australia, but I’ve lived in London for five years. I was on my way to work one day, standing at Canada Water station waiting to get on the tube to Canary Wharf. As I looked around, I realised that everyone was robotically waiting behind one another, all dressed identically. It felt like an episode of Black Mirror.

I’ve always been a free spirit and valued my independence, and that was the moment that made me realise I needed to break out of the mould and do something different.

So I decided to go back to Australia for a while. While I was just sitting on my local beach watching the runners and the walkers go by, I really reflected on the lifestyle – being back home made me realise how much I’d missed it.

THE PIVOT Aussies are known for their strippedback approach to beauty and their affinity with nature. It made me think how great it would be to launch a brand that helped other women get that similar, effortless look using completely natural products. So, within three

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months of going back to London, I quit my job. It was completely invigorating, but people thought I was nuts because I didn’t have a background in beauty. But I researched everything, found a chemist, put together a 50-page business plan and started looking for investors.

The process was tough though. My dad was diagnosed with terminal cancer last year – when I got that call I was on a flight back to Australia the same day. It’s been very hard to face alongside trying to start a business and getting married – I moved my wedding

LIFE LESSON Dig deep and enjoy the ride. I’ve never had so many challenges thrown at me as I have over the past two years, both professionally and personally. Not everyone will share your vision, so you need to be determined and have grit to make it happen. Beached has been two years in the making – to see it finally come to fruition is amazing.

Meg’s Beached range is available at beached.com

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27/05/2019 15:17

Make it personal.

The Moisturiser

The Hydrator

Your skin’s needs are unique and always changing. The world-renowned beauty trailblazer, Dr Jean-Louis Sebagh pioneered the concept of mixing different, powerful serums to create a personalised daily ritual that perfectly meets your skin’s needs. Potent and award-winning, Dr Sebagh’s iconic serums—including the quartet of super-serums featured here—can all be used alone or combined, for agelessly radiant results.

Moisturising is essential to restore the skin barrier, protect against environmental aggressors, seal in hydration and keep skin plump.

Deeply moisturise and soothe your skin using Rose de Vie Serum, with antioxidant and nourishing rosehip oil, blended with the hydrating, hyaluronic acid-rich Serum Repair, which instantly leaves skin looking and feeling plumped, firmer and tighter.

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The Anti-Ager

The Firmer

Add a trouble-shooting, ‘Ageing-Maintenance’ hero to the mix with a few drops of Supreme Maintenance Youth Serum.

It boasts 95% active ingredients, more than any other skin care product, including the ‘youth molecule’ Resveratrol, three anti-aging peptides, a mineral radiance booster and an anti-pollution film.

The luxurious Platinum Gold Elixir can also be added to your serum mix, for an extra intensive firming, tightening and lifting effect.

The blend of 13 active bio-tech ingredients includes two original peptides to help boost collagen synthesis and light-reflecting golden pigments. It can also be used on its own as a four week treatment.

Available in-store and at drsebagh.com

21/05/2019 14:05

Money Matters

The Art of Negotiation Whether you’re asking for a pay rise or discussing numbers for investment, negotiation is a key skill working women need to perfect. Here, author and Vestpod founder Emilie Bellet gives her guide to getting negotiation nailed ILLUSTRATION REBEKA ELIZEGI

H

ere we are in 2019 and money is still a taboo, especially for women. This taboo impacts not only our wellness but our wallets too. Silence comes at too high a cost, so it’s time we started having those hard conversations about money and negotiating our true worth.

Almost 60% of US employees admit that they accept their employer’s first salary offer, according to research

by Glassdoor, the employer review site. In the survey, nearly 70% of women shied away from attempting to persuade a potential employer of their true worth. This is something we need to rectify – no one should lose out in comparison to others who are more willing to put their worth on the table.

Finally being paid what you’re worth will mean you have more money to save and invest, for both your goals and for your security. So, how do we get there? Through the art of negotiation – a skill that can be learned which is relevant no matter what your career path. The bottom line is, as women, need to feel empowered to make our own financial decisions, without seeking permission or approval from others. This is how.

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Start by doing a little research.

Because money is that much of a taboo, it can be hard to have a direct conversation with your peers, so start online. Use LinkedIn or the online salary calculators from GlassDoor.com, PayScale.com and Salary.com. They collect millions of data and are helpful as a guide to allow you to search and fine-tune your salary expectations by location, skills and level of experience. You can also use the salary tool on LinkedIn to help discover your earning potential, but always take the findings with a pinch of salt if you work in a niche sector or an industry that doesn’t reveal salaries, such as banking. For freelancers, finding out the going rate can be harder, but still very much possible. Speak to other freelancers doing the same job to not only find out rates, but how services are priced.

Another way to stay updated with the market and understand potential earnings is to keep in touch with recruiters and head-hunters. They are experts in getting both clients and candidates what they want and they get paid for making the match. As such, they hold a lot of information on levels of salaries for a certain industry and expertise. They can also help with a different powerful tool – another job offer. Even if you aren’t ready to leave your current position, another offer can give you the extra confidence and negotiating power you need. By keeping abreast of the job market you also stay aware of skills, your employability and companies that are hiring.

So, don’t undervalue the power of negotiating a first offer because once you’ve got the job, that may be much harder.

Once you’ve done your research, it’s time to start negotiating. These are my ten rules for a successful negotiation...

1. BUILD YOUR CASE

Start your preparation with three numbers – your current salary, your prospective salary and your ideal salary.

These will be your negotiation range, and are for you alone. They shouldn’t be seen by employers or clients.

2. WRITE DOWN YOUR ACHIEVEMENTS

Take notes on a weekly basis of all the things you do in your role. Open a Google doc or an Evernote and drop in any event, success or appraisal from your boss or colleagues. Go over these notes and find recurring themes or strengths: perhaps you bring new business to the firm, consistently reach targets, are great at networking, presentations, deals, new hires, management… Numbers don’t lie, so to make your arguments persuasive, arm yourself with the best numbers you can find.

3. MAKE YOURSELF IRREPLACEABLE

One thing that underpins your value in the workplace is your ability to deliver the work better than anyone else. Demonstrate your true value and you’ll feel more confident about asking for a raise.

4. FIND YOUR SUPPORTERS

A study by the American Psychological Association (via Harvard Business Review) shows that women are great advocates who usually negotiate better for others than for themselves. Try to find colleagues who can champion you.

5. THINK ABOUT THE LONG TERM

Ask yourself why you want this advancement? Having clear goals for every year of your career and a plan for how you will get there will help give your negotiation focus.

6. PUT YOURSELF IN YOUR BOSSES SHOES

Spend some time thinking about your request from the other person’s perspective.

If you feel as if you are being undervalued, why do you think that is? Perhaps they simply haven’t noticed the extra time you have put in or your commitment? This is your chance to put that right. allbrightcollective.com

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7. CONFIDENCE AND AWARENESS

Put on your favourite outfit that makes you feel powerful. It’s important to feel comfortable when you are in a challenging meeting, so always wear something you feel good in. Non-verbal communication cues can also make a difference, so sit up, adopt an open posture (no crossed limbs) and smile.

8. STAY TRUE TO YOURSELF

Authenticity is key to successful negotiations. We don’t all have to become a tribe of alpha-women to get ahead – the whole interaction will end up being a lot more stressful if you’re playing a part. Instead, arm yourself with indisputable facts and an even temperament.

9. SILENCE IS GOLDEN

It’s hard to manage the silences when you’re nervous, but state what you want, then listen and wait for the other person to come back to you.

If you fill that awkward space with self-deprecating lines such as, ‘of course I totally understand if you can’t’, you only make it easier for them to say no.

10. DON’T ACCEPT THE FIRST OFFER

If you do get a salary increase, bear in mind that you don’t have to accept it on the spot. Ask for one or two days to think about it; then come back with a new proposal or counter-offer if you think it is necessary. There’s no need to state a precise figure, either. Some people find it easier to state a salary bracket; you could also let your employer make the first offer, which gives a good basis for negotiation.

Remember, negotiation doesn’t always have to be about money.

Sometimes you may have hit the upper pay limit and your employer won’t be able to increase your salary band. So think about things like pensions, benefits, perks, vacations and stock options instead. They might even be worth more to you than hard cash.

Emilie’s book You’re Not Broke, You’re Pre-Rich is out 30 May (£10.99, Octopus) 59

27/05/2019 15:03

Self-promotion

Success Talks

Award-winning writer Elizabeth Day was criticised for claiming her success on social media. Here, she explains the importance of owning your achievements regardless PHOTOGRAPHY JENNY SMITH

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ast year, a woman came up to me at a wedding and told me she had to unfollow me on social media because I was ‘too much’. I immediately felt an implied criticism and that it was my role to apologise.

It’s not a surprising reaction – historically women have been made to feel that they don’t have a right to talk about things going well for them. It’s seen as arrogant, slightly unfeminine, and leaves us with an overwhelming sense of shame.

But as poet Nayyirah Waheed writes, “The fear of not being enough and the fear of being 'too much' are exactly the same fear. The fear of being you.” Since I turned 40 last year, I’ve come to realise now that if you don’t claim the space, no one else is going to do it for you. I had been waiting for permission from some unknown person to celebrate, but that person, I now know, needs to be myself.

Today, I try to feel comfortable with myself and my success when it comes, so if I’m proud about something I will post about it. I try not to worry about other people’s opinions – they aren’t something I can control.

