My name is Lucas SILVA EDWARDS, I am a Career strategist and Executive coach and I am please to announce that FASHION CAREER STORIES is back for a second season, starting next week.

If you are new to this podcast, let me tell you what we trying to built in this community.

With more than 10 years of experience in the fashion and luxury industry, here in Paris, France. And thanks to my large diversity of positions, from retail, wholesale, product development, or Fashion editor, I have acquired an insider view of what it takes to succeed in groupe like LVMH, Kering or Chanel but also in fashion tech startup or small designer brands.

And with this podcast, my role is to help you DESIGN a SUCCESSFUL LIFE and CAREER in one of the most competitive industry on the planet. For that reason, I interview each week fashion professionals at DIFFERENT STAGES of their career, in order to decode their best PRACTICES, TACTICS and STRATEGIES.

In this season, while a majority of my guest are french, we are gonna continue to travel, and get perspective from professionals from all around the world. Some of them come from Mexico, China or even Belgium and the Netherlands.

What they all have in common is their passion for this industry, the desire to find their way in and the will to make it better.

In this season, we are going to learn about:

• How to make it as women in fashion tech companies
• What does it mean to really work in sustainability
• The reality of building a fashion brand from scratch
• How to live from your side hustle and become an expert of your field
• Why personal finance is key to design a successful life and career

I could continue on because the list is long.

Personally this second season gave me confirmation, that the more we all share our stories and challenges, the more we are collectively improving. Sometimes, our industry impose on us it criteria of perfection. And when we are facing though moments, it feels that we are the only one struggling and we sometimes feeling ashamed and worthless.

As you will hear in each of the conversations, we all have those moments and they are part of the journey. We feel that there is bug of some sort, when in reality it become a feature in our story.

Sometimes you are able to get thru by yourself or by learning from others, like in this podcast. But sometimes, we need some more help. If that’s you case, feel free to reach out. As a trained and certified coach, I will help you get pass that situation, acquired the leadership skills to face those moment of uncertainty and help you find your momentum back.

Thanks again for tuning in and don’t forget to subscribe in the platform of your choice, do not miss any new episode.

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Vous rêvez de travailler à l'intersection de la mode, de la musique et de la culture ?

Aujourd’hui, j’ai le plaisir de recevoir Moriba KONE.

Moriba est le fondateur de l’Etat de la Culture, où il analyse plusieurs fois par semaine ce qui se passe dans l’univers de la mode, de la musique, du gaming et de la culture dans sa plus grande diversité. Présent sur Instragram et Tiktok, il a su réunir en quelques mois une belle communauté, grâce à son franc parler, la pertinence de son point de vue et sa capacité à rendre la culture accessible à tous.

Instagram: @moribakone

Tiktok: @moriba_kone

Ce qui rend le profil de Moriba si intéressant, c’est la large diversité de ses projets. En parallèle de l’Etat de la culture, il est également le marketing et culture manager de la marque Daily Paper. Une marque de streetwear basé à Amsterdam, qui ancre son univers dans la richesse créative de la diaspora d’Afrique noir.

Dans cette conversation Moriba fait preuve d’une grande vulnérabilité et transparence, et revient sur ces origines, ses influences et sur son parcours professionnel. Un parcours riche et variée, qui l’a emmené à mixer avec Virgil Abloh, rencontrer Pharell Williams, co-fonder une marque de mode et réaliser le documentaire les “Titulaires” produit par Yard.

Cette épisode me tient beaucoup à cœur, car Moriba est un ami. Nous nous sommes connu sur les bancs de l’école, mais c’est durant les 3/4 dernières années que notre relation s’est renforcée, lorsque Moriba a fait appel à mes services de coaching, à un moment clé de sa carrière. J’ai donc eu l’opportunité de voir Moriba évoluer, murir et se développer.

J’espère que cette conversation, vous donnera la confiance de poursuivre vos projets et à croire en vos rêves.

Et sans plus attendre, je laisse la parole à Moriba KONE.

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Today, I have the great pleasure to receive Christelle BAKIMA

She is a fashion professional working in PR for one the french fashion tech company: ARIANEE.

