Vol. 9 - Kate Finlan, Bella Freud
This is one you are going to 'Kate' to miss! Bella Freud's exceptional Head of Brand, Kate Finlan shares her thoughts on the wonderful industry that is fashion
Meet Kate:
I first met Kate through Duel’s brand leader dinners and Brand Advocacy Summit where I was immediately blown away by her intuitive marketing/PR brain, her unwavering ambition and her genuine kindness and thoughtfulness for those around her and obsessed by the same industry.
Kate is unique in those I have spoken with so far in that she didn’t attend University and instead chose the path of first hand experience, a path that has proved to be the most exceptional decision as she has had the most profound impact in the industry and worked for some of the titans of the fashion world at the likes of Alexander McQueen and now Bella Freud.
Kate’s journey is one we should all look to emulate. I say that as she has an insatiable attitude towards learning, an unparalleled approach to networking and building a support bubble as well as a belief in kindness being the only way to do business. She’s fab and I am sure you will enjoy this convo as much as I did.
The Interview:
What drew you to the fashion industry?
To be honest, I think probably Alexander McQueen, which I was lucky enough to end up working for 6 years. But I remember before then being so taken by the theatrics of their shows and how much emotion and excitement can be communicated through clothes.
Around that time, when I was still in school, I wanted to be a fashion designer so explored that path for a hot minute before realising ‘Holy shit this is definitely a skill set i don’t have’ but i could tell it was an industry i loved.
I ended up not going to university and instead decided to get an internship and see what the industry was all about. I started working at House of Holland as their ‘do anything girl’. It was there that they connected me with their PR agency and this is where I fell in love with PR. The storytelling. The excitement. The glamour. From then, it was clear that PR, comms and marketing in the amazing world of fashion was the place for me.
What do you wish you knew before entering the fashion industry?
I think because of my early experience on the agency side working for huge brands, I think I had this preconceived idea that the industry is very cold and very impenetrable. But actually it couldn't be further from the truth. People in this industry are so kind and so generous.
The industry is built on networking and there is a wide acceptance that nobody knows everything which breeds real collaboration. So I think if I had realised at 18 how much kindness there was and how much I could lean on people for help, I would have been even more excited to get stuck into the industry. I think it is important to know how to utilise that however.
Of course there are a few bad apples, like any industry, but I can honestly say the support and love you feel is extraordinary.
Best piece of advice you have received?
So as you know, my background is PR, and in that world someone will always say ‘this is PR not ER’.
Obviously this is a joke but a good reminder that yes, of course, it is ok to get stressed sometimes, it shows you care, but we’re selling a dream here guys. This is fun. And if we want the end audience to be inspired, we need to be present ourselves.
I think it is a great mentality to take forward as a team lead or manager. Allow them to have fun with an understanding that if risks don’t go to plan, their head won’t be on the block.
So yeah ‘PR not ER’ which is doubly funny as, remember, my fiancé is a doctor.
Moment you are most proud of in your career to date?
I think you know what I'm going to say Henry. Bella Freud’s collaboration with Marks & Spencer.
We were working on it for about 18 months. I think about four of those months was just me and Charlotte Pollard, the amazing PR lead at Marks & Spencer shaping this into something that could work and something that was an original idea that was right for the business.
It took quite a bit of love and shaping to get it to a place where we were happy to present it to Bella herself. We position ourselves as a luxury brand and Marks & Spencer are a high street brand. A great one. A trusted and respected one that is overtly British. So while it isn’t our normal collab, it just made sense.
Bella and I had the ability to work on this project really hands-on from inception to delivery which is another reason I am so proud of it. But the scale was also very big. We are a tiny team and while we have so much loyalty, we don’t have the resource to work on huge marketing campaigns so it was really nice to work with someone who does and could support in making that come true.
The whole process was a joy. M&S were a joy. Seeing our brand blown up huge on Oxford Street with people queuing out from 7am to get their hands on pieces was awesome. And the fact that we were sold out in 24 hours was just incredible.
1x resource you use to stay ahead?
Honestly, it's networking. Use your network. People are so kind. People are so generous. Use them.
But there are also so many amazing events. The digital marketing agency, Vervaunt hosts a ton of events. Their Pulse Summit events are great, as are their roundtables, webinars etc. And of course, you guys at Duel and your Brand Advocacy Summit. These events aren't just where I get my ideas but my stimulation as well.