The key, however, is to claim your success rather than celebrate it. While celebrating success revolves around the outcome of something, claiming success highlights the work you put into getting to that point. So I don’t post about the symbols of my success – bragging posts celebrating the fact that I’m on a private jet, for example (although that’s mainly because I’ve never been on one!).

Instead, I claim the space I deserve to occupy on this because of the hard work I’ve put in to get there.

I’ll also mark my success in a more tangible way. For example, with every single book advance I’ve received, I’ve used some of the money to buy something meaningful. To celebrate the success of How to Fail

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“The fear of not being enough and the fear of being 'too much' are exactly the same fear.

The fear of being you” Nay y irah Waheed

(podcast and the book) I got a tattoo of my favourite E.M.Forster quote. It says ‘Only Connect’, which is really the guiding principle of my life. I got it as a permanent reminder of this incredible point in my career, to deliberately mark something that is essentially quite ephemeral.

Personally, I think it’s important we do mark our success. In the past, women’s stories, and particularly women’s success stories, have been marginalised by a society which is predominantly male in shape and discourse. Making a woman feel ashamed of her success is another way of diminishing her voice and making her feel less than, like she doesn’t have a right to occupy this space which has been previously dominated by men.

I actually think it’s a feminist and a quietly revolutionary act to look yourself in the eye as a woman and acknowledge that you are doing well. Self-belief is a very powerful tool for a woman, but it’s important we believe in other women too.

The reason I fight against female competitiveness is because when dissent is sown between us, it means we can’t use that power which comes from female solidarity. We need that power for women to make inroads into professional spheres as well as personal ones.

Incidentally, that woman at the wedding recently messaged me to apologise. It was a lovely reminder that women are always stronger when they come together. A rising tide raises all boats – my success doesn’t diminish yours so we need to celebrate when we see each other’s achievements instead of criticising them.

The power lies in the togetherness.

Elizabeth’s book How To Fail: Everything I’ve Ever Learnt From Things Going Wrong is published by 4th Estate, out now.

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Elizabeth’s guide to claiming your success Fight against the shame The shame that you feel when you claim your success is not a part of you, it’s something imposed on you by a now out-dated social and cultural narrative. Leave it behind.

Be a cheerleader When you actively try and celebrate another woman’s success, it not only helps the sisterhood, it becomes easier to claim your own too.

Stay authentic If you feel like posting something celebratory on social media, then just do it. Don’t worry about having to write a caption that no one is remotely offended, upset or hurt by – that’s not your job. Your job is to be true to yourself, because ultimately you have no control as to how other people react to your success.

Do something tangible Success can be fleeting so try to mark it in a way that lasts. This is the time to treat yourself to that small but meaningful thing you can later look at with pleasure, to remind yourself of what you achieved.

Give back When someone asks you for advice, always remember what it was like to be the one asking. Kindness is never something you regret.

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C R E AT I N G C H A N G E . I S L A N D B Y I S L A N D .

S U N G L A S S E S M A D E F R O M O C E A N P L A S T I C ® C L E A N W AV E S . C O M

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13/07/2018 11:12 11:53 24/05/2019

allbright partnership

Sustainable Living

Making Waves Rachel Bambrough and Nikki Cryer co-founded REUSE London – a sustainability platform which encourages people to invest in reusable products to help reduce the quantity of single-use plastics ending up in our oceans. Here, AllBright teamed up with women's sneaker brand Keds to talk to them about sisterhood, support and saving the planet You’re friends as well as cofounders. How did you meet each other?

Rachel: We met the way everyone meets their soul sister – cutting shapes on a disco dancefloor in a London club at a Christmas party.

We’ve been inseparable ever since.

How did the idea for REUSE London come to you?

Nikki: We’re both water babies with a love of the ocean and everything in it. The idea to run a small business started off after water-sports enthusiast Rachel saw the plastic epidemic firsthand whilst paddling through our oceans and riverways. It showed the disastrous impact that this is having on our wildlife, plus it’s no fun surfing or paddling whilst being struck with a plastic bottle in your face.

Rachel: REUSE London was born from an idea to start educating people about swapping their daily coffee cup for a reusable one to reduce plastic waste. From there, we went on to source a very niche selection of every day reusable products to help you make everyday lifestyle changes that combat single-use plastics. Having raised all the funds between us to create our sustainable platform, we feel so proud of what we have achieved so far. From starting out in the corporate workplace educating our peers to hosting larger events, we feel our message is slowly reaching people.

What does sisterhood mean to you?

Nikki: I once read somewhere that it was about releasing your inner wild animal, but I never really understood what this meant until I experienced it for myself. The best way I can describe this metaphor is that when

Nikki Cryer (left) and Rachel Bambrough

you’re a part of this community your opportunities are limitless, because nothing seems to get in the way of the fun, love, experience and opportunity it brings.’

What makes female solidarity so important?

Nikki: From a young age we are thrown into a competition with other women, be it academically, professionally, or socially. But we need to be educating young girls all over the world to believe in a greater good for women, equal opportunities and a fair chance in life. That is where sisterhood comes into play.’

What do you think is the best way to build your sisterhood?

Rachel: Having a mixed group of women in your life from different cultures, ethnicities, ages and allbrightcollective.com

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experiences is the best possible way to create a strong female network around you. Surrounding yourself with likeminded women really helps you to grow and build confidence in your ability to be your best self. But you should search out strong female role models too – they can help play a part in both personal and professional development.

What’s the best piece of advice you’d give other women in business?

Rachel: Being transparent and straight-forward can go a long way when it comes to communication. Be the change – we truly believe that it’s down to being who we are that gets the best out of those around us, and results in those important achievements.

After all, sisterhood works.

For more information on REUSE London, visit reuselondon.com

Join our #KedsSisterhoodWorks community @keds_uk

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Hit R ef re s h Under-the-radar accessories brand Charles & Keith combines design-led handbags and shoes for an instant affordable wardrobe update. For her SS19 show, designer-of-the-moment Molly Goddard sent models down the catwalk in simple flat pumps and sandals – proof the brand is already a fashion favourite. charleskeith.co.uk

The FASHION Fix Style notes for the sartorial season ahead COMPILED BY CHARLOTTE ADSETT

NEUTRAL TERRITORY Looking for an instant palate cleanser for your working wardrobe? Try this season’s muted neutrals and pastel tailoring as seen on the runways at Stella McCartney, Emilia Wickstead and Jil Sander. This trend works best when worn from head to toe – matching blazers and trousers in the palest of pastel hues are a modern take on suiting for both in and out of the office. mango.com

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fashion

WHI T E O N Paying homage to the classic white tee, Rag & Bone emblazoned their latest designs with a snap capturing the spirit of New York City. Featuring work by names like Helena Christensen, the t-shirts’ proceeds go to charity. Head in-store to get yours personalised with embroidered name or initials now.

rag-bone.com

MICHAEL MICHAEL KORS SS19

R AINBOW NATION Fly the flag for Pride with brilliant technicolour brights MARY KATRANTZOU Maya midi dress, £1,190, matchesfashion.com; CHINTI & PARKER Cashmere hoodie, £395 and track pants, £350, chintiandparker.com; MICHAEL MICHAEL KORS Cameron sneakers, £125, michaelkors.com; STAUD Bain top, £115, net-a-porter.com; CHRISTIAN LOUBOUTIN So Kate Stripyglitter pumps, £595, christianlouboutin.com; BALENCIAGA Rainbow wallet, £295, brownsfashion.com; RAY-BAN Rainbow sunglasses, £120, farfetch.com; VALENTINO The Rockstud Spike bag, £2,285, net-a-porter.com

PARTY TIME

To celebrate its 10th anniversary of selling new and pastseason clothes at purse-friendly prices, The Outnet has launched a limited-edition collection of 95 exclusive pieces from 35 designers including Oscar de la Renta, Paco Rabanne and Guiseppe Zanotti (Coline sandals, £320). theoutnet.com

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The Summer DRESS EDIT From workwear to weddings and everything in between, these covetable dresses will see you through the season in style COMPILED BY CHARLOTTE ADSETT

Yellow

CLOCKWISE FROM TOP LEFT: Model wears ZARA Textured dress, £39.99, zara.com; STAUD Panier dress, £276, modaoperandi.com; SEA NY Pia dress, £365, harveynichols.com; BAUM UND PFERDGATEN Abygail dress, £439, atterley.com; SELF-PORTRAIT Floral dress, £360, net-a-porter.com; LA DOUBLE J Visconti dress, £1,070, matchesfashion.com; Model wears TOPSHOP Animal print dress, £39, topshop.com; GÜL HÜRGEL Poppy dress, £890, themodist.com; Model wears ZARA Sateen dress, £19.99, zara.com; JOHANNA ORTIZ Exotic Piyata dress, £2,225, mytheresa.com

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fashion

Pastels

Aqua

Red

FROM LEFT: GALVAN, Majorelle dress, £995, net-a-porter.com; BERNADETTE Sarah dress, £720, net-a-porter.com; TORY BURCH Adelia dress, £475, toryburch.co.uk; RIXO Emma dress, £315, net-a-porter.com; KEEPSAKE Daybreak dress, £180, harveynichols.com; Model wears ETRO Floral print dress, £2,675, etro.com

