Amazon Fashion's Head of Styling on what it takes to make it as a stylistBecoming a successful stylist is all about having a good eye and a love of product and in my opinion, it’s hand on experience that helps you develop that. I studied Fashion Merchandise Management and that definitely helped me secure my first internships in the fashion cupboard at magazines and newspapers, but ultimately what made the difference when it came to my first role wasn’t my qualifications, it was my passion for the role and the eye I’d developed through my placements. Through my course I studied abroad in New York, which was a fantastic life experience but more than anything, it made a big difference to my CV. While I was there, I studied at the Fashion Institute of New York and had an internship at Tods, which both really helped me experience what it means to work in fashion first hand. With the increasing fees and debts that come with going to university nowadays, if I had to go back, I may have taken a different path and interned and assisted stylists instead of going to university.

After leaving university I interned at places like Harper’s Bazaar and WGSN, then secured a six-week internship at Drapers, when they were compiling and shooting the seasonal specials. Immediately, I fell in love with the people and the office had a fantastic atmosphere. I stayed in contact with the team and was offered a repeat internship there during the summer. A role came up on the news desk, which I applied for and didn’t get, but a fashion writer role came up shortly afterwards, which felt like a better fit and I got it. There are always hurdles or things that don’t work out as planned but sometimes that leads to better things. No one person’s story is going to be the same and the route to getting the career you want is always about going with your instinct and what feels right at the time.

The team were a huge draw to the role at Drapers – there was a real honest and social element to the team. But I always also attracted to the substance of the magazine too. It was more than writing about the ‘hot colour of the week’. As writers, we really delved into brands and trends and had to make sense of them to earn the trust of our readers, who were industry insiders who know the industry very well. It was also a lot of fun because I was able to go on press trips and travel for fashion week, which was a great experience, especially as someone just starting their career. I learnt so much during my time there – it gave me a really solid grounding of the fashion business as a whole, from value and high street, through to high end and luxury. We had to cover all segments of the market and because of that, I had exposure to a whole range of brands, industry figures and market trends. It gave me a great anchor to be able to do what I do now and combine fashion with commerce.

I left Drapers after three years but I wasn’t actively looking to leave. An opportunity presented itself at Fashot and I decided to take what I had learned and use that to facilitate my move into a more commercial role, which helped kick start my move into the world of fashion e-commerce. The role was Styling Director and Producer, so it meant I was able to shape the company – working on creative strategy and merging it with the business side was really exciting for me. I’m always interested in having a creative overview that moves businesses forward in the right way. It was different to my role at Drapers because I was no longer working in an editorial space – of course, as a magazine you have to be aware of its success from a commercial point of view but it’s not driven in the same way.


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I joined Amazon 2013 because it was such a great opportunity to help shape the fashion side of the business. Everyone knows Amazon as a brand but not necessarily as a fashion destination so the challenge of changing that really excited me and still does. Amazon Fashion has come a long way in the two years I have worked there and the motto at the company is ‘It’s still day one’ – meaning this is just the start of what we want to achieve. We are opening a 46,000sq ft fashion studio in Shoreditch, London this summer, which will be used to shoot images for its fashion business across Europe. We need to shoot hundreds of thousands of images each year so by creating all of the images in London we will be able to access to some of the best talent in the world, which is very exciting. The opportunity to be involved with projects on this scale doesn’t happen in many businesses. I am also excited by the potential for Amazon to be as loved for fashion as it is for books.  A typical day involves getting the styling team off to a start in the morning by making sure they know the models we have that day, where the product is to shoot and any expectations for the day. Being part of a global company, there are always global initiatives going on that I get involved with as a head of department too. I work on everything from our global style guides and HR initiatives to partnering with business teams on special projects and working directly with brands on their images for the website.

Marie-Davies-031A good stylist has a natural flair for style, product and composition. You have to know how to show the product in the most flattering way and be aware of the line of a garment and how things move on the body. A good stylist is also someone that can work well in a team, adapt to creative opinions and stand up for their own. It’s important to know when you need to push an opinion and when to let it go – trust in the team is very important. When you’re starting out, it’s important to work with people who are like-minded – getting out there and testing and working with people on developing your style and aesthetic is part of the fun. In the early days of your career as a stylist you have the ability to play with different influences and make it into something fresh. The fun is creating something with a team you enjoy making images with. Personality is key to the stylists I hire – if people don’t have the right attitude then they are not cut out for the job. Particularly in an e-commerce environment, you have to be willing to help the rest of your team and studio. It can be chaotic at times, so you need people who will rise to challenges and get the job done. An eye for composition is also essential too. If I look at a stylist’s website and it doesn’t have the right aesthetic, they are probably not going to pick up on details on set.

For me, it’s important to have strong female mentors, who can help navigate some of the challenges that are faced in the business world. My first mentor was Jessica Brown who was the editor at Drapers, when I was there, but now works at Amazon Fashion. She is an incredibly driven and professional and I admire her work ethic and passion. I also admire Caroline Rush, CEO of the British Fashion Council and Jane Shepherdson, CEO of Whistles – both women have carved fantastic careers and had huge impact in their businesses while doing so.

I was very proud to be featured in the Drapers 30 under 30 list, especially because I was nominated by peers in the industry. The highlight for me was being asked to speak at the same industry summit as people like Mark Sebba, the former CEO of Net-A-Porter, to an audience of professionals in their first and second jobs. As I progress, I love being able to help and advise others starting out and have a positive impact on people in the industry. The most important things I’ve learned in my career and that I constantly tell people is not to take on too large a remit in your role and to flag when you need additional support. There are times when you want to take on as much as possible, seemingly for the good of the business or client but there is a point where you are actually doing yourself and others an injustice by committing to too much. It’s important to have a balance of what is achievable and what you can influence.


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I love what I do but finding a balance between work and a personal life can be tricky – it’s easy to get swept up in work pressures. I’m fortunate to have fantastic friends and family around me and a fiancée, who is very supportive of me in my role and can pull me out of ‘work mode’. I am trying to plan more weekend trips away this year out of London – I find it can really clear your head and help to readjust and prioritise those things that are most important to you. Ultimately I would like to work for myself, running a consultancy business, advising brands and retailers on styling, art direction, style guides and ecommerce strategy. But whatever path I end up taking, the most important thing to me is to be happy and enjoy my work and the people I work with – money can’t buy that.