Also, Business or fashion, I will always read. I think that is a great resource and covers in depth a lot of different topics that are so interesting and help me stay ahead.
Marketing campaign you wish you had come up with?
I would say anything that Jaquemus does. They are absolutely nailing it. I loved their massive bags throughout Paris. It’s not simple but simple if you know what I mean.
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Their campaigns are on point. Half the time they don't even have their own products in the campaigns but you know instantly who it is. You know instantly what they're trying to sell to you. They have really impressively built their visual identity - it’s so strong and so defined.
They obviously have a really strong Creative Director and an amazing marketing team to not only come up with the vision but deliver upon it as well.
What’s one skill, or area, you are actively working on to improve? And why is it important to you?
Reporting. It’s so unsexy but it's so important. We have never had more data available to us but sometimes without thorough reporting, attributing X to Y is hard especially in the fashion, lifestyle, beauty space right.
The customer journey is so fragmented with hundreds of touchpoints. But when your financial director is asking for justification of spend or detailed reporting, an in-depth knowledge of that data is vital.
So reporting is my answer and having greater clarity on a molecular level regarding the individual touchpoints that resulted in a sale. However, it is easy to get bogged down in data.
Your one to watch? An individual in the space killing it?
This might be a bit off-piste but Loop Earplugs. They are killing it at the moment and, I mean, they’re selling ear plugs!! How much can you say about those?
But yet they seem to be able to work whack out new and amazing advertising, marketing campaigns constantly that feel fresh, that feel new for the same product that's doing the same thing as so many other things on the market. I am super impressed.
As far as individual goes, I would say Pip Durell, founder of With Nothing Underneath. I think what she has built is super impressive. It started with the simple concept of classic shirts and it has just blown up. They have their store over on Elizabeth Street, have just received a boat load of funding and doing really well internationally.
I think her vision was simplicity, So many people go after the all signing, all dancing, we do a bit of everything approach. But Pip has just said ‘no, we do this and we do it fucking well’.
Brand / product you can't live without?
No self noms and I’m wearing a Bella Freud jumper hah!
Well for clothes i am quite sorted. It’s quite nice working somewhere i actually love the clothes. I did 6 years at McQueen before this, amazing brand obviously but the clothes are a bit out there for my daily wardrobe. Bella I wear every single day!
Ok but no self noms. I will go with Diptique perfume and 111SKIN Rose Gold facemask. Life changing.
Industry hot take?
Definitely not a hot take, but I think people need to get out there more and create real life experiences. The human element is more important than ever.
I mean, everyone's obviously talking about community, which has now become like the buzzword. I mean, it's been the buzzword for ages, but brands are trying to build community from behind their desks. Digitally. And I think that’s impossible to do well and authentically. You can't sell to people unless you know these people. So get out there. Find what they like. Make it really really personalised.
Also, I think the brands that win will be the ones who realise that your customers are everything. You can learn so much from your customers so I think this year it is important for brands to really lean into that two way dialogue. Get their feedback. On everything. Marketing, product lines, collabs. Lean on your biggest advocates.
And the brands that will really win will combine both of the above. Learn from their customers in real life. Therefore creating that ultimate human and emotional connection that will make the relationship between brand and customer even stronger.
What’s next for you? What’s on the mood board?
Personally, I'm getting married in August, so that's my big mood board.
Professionally, the fashion industry has been very challenging for a lot of brands recently and obviously we've seen a lot of brands sold, which is awful. And whilst I don't think anyone is out of the woods, I think everything is feeling a lot better.
There are great opportunities now for us to start scaling. We currently only have the one store on Chiltern Street. It's excellent. It's amazing. But I want to start thinking slightly bigger than that. We want to start doing more pop-up shops, trunk shows, getting out again, getting out there a bit more. Meeting people. Exactly as I said in my hot take!
We're ready to start thinking about the next stage of growth and where to take the brand, so I am excited to see how that plays out in the coming months
Follow Kate & Bella Freud
Follow the wonderful Kate on Linkedin
Check out Bella’s podcast, Fashion Neurosis, with the exceptional guests like Kate Moss, Christian Louboutin, Trinny Woodall and more.
Til next time x