FROM LEFT: Model wears TOPSHOP Floral dress, £39, topshop.com; SALONI Lea Clear Water dress, £695, salonilondon.com; PETER PILOTTO Blue print dress, £1,550, harveynichols.com; CLAUDIE PIERLOT Rickle striped dress, £260, selfridges.com; PREEN BY THORNTON BREGAZZI, Diana dress, £1,080, mytheresa.com; THIERRY COLSON Tifenn dress, £480, modaoperandi.com

FROM LEFT: GANNI Kochhar dress,£550, brownsfashion.com; STELLA MCCARTNEY Ruffle dress, £1,635, stellamccartney.com; BORGO DE NOR Aiana dress, £675, farfetch.com; HVN Maria dress, £605, net-a-porter.com; GHOST Annabelle dress, £165, harveynichols.com; Model wears PETAR PETROV Delmar dress, £1,390, net-a-porter.com

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THIS PAGE: Kendall wears: Tiffany T smile pendant in 18k gold £905 From Top: Tiffany T square bracelet in 18k gold medium, £4,975 Tiffany T square bracelet in Sterling Silver, £1,100 Tiffany T square bracelet in 18k rose gold medium, £4,975 Tiffany T True Wide Ring In 18K Gold, £1,225 Tiffany Two Hinged Bangle in 18k gold with round brilliant diamonds, £4,900

THE POWER OF ONE

As more and more women are buying jewellery for themselves, heritage brands are having to reinvent for a new audience. AllBright takes a look at Tiffany’s latest collection to find how they’re doing it WORDS MING LIU

O

ne of the fastest growing categories in retail today?

Jewellery. No longer the preserve of gifts from significant others, jewellery is now increasingly self-purchased as it evolves into a wardrobe staple expressing personal style. In fact, a recent study of 1,001 American women aged between 25 and 40 with a household income of $75,000 or higher found that over half the respondents said they purchase jewellery for themselves.

Such a movement has given rise to a new crop of independent jewellery designers producing pieces with lower, more accessible price points. But what about the old guard? How can they reinvent themselves to capitalise on this new trend? Enter 182-year-old Tiffany & Co, who with the help of new chief artistic officer Reed Krakoff, has reaffirmed itself as a relevant, 21st century brand.

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THIS PAGE: Fei Fei wears: Tiffany T True bracelet in 18k rose gold, £4,350 Tiffany T True bracelet in 18k gold, £4,350 From Top: Tiffany Two Hinged Bangle in 18k gold with diamonds, £7,150 Tiffany T wire rings in 18k with diamonds, £1,550 Tiffany T wire full circle rings in 18k with diamonds, £2,075 Tiffany T Two ring in 18k gold with diamonds, £2,675 Tiffanty T True diamond link ring, in 18k gold with a round diamond, £1,075

As the only jewellery brand that can be encapsulated purely by a colour, Tiffany is a unique proposition. Today, the trademarked 'Tiffany Blue' is recognised the world over as being the casing for something special, namely diamonds. But while the little blue box might be something you’d associate with an extra special gift, the American jewellery brand is espousing the growing trend for female selfpurchase. Take a look at the most recent campaigns - the enamoured couples have been replaced with strong, striking and, most importantly, solo women.

Case in point: brand ambassador Lady Gaga. While picking up an Oscar this year for her role in A Star Is Born, Gaga wore the 128-carat Tiffany yellow diamond, a stone said to be valued at £23million. It hadn’t been seen since it last appeared on Audrey Hepburn during a publicity shoot in 1961 for Breakfast at Tiffany’s – a clever way to re-energise

a piece of Tiffany iconography for the millennial audience.

But for those without the multimillion budget, the sparkling embodiment of this newfound selfassurance is Tiffany T, the house’s bold and graphic jewellery collection that’s centred on the letter T. Chic and architectural 18ct gold rings are fashioned from the interlocking motif, while a pair of sleek diamond drop earrings have a distinct modern art deco vibe.

Perhaps the most covetable in the range, however, are the thin wire bangles that tie in perfectly to the current trend of stacking and mixing bracelets and rings. One of the five women fronting Tiffany’s SS19 campaign is Kendall Jenner – the world's most in-demand and highestpaid supermodel, who banked $22.5 million in the 12 months prior to June 2018 – who describes the bracelets as ‘modern but still delicate’. ‘They layer beautifully with one another,’ she

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says. I like how wearing them gives me a sense of confidence.’

Meanwhile, linking back to the brand’s diamond roots are the Tiffany T True diamond link rings.

These are set with a round brilliant diamond that features Tiffany’s new proprietary cut, exposing more of the diamond’s main facet for ultimate brilliance and contrast. Add to that Tiffany’s promise that its stones are ethically and responsibly sourced, with little impact to the environment, and you have a modern and conscious luxury jewellery house that speaks to today’s women.

And who better to do the speaking than the likes of Carolyn Murphy, Imaan Hammam, Mica Argañaraz and Fei Fei Sun, who are also fronting the spring campaign? Strong, successful and enterprising women who represent the brave new world of Tiffany & Co. tiffany.co.uk

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Scents of Adventure

The best scents are ones which capture your favourite memories. For Gabrielle Chanel, they took place on the French Riviera, at her villa La Pausa or at Hôtel de Paris in Monaco. The latest addition to Les Eaux de Chanel – a collection of fragrances inspired by the destinations she held most dear – is the limited edition Paris Riviera, ‘a floral and luminous fragrance that reflects the joyful, sunny spirit of the Côte d’Azur in the 1920s’ according to house perfumer Olivier Polge. With notes of jasmine, neroli and orange blossom found in the South of France, this Mediterranean floral fragrance is bathed in fresh citrus.

Available for one year from 1 June, £99; chanel.com

The BEAUTY Fix The latest launches, looks and trends COMPILED BY CHARLOTTE ADSETT

GOOD FOUNDATIONS

Clean beauty brand bareMinerals has come up with an on-the-go solution for summer with the launch of Complexion Rescue (£29) a water-based liquid foundation in a portable, multi-tasking stick formula. Available in 20 shades with a lightweight but buildable coverage, it also offers SPF 25, blue light protection. Available in 20 shades with a lightweight but buildable coverage, it also offers SPF 25, blue light protection and it’s vegan. bareminerals.co.uk

PRIME TIME It may follow in the hallowed footsteps of the Vitamin C Powder Cream, but the new Dr Sebagh Vitamin C Brightening Primer SPF15 (£55) is a powerful ‘ageingmaintenance’ treatment in its own right. The highlyadvanced formula is an ideal lightweight base for make-up, that also refreshes and illuminates the skin, filling in lines and protecting it from sunlight. A true multi-tasker. drsebagh.com

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beauty & wellness

Here comes the sun Summer beauty starts with radiant skin From brilliantly defining bronzers to shimmering palettes and golden sheer tints, here are the best products to give you that healthy, sun-kissed glow

CLOCKWISE FROM MAIN IMAGE: Dior SS19 Wild Earth collection, dior.com; Tom Ford Beauty Soleil Glow Bronzer, £54, tomford.co.uk; Pat Mcgrath Labs Skin Fetish: Highlighter + Balm Duo, £45, selfridges.com; Kjar Weiss Bronzer in Lustrous, £41, net-a-porter.com; Charlotte Tilbury Glowgasm Face Palette, £60, charlottetilbury.com; Chanel Les Beiges Eau De Teint, £48, chanel.com; NARS Hot Nights Face Palette £56, narscosmetics.com; RMS Beauty Buriti Bronzer, £26, net-a-porter.com

SEEING RED

Joan Crawford, Bette Davies, Jean Harlow – the stars of Hollywood’s Golden Age are the inspiration for Gucci Beauty’s eagerly-awaited relaunch. Beginning with the drop of 58 shades of lipsticks available in three formulations – satin, sheer and balm – expect the rest of the range to follow soon. £34, gucci.com

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MIND, BODY

& SOUL

A new health and beauty space has opened at The AllBright Mayfair, offering women an unrivalled 360-degree approach to wellbeing

I 58 Wellbeing & Lifestyle founder Michal Cohen-Sagi

n today’s busy world, convenience is the ultimate currency. We need – or rather, expect – everything to be at our fingertips. It makes perfect sense that this should be applied to our wellness requirements, too – holistic, physiological and practical treatments available in just one place, delivered by the capital’s leading health and beauty experts.

This was the inspiration behind 58 Wellbeing & Lifestyle at The AllBright Mayfair: a wellness retreat situated in the heart of London delivering an exclusive experience that is resoundingly inclusive too – A* treatments available for club members, their friends and non-members, bookable last minute, or far in advance, and open seven days a week.

The formula has been devised by 58 Wellbeing & Lifestyle founder Michal Cohen-Sagi – a wellness expert with over a decade’s worth of experience in natural medicine and alternative therapies. Having successfully established the 58 South Molton Street Clinic, she has carefully curated a team of the UK's most established expert therapists to offer an ‘all about women’ one-stop-spa for health and wellness. Taking a mind, body and soul approach to well-being, 58 at The AllBright Mayfair offers physical, emotional and spiritual therapies, boasting three holistic treatment rooms and a state-of-the-art nail, hair and beauty salon.

Cutting-edge, new and traditional treatments are represented – from Ayurvedic massage to hormonal balancing to monthly clinics by awardwinning facialist Marie Reynolds – and all are available in one luxury location. If ‘wellness’ is the word on everyone’s lips right now, consider 58 at The AllBright Mayfair its HQ.