If you haven’t heard about them, I highly recommend to check it out an discover what are they doing regarding the new generation of customer relationship, using web 3 and NFT.

However today, my conversation with Christelle won’t be about her role over there.

Today we are going to talk about her first book, Corps Noirs, which could be translated in english as “Black Bodies”. Before I tell you all about it, let me tell you about its origin story. It all started by a simple question:

How many black women have been on the covers of fashion magazine in the last 15 years ?

And from that question, an entire journey started for Christelle.

First, it became her master thesis for the IFM where she graduated 3 year ago.

And with the support of friends and family, it became an entire book.

From that question, Christelle started to investigate the reality to be a black model in the fashion industry! the history, the stereotype, the prejudice and also the human cost.

Through this book, Christelle shine a light on, what we could call the dark of the industry.

However, this book goes way beyond that.

It’s first and foremost, the questions of a young professional trying to make sense of what she sees, discovers and experience. This book, it’s also really intimate, full of personal anecdotes and stories.

For me, it was an opportunity to ask myself more questions, to increase my awareness and to open my eyes on some of the realities of our industry.

In this episode, you will learn about :

• The origin story of the book
• How Christelle decided to think about this book as art book
• What Aya Nakamura is telling us about the status quo of the fashion industry regarding black bodies
• The reality of being a black model and the prejudice that they experience
• The type of questions you could start asking yourself in order to make things evolve
• The role of your family in the journey to find yourself
• The importance to experiment and to learn from a large diversity of experience
• How to network using generosity and vulnerability
• Why allowing yourself to doubt and try things out is the best advice you could follow

This episode is dense, and full of gems.

My recommendation, take your time to listen to it and to self reflect.

And if you want to buy the book, only available in French, you can find it on Amazon, la Fnac and the major books stores in France, Belgium and Luxembourg.

If you want to learn more about Christelle follow here on LinkedIn at Christelle BAKIMA

And with no further ado, please enjoy this wide ranging conversation with Christelle BAKIMA

Also, If you enjoy this podcast episodes and want to support me, please subscribe and leave a review.

This is the most efficient way to help us grow and entice people to listen to the show.

Don't be shy, hit those 5 stars and show us your love in the comment section.

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Discover my journey in the fashion and luxury industry thanks to this conversation with Lala Drona.

In this episode, we will cover:

• my back ground, my origins and how my family has been a great source of inspiration
• my early experience in the industry and the challenges I had to overcome
• what are my tactics and strategies to succeed in a new position
• what fashion represents for me and how it has been become my area of study

Now, you probably wonder who is Lala Drona.

Lala Drona
(b. 1988) is a Venezuelan-American painter and video artist, born in Denver, Colorado. After receiving a Bachelor of Arts from the University of Colorado, Lala Drona has since published and exhibited her work internationally. Her videos and paintings exploring digital spaces and the female gaze, were shown at the Cite des Arts de Paris. Her work explores the monstrous feminine, alternate realities, and the void of the digital world. The totality of her artwork contributes to, and exists within a fictional universe and mythology established online
and then recontextualized in the physical world through paint on canvas, performance, and sculpture. She is based in Paris, France.

You can discover her work on instagram at @laladronaofficial and her website laladrona.com

What makes this episode so special, is that Lala Drona is also my better half and has been sharing my live for the past 12 years. She has been my rock and my partner in crime in all my projects and I don’t see a better person to interview me.

And with no further, please enjoy this wide ranging conversation with Lala and Lucas.

Psst: If you enjoyed this episode and want to support the podcast, please subscribe and leave a review. This is the most efficient way to help us grow and entice people to listen to the show. Don't be shy, hit those 5 stars and show us your love in the comment section.

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My guest today is Yalin SHU, she is the Creative content coordinator at Rimowa.

Before that Yalin hold several positions in Marketing in China. Now she is making her dream to work in on the top European Lifestyle Luxury brand come true.

In this conversation, you learn what it really takes to leave home and pursuit your dream to work in the fashion & luxury industry. We will also cover how to create your network and find your first jobs or internships and how to stand out during an interview.

