The multifaceted nature of the world of fashion and design was discussed with students and parents in Woldingham’s first careers panel session of 2022. 

Our three guests gave a short, but insightful, talk outlining their varied careers and studies to date. Two of our panellists were alumnae at very different stages of their career: Sarah Manley (1980), whose illustrious CV in the world of luxury brands includes 18 years with Burberry, latterly as Chief Marketing Officer, and Frances Russell (2017), who will take up a post as UK Account Manager with Storksak in the summer after finishing her final year studying fashion management at Nottingham Trent University. Our third expert panellist was Felicity Taylor who began her career with Monsoon Accessorize before moving to Harrods 15 years ago, where she is now the buyer and product developer for Harrods’ own label gift and souvenir products.

Careers Advisor Mrs Mason opened up the floor to questions, which came in thick and fast from a very interested audience. The panellists agreed that studying a creative subject at A Level is very useful even in design-associated roles, such as buying, merchandising and marketing. Work experience, such as a Saturday job in a high street store, is also very helpful. Frances suggesting looking into the myriad of free online courses available, particularly if work experience is hard to come by (though being persistent was also advised). The panel provided great advice for students considering the highly competitive business of fashion and design, a career choice so clearly enjoyed by our panellists.

To listen to the recording, please click here and enter passcode: ^Y.b6$bg