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MEET THE EXPERTS

Just some of the health practitioners and beauty aficionados hand-picked to cater to all the needs of a busy lifestyle

CLARE SPINK

Clare Spink, founder of Empowering Feminine Therapy and Fertility Massage, has worked in the wellness industry for over 15 years and is driven by the belief that a woman’s womb is the ‘creative centre’ for life and ideas. Her signature treatment – an empowerment massage – focuses on this, alongside menstrual health, digestive health, stress release and reigniting sexual energy. Following a one-to-one consultation, Clare administers her signature womb and abdominal massage, involving pulsing and rebozo wrapping, alongside emotional healing and visualisations. These combine together to release energy blocks stored by the body through emotion or trauma, enabling women to tap into their power centres (the womb) and unlock their creativity.

Prices start from £150

BETSABE ‘BETTY’ KIA

Acupuncture with Betsabe ‘Betty’ Kia has been known to have transformative effects. Her holistic approach seeks to bring health and harmony to mind, body and soul.

Trained in Chinese Medicine and Energy Medicine, Betty expertly works with the body’s meridian system (the life-energy – or ‘qi’ – path) and utilises human energy field analysis to take on the issues at hand – be they anxiety, depression or stress; chronic pain, inflammation, addiction or damaging memories – through her soothing and calming technique. For those who don’t like needles, Betty caters for the trypanophobic too. Her cosmetic gua sha treatment (an ancient self-care practice that involves scraping the skin with a massage tool) centres on skin rejuvenation by way of manual drainage.

This is combined with a restorative massage to create a balancing practise that leaves skin beautifully revived.

Prices start from £60

EMMA BROWN

Looking ‘red carpet ready’ doesn’t require celebrity status and a team of beauty experts, as Emma Brown’s Red Carpet facials attest. An industry expert for over 20 years, Emma has worked with the likes of Salma Hayek and Cara and Poppy Delevingne, who love her advanced techniques. Emma’s Express Plump & Go facial is a popular option, owing in part to the ‘workout massage’, which certainly puts your face through its paces. Aimed at stimulating lymphatic drainage to detoxify, clear skin and boost collagen production, it lifts, it tones and it brightens. Including a relaxing deep cleanse and blissful exfoliation, Emma incorporates a holistic approach to unlock radiance and deliver that healthy glow.

Prices start from £150

DR. JAG

Imagine having a private GP on call – someone you can turn to as and when any aches or ailments arise. At AllBright, Dr Jag offers a truly personalised care service, advocating the use of both conventional and alternative treatments. Having studied at both the University of London and Imperial College, Dr Jag has worked in the NHS and private sectors for the past 20 years. With extensive experience treating all-manner of medical complaints, her expertise is first-class and her knowledge of women’s health, dermatology and family medicine in particular, second-tonone. There is no forgetting your name here, no hour-long queues, and no weeklong wait for an appointment. It’s designed to be efficient and bespoke, with a personable approach at all times.

Prices starts from £60

AMBERIN FUR

No-one can deliver their personal best battling niggling pains and twinges. Thank goodness for Amberin Fur, whose 25-year osteopathic career has seen her treat everyone from London 2012 Olympians to Cirque du Soleil performers. A keen advocate of Lifestyle Medicine, Amber’s Blueprint method – honed through

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HIT REFRESH WITH THESE FAST FIXES VITAMIN INFUSIONS Need a boost between meetings? IvitaMe offers specialist IV vitamin infusions and intramuscular shots, which deliver nutrients to your body to kickstart energy, lift your mood, eliminate jet lag, boost immunity, decrease stress and improve focus.

Preceded by a consultation and administered by a fully-qualified nurse, consider it your fast-track to feeling good.

From £45

EXPRESS NAILS Four mani-pedi stations offer pampering treatments for hands and feet. In a hurry? Drop in for an express treatment, featuring a quick shape, cuticle tidy and moisturising massage before your nails are painted in the colour of your choice.

A perfectly polished look in just 20 minutes.

From £15

HAIR & MAKE-UP With appointments bookable pre-9am and post-6pm, the beauty salon was built to keeping working women looking good. Getting your hair styled and your makeup mastered before that important work event has never been less hassle.

From £30

decades of studying the body – is anchored in the personal journey, using processes such as massage, stretching and joint articulation. Amberin works through four key areas: ‘Story’, which explores aspects like injuries and emotions; ‘Lifestyle’, which looks at movement, nutrition, sleep and stress; ‘Body’ which focuses on posture and breathing; and ‘Structure’ to address the musculoskeletal, nervous and arterial systems. A rejuvenating experience, it serves as the ultimate mood-enhancer.

Prices starts from £280

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Health & Fitness

Show your strength Mayfair’s new fitness studio Stylist Strong is turning women’s training on its head. Here’s how…

WORDS EDWINA LANGLEY

W

hat is it that makes a woman strong?

Emotional resilience?

Physical prowess? For Joslyn Thompson Rule, Nike global master trainer, the answer is both.

Teaming up with empowering women’s lifestyle brand Stylist Group, Joslyn is heading up ‘Stylist Strong’, a women’s fitness studio located in the brand new AllBright outpost on Maddox Street in Mayfair.

This is no ordinary fitness studio – there’s not a treadmill or exercise bike in sight. Instead, Joslyn’s focus is on strength training – a discipline historically monopolised by men, but is beneficial regardless of Joslyn Thompson Rule gender. ‘We

wanted to give women a space where they can be educated on the importance of strength training in what has predominately been a male-dominated space up to quite recently,’ explains Joslyn. ‘But our programme is about building awareness around moving your body in a better, smarter way so you can be best informed about your own physical and mental health.’

So why all the buzz about strength training? Key to fat loss and building muscle (without making you bulky), there are also multiple other health benefits to boot.

For example, a 2017 study found that women who partook in strength training had a reduced risk of type-2 diabetes and cardiovascular disease. Meanwhile, research published by the American Journal of Health Promotion revealed that women who trained with weights reported better emotional well-being, as well as a more positive outlook on their body image.

So according to the evidence, strength training is beneficial for both your mental and physical health – a fact Joslyn has seen in action for herself. ‘Once you are strong and have developed that strength for yourself, nobody can take that away from you,’ Joslyn explains. ‘That’s something that you’ve earned yourself. You own that.’

However, the advantages of training at Stylist Strong are two-fold. Not only can you work on your strength, but you can do it in the safe space of an all-female environment, too. ‘Gyms can be really intimidating spaces, even if you know what you’re doing,’ says Joslyn, referring to the idea of ‘gymtimidation’ – a term describing the daunting feeling some women experience on entering the gym.

Indeed, a recent survey conducted by researchers at the University of Winchester uncovered how most female respondents claimed they avoided the gym’s weight areas because of the ‘intimidatory atmosphere’ created by young men training there.

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WORKOUT WEAR

Instead, Stylist Strong’s studio has been designed to allay those concerns and nurture confidence.

"At the Stylist Strong studio, we’re all about educating people about their bodies and training," explains Joslyn. "It’s just a really safe space to learn how to do things properly and move forward from there. Strength training has had such a positive impact on my life, so I'm hoping that will happen for everyone else who participates." Looks like it’s time to get training…

Work it out Your guide to picking the right class at The AllBright Mayfair’s new Stylist Strong studio CLASSIC The classic class is the purest form of strength training within the Stylist Strong programme. A full body workout, this class will work through movements that will enable you to lift heavier weights with better form to help you become stronger.

EVERYDAY The place to start your journey into strength training. Using mobility movements and classic strength training with free weights, this class will educate you on how your body moves for greater overall balance and strength in your day-to-day.

Gym-Class Heroes

CLOCK DRE P Spe

The kit you need to supercharge your strength training

PERFORMANCE Programmed to develop your strength through endurance, this workout pulls key moves from both the ‘classic’ and ‘everyday’ classes. Perfect for people working towards physical and mental challenges, expect visualisation, foam rolling and an empowered feeling when you leave the class.

For more details sign up at stylist.co.uk/strong

CLOCKWISE FROM TOP LEFT: SWEATY BETTY Athlete Mesh Seamless Gym T-Shirt £50, sweatybetty.com; BEATS BY DRE Powerbeats Pro earphones, £219.95, beatsbydre.com; TORY SPORT Striped stretch-waffle knit top, £105, net-a-porter.com SWEATY BETTY Brahma padded bra, £40, sweatybetty.com; NIKE Speed rope, £16.95, nike.com; VARLEY Biona leggings, £80, varley.store; NIKE React Element 87 sneakers, £145, mytheresa.com; P.E NATION Sprint Vison shorts, £95, net-a-porter.com; NIKE Air VaporMax sneakers, £165, nike.com; THE UPSIDE Zoe sports bra, £55, mytheresa.com; GLACCE Amethyst Water Bottle £74, net-a-porter.com

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T h e Fu t u re i s

FemTech All eyes are on women’s health – and it’s long overdue.

AllBright reports on the wellness sector shaking off stigmas and storming the world of technology WORDS LISA HARVEY

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I

n 2019, and in our society, there’s not a single area of day-to-day life which technology hasn’t changed. But while we’re comfortable using – and trusting – gadgets and apps to manage our money, find us a relationship, secure our homes and get us safely from A to B, specific areas of women’s health have long been overlooked.

