Leaders from Pandora, Just A Group, Temperley London, and Coco de Mer shared their insights on building a fashion brand and reaching a wider audience in October’s conversations. Nicole Clayton, Pandora’s General Manager for the British Isles, reflected on her career, which spans fashion, footwear, and consumer goods.
Clayton’s early fascination with the fashion industry gained a commercial focus through her first roles in a New York showroom and on the shop floor. In this interview, she reflects on what working alongside designers and buyers taught her about how a creative idea becomes a product and finds its market, and how building businesses and reigniting those that have lost their momentum continue to be major sources of joy for her. She also discusses the role that teamwork, confidence, and grit have played throughout her career.
Juls Dawson, founder and MD of Just A Group, discussed the future of multibrand retail, stating that brands and distributors who combine strong storytelling with genuinely good operational execution will ultimately be the ones that win. Dawson’s experience in multibrand retail and long career in the fashion industry have given him key insights into positioning a brand’s story on the shop floor, and why distribution and operational execution play a key part in growing brands. In his interview, he also reflected on his family’s long history in fashion and on building Just A Group with his wife, Steph.
Jack Isenberg, Temperley London Design Director, also discussed his approach to design, emphasizing the need to understand people and work within a diverse team. Isenberg’s first job at Valentino provided him with technical training that helped shape the designer he would become. Unlike Dawson, Isenberg was not born into a family of fashion industry veterans, but his fascination with clothes led him to fill his schoolbooks with fashion sketches. In this interview, he looked back on his career, discussing key lessons that have informed his role as Temperley London’s Design Director.
Lucy Litwack, CEO of Coco de Mer, discussed the brand’s new collaboration with M&S, which introduced Coco de Mer to a wider audience. The 24-piece collection brought Coco de Mer’s distinctive design language and focus on fit to M&S customers, offering designs “never-before-seen” at the retailer. Litwack explained that the partnership was a natural one, allowing both brands to bring together complementary areas of expertise.