Last but not least, you will discover the main difference between the Image team of a fashion brand and a Creative team inside a lifestyle brand.

If I had to summarize the key learning of this conversation, I would say:

1. If you are not from Europe, invest early in studying fashion history and learn to speak english and french.
2. Get in the habit to network and contact professionals but lower your expectations. You might receive no news at the beginning but eventually you will.
3. Remember that your point of view as young professional could is very valuable. Your bring new idea, new ways of working and new knowledge. So trust yourself and develop an portfolio with some of your ideas.
4. While you are doing a internship, be at the service of your manager and remember to learn well the fundamentals before pretending to work on more glamourous tasks. You are part of a system and every contribution counts.

If you enjoyed this episode and want to support the podcast, please subscribe and leave a review. This is the most efficient way to help us grow and entices people to listen to the show.

If you have any questions, comments, or requests, please feel free to reach out

In the next episode, I will receive Habib GUABINTANI. This episode is very special to me because Habib is good friend and fellow companion is my journey in the fashion and luxury industry. But the part I am most exited about, it’s because Habib is one hell of a storyteller. I promise you, you will not want to stop listening.

So if you want to know how Habib became the Store Director of Dior Men on the 5th avenue in NYC, stay tune for our next episode.

Until next time, I wish you a wonderful day

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Happy International Women's day to all of you !!

For this episode, I invited a women who embodies the energy of the day. She is a women of the world, a free spirit who creates her own path and overcome the challenges of life with resilience, grit and creativity.

My conversation today is with Helena BAJAJ LARSEN, founder of her eponym brand and currently working at Iris Van Herpen’s creative studio, as a textile designer,

https://www.helenabajajlarsen.com/

As you will hear in the conversation Helena’s background is rich, diverse and multicultural. Raised in Paris, France, from an Indian mother and a Norwegian father, she decided to study fashion design at Parson’s in NYC and Fashion Management at Bocconi in Milan.

However, what is the most impressive about Helena, is that she launched in 2017, just after college, her own brand at the cross-road between high-fashion and textile art pieces. Giving her the opportunity to be covered by Vogue and win several international prices around the world.

And then, Covid-19 hit, sending all her plans and dreams through the window. That is the conversation we are going to have today. A conversation about resilience, self-discovery and how to start again a brand post-covid.

What we are also going to cover in this conversation, it’s the importance of tradition, heritage, and know-how especially among women and how to open-up our point of view regarding creativity outside of the major fashion capitals.

And with no further ado, please enjoy this wide ranging conversation with Helena BAJAJ LARSEN

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Do you have a “Chess Mindset” ? ♟️

I am telling you this way of thinking can change your life… and career!

What is the "Chess Mindset" : The capacity to plan several moves ahead in order to get to your objective.

I wanted to kick off this season 2 with Ikerne, because she illustrates this concept perfectly.

Ikerne is one of my former student and she now works in Mexico as a freelance for a fashion tech company based in France. She is charge of opening the mexican market and promote the company.

So, I invite to listen until the end, because I break down this concept in the conclusion and give you 3 strategies that you can start implementing today.

In this episode, you will also learn about :

• What does it mean to work as editorial stylist for renowned magazine
• How to keep an eyes on opportunities and be at service of others
• How to shift your career path and work in the fashion tech
• What recruiters are looking for in a candidate
• The secret to adapt to any new position

And with no further ado, please enjoy this wide ranging conversation with Ikerne MESTRE

_______________________________________________________________________

• the eco friendly brand that Ikerne talked about : https://intl.hua.global/

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Salomé a été pendant plusieurs saisons comme la Retail Merchandiser Monde, Accessoires & PAP chez Saint Laurent.

Aujourd’hui, elle est la fondatrice de Matrimoine Invest, une entreprise spécialisée dans la gestion de patrimoine pour les femmes. Salomé met son expertise et sa pédagogie au service des femmes, afin de les aider à réaliser leurs rêves.

Dans cette conversation, Salomé nous explique sa reconversion du monde de la finance, vers celui de la Mode, puis sa transition vers l’entrepreneuriat.

Une conversation riche et profonde sur la réalité d’aligner nos actions avec nos rêves.

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