Until now – thanks to femtech: a rising sector of software, diagnostics, products and services that uses tech to improve women’s wellbeing. Currently made up of at least 200 start-ups worldwide, many of which have been founded by women, femtech is one of the fastest-growing areas in the medical industry – and forecasted to be worth $50 billion by 2025 according to market analysts Frost & Sullivan.

Early pioneers in the femtech space included period-proof underwear Thinx, fertility apps Glow and Clue, as well as pelvic floor strengthener, Elvie.

Since then, there’s been an influx of innovations focusing on periods, contraception, fertility, maternity and sexual health: disposable menstrual discs, female-targeted condoms, biodegradable pregnancy tests, wireless electric breast pumps and more. Beyond the smart consumer products and services, startups are also taking on a range of medical conditions that disproportionately affect women.

Tampons are being researched to diagnose endometriosis and cervical cancer, and the abundance of data from women using medical tracking devices may soon help with early diagnosis of diseases.

In short, there hasn’t been a more exciting and progressive time for women's health since the introduction of the contraceptive pill in 1961. ‘Women's health is definitely getting more focus,’ confirms Shruthi Parakkal, consultant at Frost & Sullivan.

‘Femtech start-ups have raised more

AVA Fertility Tracker 2.0, £249, avawomen.com

‘Despite the tech and digital progress achieved in healthcare, there has been little discussion on women’s health beyond pregnancy and menstruation, indicating that a large unmet need and, in effect, an untapped opportunity exists,’ says Paljit Sohal, principal consultant at Frost & Sullivan. ‘Gender has traditionally affected several social determinants of health, including access to education, employment, income, social status, vulnerability to abuse, a difference in health-seeking behaviour, access to health services and societal expectations. It has taken time to move away from general social determinants of health to gender-specific social determinants.’

Lea Von Bidder, co-founder and CEO of Ava, the world's first fertility monitoring bracelet, believes a ‘lack of appreciation for female physiology’ has slowed progress in women’s health research. ‘While interest in femtech is growing, investment only began rising a few years ago,’ she says. ‘In our specific area of cycle and fertility tracking, women were restricted to methods like monitoring temperatures (a technique that dates back to our grand-mothers), using inconvenient urine tests or having to use unscientific calendar period tracking apps. While it has long been recognised that temperature rises slightly after ovulation, there’s little awareness of, for example, phasebased shifts. But the male-dominated tech sector isn't exactly on the cutting edge when it comes to issues that affect women most.’

It means, for femtech startups especially, raising investment can be difficult when venture capitalist firms comprising mostly of male partners are more likely to invest more in male-led startups and businesses.

‘It's difficult to “sell” periods to investors,’ confirms Affi ParviziWayne, founder of Freda, an ecofriendly period care subscription service that uses AI to predict when to send you a box of products.

‘Somehow it seems ok to fund male wellness startups selling viagra and

“We need to tackle the unconscious bias by raising our voices to remind everyone that periods and menopause are biological facts, and need to be acknowledged as such” than $1.5 billion in capital over the last five years, and pharma-medical device companies are considering gender specific solutions through clinical research and products.’

Such rapid recent growth proves there has been a huge gap in the market. That might not be surprising – the tech industry, after all, has been traditionally male-dominated, and figures show there’s a problem with the patriarchal approach to generating healthcare solutions for women. Just 4% of global funding gets funneled into research and development for female health, and until recently women were highly under-represented in clinical trials of chronic conditions. Femtech might be exposing and filling the gap remarkably well, but why has it taken until now for medical advances that target roughly half the world’s population to boom?

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FLEX Menstrual disc, £13 for 3 months, flexfits.uk

hair loss products, but when it comes to periods, we ‘can't’ have more than a few companies in the space, despite the fact that our target demographic is far greater than that of erectile dysfunction. We need to tackle the unconscious bias by raising our voices to remind everyone that periods and menopause are biological facts, and need to be acknowledged as such.’

That said, more investors are waking up to the sector’s zeitgeist, and the imbalance is being readdressed. Last year, the world’s first ‘Femtech Fund’ was created by Silicon Valley’s venture investing platform Portfolia. And anyone still labelling femtech a ‘niche’ market is missing a profitable trick. Research shows women are 75% more likely to use digital tools for health than men, and that working age women spend 29% more on health than men of the same age. Paljit believes it’s this influence on global spending, along with the fact that more women have entered the workforce over the past two decades, that’s creating, in developed countries at least, a SHEconomy: ‘It has enabled a market that specifically combines tech and female health to step in and help women manage their health better.’

Of course, there are other reasons for femtech’s growth. Following the

#MeToo and Time’s Up movement, which has inspired women to speak up about their health, abuse and disempowerment, the drive for women to take charge of their own health has been accelerated by the repoliticisation of reproductive health and women’s rights.

Against this backdrop, conversations (as opposed to ‘whispers’) about our vaginas, ovaries, breasts and bodies in general are getting louder. Issues that were once stigmatised, or deemed ‘embarrassing’, are becoming easier to discuss thanks to companies with a female-focused approach to healthcare like Maven Health, the first on-demand digital health clinic for women, which launched last October around the same time as Moody Month, an app that describes itself as a digital ecosystem for hormones, cycles, and moods These conversations, particularly in boardrooms, aren’t yet completely normal, and language in advertising is often still a barrier. But the paradigm is shifting.

At a time when Google gets around 70,000 health related questions a minute, femtech is also helping to provide essential insight for women to better understand their

bodies. Women like Rebecca, 29.

‘I use Clue to keep track of my periods and it’s helped me get to know my body in a way I never used to,’ she says. Helen, 34, relied on period and ovulation tracking app Flo when trying to get pregnant.

‘I was diagnosed with endometriosis aged 17 and put on the pill until coming off it a year before trying to conceive in my late 20s. I had no idea about my “real” periods or my ovulation, but Flo helped me identify what my normal was, and enabled me to pinpoint ovulation for faster conception.’

FERLY APP

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FEMTECH FAVES Five innovations making waves in women’s health right now MYLIVIA £119, mylivia.com

Although such tracking apps are highly popular (Clue has 10 million active users in 200 countries), the femtech market is still at an early stage, and even leading brands aren’t immune to the risks and criticisms that come with that.

Swedish-made Natural Cycles – the first app to be certified as a contraceptive in Europe with over 125,000 users in the UK – faced backlash after some users became pregnant while relying on the app for contraception. Later, an advert describing the app as “highly accurate” was described as “misleading” by the UK’s advertising body.

Accuracy isn’t the only concern. ‘As a doctor, I see anxious women who have jumped to conclusions from using some apps, and while they can be useful, sometimes they are not the answer – and I have to spend time myth-busting,’ says GP Shadzadi Harper. Others say some femtech innovations, especially those that come with a hefty price tag, are another way for women to pay a premium for simply being women.

There’s also the dark digital privacy issue of ‘menstrual surveillance’. A recent report by the Washington Post revealed that Ovia, a collection of family-planning apps ‘has become a powerful monitoring tool for employers and health insurers.’ The idea that large corporations are seeing female bodies as “temples of lucrative information”, and can exploit our data in “dystopian ways”, is recognisably disturbing. ‘I hate the thought of my private health information making its way into other people’s hands for marketing and business purposes,’ says Rebecca.

‘But I get huge benefits from using

this technology myself. After years of women’s health being sidelined, it’s great that femtech exists as it’s empowering women like me to learn and speak more openly about my health, and become more aware of our options.’

And despite the challenges, the sector is thriving; it’s connecting and amplifying voices and ideas which continue to proliferate, thanks to, largely, the trailblazing female entrepreneurs behind them.

According to the Kauffman Foundation, private tech companies with women at the helm achieve 35% higher return on investment than those led by men, but in 2018 companies with all women founders received only 2.2% of funding.

Progress is being made: in April, Elvie landed the largest femtech investment to date by raising $42 million in Series B funding.

So what can we expect researchwise in the near future? ‘The reproductive health sector is expanding beyond period tracking apps; from solutions for menopause, egg freezing and embryo screening to fertility plans with employers and insurers, the scope is huge,’ says Shruthi Parakkal, consultant at Frost & Sullivan.

‘Chronic disease management and screening for earlier diagnosis is also a growing area, as is women-specific genetic testing, and mental wellbeing.’

It’s these rapid innovations, an increased willingness to invest and a new wave of activism, that are finally changing the way our society talks about female health. There’s still a long way to go, but when an industry aimed at women is led by women, we know we’re in safe hands, right?

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ELVIE PUMP A silent, wearable and hands-free breast pump that fits in your bra so you can pump as you go, while tracking your pumping history, monitoring your milk volume and controlling the pump remotely from the accompanying app. £249, elvie.com AVA The world’s first fertility product that tracks temperature, resting heart rate, heart rate variability, respiratory rate and perfusion to help identify when you’re ovulating in real time. The bracelet has been clinically proven to detect an average of 5.3 fertile days per cycle, with 89% accuracy. £249, avawomen.com FLEX: This disposable, flexible menstrual disc is designed to sit more comfortably than traditional menstrual cups, just past the vaginal canal. Made of medical grade polymer, the founders claim it provides ‘mess-free period sex’ and up to 12 hours of period protection. £13 for 3 months, flexfits.uk FERLY This London-based start-up is on a mission to create a sex positive space for womxn to explore what pleasure means to them. Launching in June, the audio guide app will be filled with workshops, podcasts, reflections, and stories to offer a new type of online sex education.

