Give us 3 words that describe you best:
sensitive, curious & feisty (feisty but a total pussycat)
So, can you tell us what it is you actually do?
I’m a trend forecaster and brand consultant
...and you're how old?!?!
26
Nice! How did you get into this?
It’s quite a long-winded “fashion story” but it really all kicked off when I started my trends-centric blog two years ago. A fellow blogger advised me that I was essentially giving away my “intellectual property” for free and that I should consider going in to forecasting for real – just as I made the decision to look in to it, I was headhunted!
What’s the most exciting thing you've done in your career so far?
Back when I was a stylist’s assistant, I got to tie Bruce Willis’ shoes.
What’s been your dullest job?
When I was an intern at Women’s Wear Daily (WWD), I spent roughly 5 hours a day photocopying press clippings from 40 global newspapers. I would always try to read them as I was going along but there was never any time!
Where do you look/go for inspiration?
I recently had this great realization that the future doesn’t exist for the simple fact that it hasn’t happened yet. It’s inspired me to consciously live moment to moment – really being present - in the here and now and not always thinking elsewhere. I find that when I’m really in that space of here and now, I’m in the zone and I can be inspired by absolutely anything and everything. On another note, I find London as a whole to be an incredible source of inspiration – particularly people watching on the tube!
What took the most balls?
I was on a shoot with Cindy Crawford and it was written in to her contract that she had to be wearing an Omega watch in all of the shots as she was the spokeswoman at the time. I completely forgot to organize a collection for the watches and had to fess up to my then boss knowing full well she was going to hit the roof. I just remember standing there whilst she was hurling abuse me telling myself that it was all part of the “journey” and trying my best not to cry! Other then that, it was introducing myself to the SVP of a trend forecasting agency that I really respected – I just walked up to him and said “hello – I’m Natalie and I think I’m a trend forecaster in the making”. It was an incredible adrenaline rush!
The best advice you have for new graduates about to go into the 'real world’ is....
Never send mass emails – keep it personal. Do everything with a smile. Remember to keep your options open – the more open you are to different experiences, the more varied and exciting the journey will be to finding your dream job. When you do find a job, keep an airplane size bottle of vodka in your handbag.