Free, weareferly.com MYLIVIA A mobile TENS device that claims to switch off period pain via the ‘gate theory’ of pain management. It passes a mild current through electrodes placed on the skin, which stimulates the nerves to help block the pain. £119, mylivia.com

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The

Master Chef

Sabrina Gidda is turning The AllBright’s kitchens into a dining destination. Here, she talks about her food, family and overcoming the challenges of being a female chef WORDS HILARY ARMSTRONG

S

abrina Gidda’s role at The AllBright goes well beyond that of mere ‘Executive Chef’. The 31-year-old selftaught chef has embraced the – let’s say – pastoral side of the job and appointed herself in-house fun monitor. ‘I want a little bell that goes at five o’clock, then it’s laptops down and the gin trolley comes out.

If you’re not having a good time in the club, then we need to talk,’ she says with a broad smile. While she may be joking about the bell, she’s deadly serious about exploring her place in The AllBright community.

Right now, as we sit on the roof terrace at The AllBright , surrounded by members sipping rosé in the sunshine and admiring the skyline, Sabrina is lining up a lively programme of supper clubs for the summer. Working from the open kitchen on the first floor where members will get to see the guest chefs in action, the first instalment is set to be an Indian supper club. ‘I’m looking forward to getting my friends in to come and cook with me,’ says Sabrina. ‘Not only will there be some amazing guest chef collaboration dinners for members to enjoy, but it gives chefs the chance to cook with some brilliantly talented people and have some fun.’

Not that Sabrina’s new menu at The AllBright isn’t enough of a draw. Showstoppers include the n’duja & taleggio arancini (‘we can’t make them fast enough’) and the ricotta gnudi – a delicious and surprisingly light ricotta dumpling (described as 'naked' for their resemblance to ravioli without the layer of pasta), served with a spinach and chilli sauce and covered in parmesan. ‘I believe in food

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in every capacity,’ says Sabrina. ‘We don’t cook with endless amounts of butter and cheese, and we have plenty of dishes that are light, fresh and healthy, but wellness isn’t just about low-fat food – it’s about eating what your body craves at that time. Members should know that we serve the best quality ingredients, so if you want a steak, make it a Bavette Steak from Ginger Pig in Borough Market like we serve on the menu.’

With two 80-cover restaurants to oversee at The AllBright, as well as her original kitchen at The AllBright Rathbone Place, Sabrina is being kept busy. However, she’s still making the time to put sustainability front and centre. ‘We’re finding our feet after the launch, but we’re on the journey to zero food waste and our supply chain is so excellent,’ says Sabrina. Take The Luminary Bakery, a social enterprise supporting vulnerable women, and Jess Latchford of food waste initiative 'Waste Knot' – two suppliers who Sabrina got on board. ‘Their product is exceptional,’ she explains, ‘but their ethos really aligns with what we are and who we are at The AllBright.’

A focus on running a happy, healthy kitchen where employees can grow naturally follows. ‘I don’t want kitchens where people work 80 hours a week then give up. We have chefs working a 40 hour week which is unheard of in most places in London. We have the flexibility to offer that.’ A keen champion of women, she’s also thrilled that she can offer a curated wine list from all-female suppliers to accompany her food. ‘I think we can champion women returning to their craft, women who’ve had children and are returning to work,’ she asserts.

‘If you’re the best bread baker ever and can only work Wednesday morning, then come and work Wednesday morning. What is it you’re terrifically good at and how can we bring that into our business?

It’s getting that knowledge and that skill and that experience and bringing it back into our team. That might be a training-led exercise.

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You make the best macarons ever, so come and teach everybody how to make them.’

The fact that two of her kitchens are open plan – unusual in a members’ club – is not coincidental: it reflects her desire for total transparency (‘there’s nothing in my fridge I wouldn’t want members to see,’) as well as her wish to open up communication between club members and the kitchen. She’s already reached out to London members with food and drink businesses – why not tap into what’s on the doorstep? – and is eager to meet more. ‘A really pivotal part of this year is reaching out to members as we drop clubs around the world.

We want to know who’s doing what, what’s great and what we should be supporting locally.’

Sabrina joined The AllBright in September last year.

She’d previously been head chef of Bernardi’s, a buzzy neighbourhood Italian restaurant in Marylebone for nearly three years, and had just finished a stint on the operations side of Indian luxury restaurant group, Indian Accent. Then the call came from The AllBright asking if she ‘fancied a return to the kitchen’, and she jumped at the chance.

‘It seemed like the right point to join this incredible thing that was one, now there three on the table at once.’

Her career could have all been very different, however, had the young fashion addict from a Punjabi family in the Midlands stuck with her original career choice of fashion design.

She trained in design at London College of Fashion, before switching to Fashion PR and Marketing.

‘I’ve loved fashion since forever but when I realised I’d be earning five grand being someone else’s dogsbody, I thought “oh God, really?”’

Her move into cooking happened by chance, when the chef in the café where she worked parttime cut his hand. It turned out to be a light-bulb moment. ‘I cooked all the time but never really thought of doing this

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as a proper job,’ she says.

‘I remember telling my parents. It was almost worse than having a terrible boyfriend you’ve got to tell them about.’ She teases them now about not getting a doctor, a lawyer, a dentist or accountant in the family, but there’s a serious side to the story. ‘I am very lucky to have amazing support from family, friends and industry peers along the

way, who recognised and nurtured my ambitions. I think it’s time to shine a light on making hospitality a valued industry, especially for young British Asian women.’

To do that, Sabrina is leading by example. ‘When I chose to do this, I decided to give it everything,’ she tells me, recalling the challenges of seven day weeks, starting her own catering company and ‘having the door shut in [her] face’. ‘It feels incredible to be doing something I love more than anything, but I also feel a responsibility to make sure that my profession is seen as valid

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and respected. People say all the time, “you don’t look like a chef”. I’m not sure what I’m supposed to look like, but this is me.’

She’s proud to have a high profile, born partly out of entering the traditionally male-dominated arena of competition cooking. Though selftaught (‘you always have something to prove’) she placed twice in the Roux Scholarship finals (a prestigious and highly demanding cooking competition for young chefs in the United Kingdom, founded by chefs Michel and Albert Roux in 1984) and has competed twice on the BBC’s popular TV cooking competition Great British Menu. In both seasons, her Masala roast turbot served with a Cornish crab and coconut south Indian curry and a poha rice salad scored a perfect ten – a dish she promises to do a similar, sustainable version of at The AllBright soon.

“I don't want to be the person who gets asked how it feels to be a female chef; to then have an opinion and do nothing about it. What's the point of doing anything if you don't try to make a difference?” allbrightcollective.com

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But while she’s proud of these achievements, the problematic question of gender in professional kitchens still rankles. ‘Every year like clockwork when the Roux Scholarship press release comes out and there isn’t a woman in the final again, they call me. I’m like, “Guys, it’s depressing, every year you ask me the same thing ‘how can it be that we haven’t broken the boys’ club yet?” – I tried and unfortunately couldn’t. We all need to be rising together, not just one or two.’

She adds, ‘I don’t want to be the person who gets asked how it feels [to be a female chef], to then have an opinion and do nothing about it.

What’s the point of doing anything if you don’t try to make a bit of a difference? Are there lots of young women chefs who are a bit scared of joining a kitchen with lots of macho men who might be rude or whatever?’ she asks. ‘Yeah, maybe there are.’ In her kitchen, however, ‘we have manners’. But that’s not to say she’s a po-faced boss. ‘You can try, but I will out-banter any male chef in the kitchen.’

In fact, Sabrina is keen to engage with everyone, members in particular: ‘I want people to talk to me. I want people to realise I don’t do this because it’s all I know. I do it because I love it.’ So next time you see her in the club, stop to say hello. ‘It’s fascinating to meet amazing women pursuing careers they really love. This is a really exciting place to be.’

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Ultimate Guide

How to Host a Modern Cocktail Party The reign of the dinner party is over – this summer, it’s all about the no-fuss cocktail party. We’ve partnered with BLOOM Gin to create the ultimate summer drinks to serve at home with your closest girlfriends.

It’s the perfect way to celebrate your sisterhood this season PHOTOGRAPHY ROBYN LEONIE

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t’s official: the dinner party is dead. Gone are the days of gathering your friends around a table decked out with a crisp white tablecloth and handwritten placement cards.

Life is too short to spend hours slaving away in the kitchen concocting three expertly planned courses paired with wines – and when was the last time you even saw a dining room in someone’s home?

That doesn’t mean to say entertaining at home is over – just that it’s evolved. Which is why this summer, the best way to gather and celebrate your sisterhood is with a low-key cocktail party. Maximum impact, minimum fuss – and way more fun than any dinner party could ever hope to be. The AllBright has partnered with BLOOM Gin and our expert Beverage Consultant Hannah Lanfear to create two fresh, delicious and seriously impressive cocktails that you don’t need to be a professional mixologist to recreate at home.

As with everything we do, our cocktails were created by women, for women – BLOOM Gin is helmed by one of the world’s first female Master Distillers, Joanne Moore, and is characterised by its smooth, purertasting flavour profiles. And to ensure there are no sore heads the next day, we’ve designed drinks that will leave you and your girlfriends feeling as good as possible the morning after.

Which means using the highest quality alcohol – BLOOM has a more

allbright partnership delicate profile than most gins, designed to allow its natural botanicals to shine through – no processed sugar (we’ve swapped it out for honey instead) and as many seasonal, sustainable ingredients as possible.

Start the night with a round of sparkling Rhubarb Highballs, impressive to serve and delightfully easy to make. Naturally lower in alcohol than other cocktails, highballs are the perfect midsummer drink and a great way to ease your guests into the night. Plus, not only does rhubarb turn the drink the prettiest shade of pink, it’s also in season throughout the summer, so it’s fully sustainable and you won’t struggle to find it at your local supermarket or farmer’s market.

Follow up with the 430 Kings Road, the ultimate feel-good drink – in more ways than one. Inspired by the pioneering British fashion designer and environmental campaigner Vivienne Westwood (the cocktail is named after her iconic Chelsea boutique), it’s packed with anti-inflammatory ingredients, including ginger and turmeric. The special finishing touch? A few drops of CBD oil (the non-psychoactive oil derived from the marijuana plant), lauded for its wellness properties including combating anxiety and helping to alleviate pain Who said a night of drinking with the girls couldn’t be good for you?

To find out more, follow

Here’s how to recreate the exclusive AllBright cocktails at home:

Rhubarb Highball 50ml BLOOM Gin 35ml Rhubarb juice 20ml Honey syrup Top: Soda Method: Assemble in a shaker and give the three ingredients a short, sharp shake.

Strain into a highball and top with soda water.

Garnish with a thinly sliced lemon wheel.

@bloomgin

430 Kings Road 50ml BLOOM Gin 20ml Ginger and turmeric syrup 20ml Fresh lemon juice Method: Assemble in a shaker, shake and serve up in a frozen coupette glass. Garnish with three drops of CBD oil.

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Room with a view

Los Angeles interior designer Brigette Romanek is bringing her timeless aesthetic to The AllBright’s next opening in West Hollywood. Here, she shares her favourite spaces, style secrets and what’s in store for the new club WORDS GEORGIE LANE-GODFREY Interior designer Brigette Romanek's L.A. home in Laurel Canyon, a Mediterraneanstyle mansion dating back to 1925

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design

Laurel Canyon, Los Angeles

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s far as client lists go, interior designer Brigette Romanek has to have one of the most glamorous. At this moment in time, she’s currently working on projects for Beyoncé and Jay-Z, Demi Moore and Gwyneth Paltrow – no wonder that she’s heralded as LA’s tastemaker of choice. Describing her style as ‘eclectic, harmonious, functional, beautiful and feelgood’, the self-taught designer has

garnered a dedicated celebrity following thanks to her practical yet playful aesthetic. That idiosyncratic signature is perfectly brought to life in Brigette’s beautiful family home, a sprawling mansion in Lauren

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Canyon, Los Angeles, which she shares with her film-director husband Mark and their two daughters. Previously owned by music producer Rick Rubin, the house has played host to The Rolling Stones, The Beatles and Jimi Hendrix in the past, and had Marilyn Manson and the Red Hot Chili Peppers record albums in its halls. This history is just one of the reasons Brigette was keen to preserve the house’s personality, combining its 1920s architecture with interesting, off-beat pieces, such as goatskin rugs, African drums, a shaggy armchair and a Hans J. Wegner Danish design chaise longue.

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With plenty of light and natural textures, this modern monochrome beach house in Malibu was one of Brigette's favourite installs

The building's interesting angles are highlighted with black paint, while unusual seating adds a playful element to the sophisticated interiors

Malibu, California

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ne of Brigette’s favourite projects was this modern beach house in Malibu. ‘It was a fun design for me because my client was very openedminded,’ she explains. ‘There wasn’t one thing he was going after other than to make the beach and the scenery the star.’

For the living space, Brigette counterbalanced a practical sofa with other quirkier seating: ‘We wanted to make a really cool interior so we brought in the club chair with its chunky, crazy shape, and added a swinging chair on the side.’

Meanwhile, the staircase was painted black to highlight its unusual angle – a decision which reflects the considered nature of the interiors. ‘It was about understanding a level of restraint,’ says Brigette, ‘So rather than throwing lots of things together, it was about choosing to have them in each room.’

But the highlight of the project was the mezzanine, where glass extending to the ceiling was installed to create a new room. ‘The little variations in the wood now show up in the natural light,’ says Brigette. ‘It’s very beautiful.’

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design

The AllBright, West Hollywood, Los Angeles

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he brief for the new AllBright West Hollywood was a complex one: to create a place which encourages connections.

‘I needed to turn a large, industrial space into a warm, welcoming environment for working women,’ recalls Brigette, ‘Debbie [Wosskow, co-founder of The AllBright] explained that this would be a place where people would spend hours, so it needed to be giving, warm and stimulate conversation. It also needed to have a good flow to allow for networking, so it wasn’t just about the use of the property, but the use of people’s time.’

As for the club’s overall aesthetic, Brigette turned to The AllBright’s audience for inspiration. ‘A woman is so multi-faceted – we’re not one note,’ says Brigette. ‘I wanted different levels, shapes, and feels in the club to reflect that.’ While the interiors might be eclectic, there’s a sense of harmony that comes from continuation throughout the design.

‘I tried to make the interiors like a movie, from beginning to end, where

Whimsical wallpaper by Gucci offers a more irreverent take on the usual salon interiors

it has different scenes but it’s still the same title,’ explains Brigette, ‘so there are relationships between the rooms.’

One theme which most certainly carries through the club’s rooms is Brigette’s sense of fun – the designer is an advocate for interiors which ‘feel good’. ‘The salon is somewhere that’s fun for the eye,’ she explains.

‘We used Gucci's heron print wallpaper and took inspiration from the way that Alessandro [Michele, Gucci's creative director] has really chosen to make pieces which create a level of happiness. We wanted this room to be somewhere you go to enjoy yourself, instead of somewhere you go and you spend the whole time

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looking at yourself in the mirrored wall. Here, you’ll look around and see the fun instead.’

While Brigette was keen to foster a pervading sense of happiness, The AllBright West Hollywood also needed to serve its primary purpose: providing a place for women to work. Keen to preserve the building’s industrial aesthetic because of the way it lends itself to a working atmosphere, Brigette set about turning it into a suitable environment for members.

‘Sometimes industrial spaces can feel a little bit cold, so we combatted that through texture, with the use of velvets, linens and marbles,’ she says. ‘The interiors have really got a lot of warmth, which is important if you want to encourage open, generous exchange.’

One of the other key materials in the building is glass – the entrance is dominated by one huge wall of it.

‘LA has so much beautiful changing light throughout the day, so I wanted to enhance that,’ explains Brigette.

‘The wall of glass in the entrance allows that to just pour in, as well as all the colours from outside.

I wanted to make the palette feel warm, cosy and like an extension of the colours of LA. As such, there are greens, yellows and rusts – shades that you find in nature.’

But this choice of colour wasn’t just about embracing the surroundings – gender neutral tones were a deliberate choice. ‘The idea that pink is for girls and blue is for boys is ridiculous – it’s not mutually exclusive. We wanted a beautiful aesthetic that was inclusive of everyone. You don’t want to walk into a space and feel like you’re being passiveaggressively told you don’t belong.’

As a result, comfort and inclusivity are key throughout the club. ‘I wanted it to feel good, for people to enjoy it. I don’t want to make rooms that are off limits because that feels like a waste,’ explains Brigette. ‘I remember there being areas of my grandmother’s house which were practically roped off. I wanted to do the exact opposite of that by creating a beautiful but useable space where everyone can go and everyone belongs.’ Simply put, she’s created a place in West Hollywood women can call home.

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Call to the

Wild

Spending time totally immersed in nature can reduce stress, make us feel happier and ready to face what life chooses to throw at us. Here are some of the best places to reconnect with the wilderness WORDS HARRIET COOPER

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Islas Secas, Panama

For somewhere that’s not yet opened, Islas Secas has garnered some serious attention. Then again, there aren’t many luxury resorts in the world that are set on a private 14-island archipelago, offering such an extraordinary ocean wilderness on their doorstep.

Located 20 miles off the coast of Panama, this eco-hideaway befits the most intrepid of explorers. Four casita sites sleep up to 18 guests (nine villas in total) on one of the islands, each site offering a plunge pool, thatched roof cabana and sprawling outdoor deck from which to soak up the uninterrupted Pacific Ocean views.

You’ll be captivated, yes, but you won’t want to stay still for long. Islas Secas is the jumping off point – albeit a mesmerising one – from which to

undertake a series of once-in-alifetime natural adventures. There’s swimming and paddle-boarding amongst the tiny islands; snorkelling and diving in the calm, warm waters of the Gulf of Chiriquí, which teem with manta rays, dolphins, leatherback turtles and coral reefs; the extraordinary biodiversity of Coiba National Park to be explored; superlative catch-and-release tuna and marlin fishing; and Humpback whalespotting. Luckily, there's a dedicated Adventure Concierge on hand to help guests make the most of their surroundings.

Sun-kissed guests can kick back at the end of the day in Terraza, an openair setting offering ocean-

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to-fork dining with local flare (think grilled fresh lobster, seared octopus, ceviche...), though sunset BBQs and beach picnics can also be arranged.

As you’d expect from this piece of paradise, the resort is fully solar-powered, recycles all its food waste and water for irrigation; and 75% of the archipelago has been left untouched, ensuring that this unique ecosystem is safeguarded for generations to come.

Opening in Winter 2019, but taking bookings now. islassecas.com

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The Datai Langkawi, Malaysia

Anywhere that has a resident naturalist is a promising start. The Datai Langkawi is that place.

Nestled in a 10-million-year-old rainforest on the northwest tip of Langkawi, overlooking the dreamy Datai Bay and with a backdrop of the majestic Gunung Mat Cincang, this laidback-luxe resort has been a nature-lover’s paradise ever since its inception in 1993.

Now, thanks to a $60million refresh, guests can fully immerse themselves in this natural wonderland, where flying lemurs (aka colugo) glide from tree to tree, families of dusky leaf monkeys play amongst the branches and water monitor lizards slowly go about their day.

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For the inquisitive, the new Nature Centre headed up by renowned naturalist Irshad Mobarak enables visitors to discover more about their marine and rainforest surrounds, and participate in conservation and scientific research studies. Another highlight is the recently-added Rimba Trail that runs through the coastal forest to an 18-metre high canopy walk (the first of its kind in a five-star hotel), affording rainforest-scapes as far as the eye can see. Keen ornithologists will want to bring binoculars to spot the brightly-hued orange-breasted trogon, collared kingfisher and peregrine falcon.

Even the Spa, which focuses on the healing properties of plants and age-old Malay traditions, is situated

along a small winding stream, surrounded by the sounds and subtle aromatic scent of the rainforest.

Though, of course, if you prefer to appreciate nature from the squishy comfort of a sunlounger on the white sand beach or by the pool, the Datai Langkawi can comply.

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Le Barn, Bonnelles, France

The resort’s well-thoughtthrough design maintains a deep connection with its environment.

The 121 rooms, suites and villas all look out over tropical rainforest, some with views of the Andaman Sea and Tarutao Island beyond. For a true ‘at one with Mother Nature’ experience, book a Rainforest Collection villa, which stands on wooden stilts amongst the dense vegetation.

Also elevated is The Pavilion, a signature Thai restaurant best appreciated as dusk falls and the air is alive with jungle chatter (it is perfect colugo-spotting territory); for Malaysian flavours, The Gulai House is set in a traditional kampung-style house where guests are welcome to sit on the floor for their feast; while the Beach Club and Bar is all about fresh seafood and cocktails, savoured to the soundtrack of gently lapping waves.

It may be a mere 40 minutes from Paris, but you’d never guess. Le Barn is set deep in the Rambouillet Forest, surrounded by acres upon acres of oaks, elms and silver birches. Rustic chic is very much the vibe at this hotel. Set across two buildings, the 71 rooms and suites overlook paddocks, meadows and woodland, their warm, neutral decor inspired by the French countryside. Meals are made from just-picked ingredients and eaten around large wooden tables in the sun-soaked La Serre restaurant, with guests retiring to the cosy bar for digestifs.

Not surprisingly, this Gallic answer to Soho Farmhouse attracts a chichi Parisian weekend crowd, many of whom throw themselves into the wealth of outdoor activities on offer. Wherever you look there are horses, and guests can explore the 200-hectare estate on horseback as they please; though if two wheels are your thing, Le Barn is a cyclist’s paradise – there’s even a slalom through the forest; while a range of walking trails are ideal for wandering souls. Afterwards, reward yourself with a sauna or hammam in the Scandi-style spa, located in a former mill.

The best bit? There is no check-out time on Sunday, giving guests the perfect excuse to jump on that bike again. lebarnhotel.com

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We met at The

AllBright

GP Dr Stephanie Goodwin and former Red magazine Deputy Editor Saska Graville met at a talk at The AllBright. Now they’re working together to overcome the last female health taboo

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shared interest is just one of the many reasons The AllBright members come together in the club, but for menopause expert Dr Stephanie Goodwin and journalist Saska Graville, it also led them to work together too. ‘I was doing a lunchtime talk on HRT and the menopause at The AllBright when I met Saska,’ recalls Stephanie. ‘She contacted me beforehand to tell me about her new magazine project – it turned out we have a common interest.’

That project was MPowered Women, a website dedicated to all things menopause which launched last month. ‘The idea is to demystify menopause and support women through it,’ explains Saska. ‘It’s a community of doctors, wellbeing experts and brilliant women brought together in one place to help power you through menopause.

It’s one of the last health taboos – women don’t know what’s happening to their bodies and they don’t really talk about it because the subject is mixed with ageism in the workplace. So there’s a real campaign to be done here.’

“There’s a sisterhood going on – you can really feel it in the air.

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networking

After meeting at The AllBright, Saska and Stephanie realised that they had the complementary skill sets to make that happen. While Stephanie had the medical knowledge to advise women, Saska had the ability to effectively communicate with them. Together, they began to formulate a plan where Stephanie could contribute her expertise to the site.

‘Somebody like Stephanie is so knowledgeable and has such amazing qualifications in this field, so it felt like a real endorsement to have her on board,’ says Saska. ‘She’s obviously super bright, warm and has a great way of talking about a difficult subject area.

I wish I had known her when I was going through the symptoms myself.’

With a view to bringing women together, The AllBright and MPowered Women actually have a lot in common. ‘I joined the club because I wanted to be around other proactive, energised women like Saska,’ says Stephanie. ‘She immediately struck me as dynamic and driven, but also genuine in her quest in making a difference to women at this time of life. There’s a sisterhood going on – you can really feel it in the air. When I was in my 30s, that wasn’t happening, but today women really want to help each other. I now feel I have a group of women around me that I can always tap into for help.’

For Saska, that support has been key in MPowered Women’s launch: ‘It’s crucial women support each other like this because when they do come together, magic happens.

Sometimes planets just align, so joining The AllBright, having the idea for the site, meeting women like Stephanie – it’s been a perfect storm where everything comes together.’

Believe Build Become, Book Launch at The AllBright West Hollywood Some of Los Angeles’ most prominent women, including Teri Hatcher, Donna Karan and Catt Sadler, gathered on the sun-drenched roof terrace of our upcoming West Hollywood club to celebrate the launch of Anna Jones and Debbie Wosskow’s first book, Believe.Build.Become, a practical, hands-on guide designed to supercharge any woman’s career.

AllBright events of the season Highlights from behind-the-scenes at our exclusive members' events

Tory Burch In-Store Event Female ambition was the hot topic at Tory Burch’s Regent Street store, where The AllBright members and guests were treated to a lively discussion on what it means to be an ambitious woman today, led by podcast host Adrienne Herbert, Anna Jones and Decoded CEO Kathryn Parsons. Afterwards, guests had the chance to shop the wanderlust-inspired SS19 collection with an exclusive in-store offer.

For more information, advice and support on the menopause, visit mpoweredwomen.net

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women in history

The Haircare Millionaire

The First Lady

Entrepreneur and philanthropist Sarah Breedlove, also known as Madam C. J. Walker, was believed to be America’s first female self-made millionaire WORDS JES SALTER

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s many entrepreneurs can attest, the best businesses are built on dreams. But the idea for Sarah Breedlove’s million-dollar beauty empire literally came to her in a vision one night.

Born in 1867 as the fifth child to former cotton plantation slaves, Sarah had a tough start to life. She was orphaned at the age of seven, married at the age of 14 and left with a daughter, Lelia, to support on her own when her husband died when she was 20.

She worked as a laundry woman and a cook in St Louis, Missouri, earning $1.50 a day.

One day, aged 37, she later told The New York Times, ‘I was at my tubs one morning with a heavy wash before me. As I bent over the washboard and looked at my arms buried in soapsuds, I said to myself: “What are you going to do when you grow old and your back gets stiff? Who is going to take care of your little girl?’”

Shortly afterwards she had a dream that changed her life. In it, a man told her what ingredients to put into a hair pomade that promised lustrous locks – the Frizz Ease of its day. She bought the ingredients from Africa, made up the “hair grower”, invested her $1.25 savings and set up her business. Her new, third, husband, Charles Joseph Walker, a salesman, helped her advertise the product in newspapers using before and after photos – a technique ahead of its time.

mansion on the banks of the Hudson. At the same time her business, Madam C. J. Walker Manufacturing Company, expanded to include a factory, beauty school, laboratory and two hairdressing salons.

She was passionate about helping other women, too: ‘I am not merely satisfied in making money for myself, for I am endeavouring to provide employment for hundreds of women of my race.’

Her female sales reps were paid an above-average wage of between $5 to $15 a day, and she encouraged them to build their own businesses and become financially independent.

Many of her management team were women.

Every year she donated $10,000 (just shy of $200,000 in modern money) to education for black men and women in colleges in the Southern states, sent six young people to university and contributed $5,000 to political campaigns.

When she died aged 51, in May 1919, she was known as the wealthiest African American businesswoman and the wealthiest self-made woman in America. But more Madam C.J. Walke r, 1867-1919 than that, she provided a leg-up for thousands of other black women, and inspiration for It was a huge success. Within a few countless more. Her words of wisdom for years Sarah – now Madam C. J. Walker others following behind her were: ‘Don't – had amassed a fortune, investing it in sit down and wait for the opportunities to property, including a $50,000 home in come. Get up and make them!’ A lesson the north of New York State and a we all should listen to. $250,000, three-storey, 30-room

“I had to make my own living and my own opportunity. But I made it! Don't sit down and wait for the opportunities to come. Get up and make them”

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