Juliet Morris
I’m delighted to welcome Mr. Wallace to the podcast today, Emma is building a portfolio career as a business and brand consultant and advisor for startups in fashion. And it feels like Emma, that only skims the surface of your experience and what you do and things are changing all the time. I’d love to hear more about that. So welcome. Thank you for joining me today. Thank you very much for having me. It’s a pleasure. Give us an insight into a bit of your background and why you are building a portfolio career.
Emma Wallace
Well, my background has always been obsessed with fashion and all things to do with it, I think ever since I was young, but observing, observing what people do what people wear, and I think I just loved the real complexity of it and how it touched everything we do in a way you can always rebel things back to there’s an element of what people where people are asked what’s going on in the world, economic issues, social issues. There’s all sorts of things tied up in fashion. As someone who loves to see everything and connect dots like that’s always been, yeah, it’s been a great avenue to try and explore all those things.
So I’ve sort of worked in, in the industry in a few different ways. And I sort of love the design side, but I found that yeah, that connecting the dots and commercial pieces for me. So I sort of had about eight, eight or so years working in slightly bigger companies and growing companies on lots of commercial side. Through some changes in career like the engine one thing that is tricky with the industry is that it’s very fast changing. And that means companies move in and out quite quickly. And that can affect your career in many in many ways. So there is like restructures and changes in companies men I’ve come up with pivot my career in a few different ways. And I found that actually working in one company, especially in fashion, it’s not really a very sustainable way to go because potentially having quite a bit of a break and itching to get into something and it can be quite hard to find. Finding so I guess it was nine months ago now. I was like, I really need to actually jump on to a portfolio career and have a go at that avenue and see what that takes because I want to get involved in those different things.
And small companies don’t need a beat to have full-time people. So yeah, there’s lots of there’s lots of things that need doing and quite some quite specialists and some quite generalist. So there’s lots of opportunity by an interesting way and help people grow their businesses, which is something I’ve always really liked doing.
Juliet Morris
When we met we talked a bit about each version and quiet leadership and I’m really interested to see how this resonates with you and how this has shown up in your career because you I guess the perception is fashion is quite noisy in that fast paced world and you have to really push yourself forward. So I’m intrigued about how you navigated that.
Emma Wallace
It’s an interesting one. I think that perception yeah holds true in quite a lot of ways. Do you see there are some in some facets of fashion uses of the big genius creative designer or business person and they have quite a strong personality that everyone just needs to work around chuffed with? And I’ve found that that’s actually only a small part of sector. So I’ve navigated actually towards more lifestyle products and brands, so sort of premium, premium brands that have quite big and sustainable bass brands. And I found that that was quite different. And most of the time, not all the time. But there’s also there’s everyone else to work with as well. That’s just one element. There’s the sort of finance team of production to e-commerce data. Finance again are different parts. And there’s just a huge mix of people. So you need to be able to be really adaptable and work with everyone to be able to pull things together because it’s very it’s actually really complicated supply chain, return this turn an idea into reality that had to do in my own way. But the other way was just having, making those small observations, and then trying to build one on one relationships to make things happen. So you have to build your network and it is very much a building a network kind of industry. And really, you’ve got to gel with people about what your idea is.
Juliet Morris
And did you always want to go into fashion?
Emma Wallace
Pretty much I think so I think I’ve definitely had elements of like, Oh, I’d like to be in forensics or in archaeology. Or a dancer. That was one of that’s my other sort of passions, was sort of sports in general. I thought I was going to be a runner at one point for gymnasts tried to protect me and combined them. My first sort of major up was in sports, and sports apparel. So I was able to combine those two interests.
Juliet Morris
Where does that come from?
Emma Wallace
Where does it come from? I don’t know. I think I’ve just latched on to it very early on. I’ve got three sisters so my mum would say like I was always commenting on what they were wearing. But I think my mom would make clothes for me a little bit. I was quite interested in textiles and just caught my eye just the visual, the visual side and sort of history of it as well.
Juliet Morris
You mentioned building your network and learning to find ideas. So let’s talk about building a network because everyone talks about building your network. How have you done that?
Emma Wallace
So I guess I have two avenues that I’ve explored. This way. One was internally within the company I was working at so I joined when I was 22/23. And most of my mentees have that sort of development time.
So I learned a lot by experimenting in that environment. So seeing meetings not returning my voice and then getting feedback which was most valuable thing, how can I do it? And then I just started to I was very curious about how things worked and how to make things happen. And guys, a lot of had a lot of autonomy at the time as well. So if I saw a problem with like oh, this system really working like there could probably be a better way. I’ll just go and talk to someone else and see how I actually feel it. Some of it comes down to my dyslexia, and especially when trying to build spreadsheets or look at numbers because I was in a numbers role. I wasn’t always the most confident with some of it so I was good at finding the person who was and identifying if someone was goodly and wanted to do something more who listened to people see and remember, actually have really good long-term memory, not short-term memory. So I would pull those pieces together and try my phone talk. To somebody else I know about that. And I can connect them with someone in marketing, and this might help get this project going. So I think I was very considerate about how I built myself within a company there. So I was known as the person who would get things done. Be nice get people on board pool meeting together. So it could build my profile within my company quite well. And that sort of helped me get some of my more senior promotions and then kind of things will change because I then got took redundancy after restructure his time to explore. And then I found like, Ah, I don’t really have a network because I’ve not been nurturing that external side. So I had to sort of really learn how to start again. And I’ve done that twice now to get my next role. I was willing to pivot a bit into earlier-stage company. And I was like, oh, yeah, those roles aren’t really advertised. So I really do need to go after, after people who were in those companies are connected with those companies. And that was scary. Scary. Those first steps were just going out to people really putting a really nice note as a connection of why I’m interested to comment and what they’ve done. And it came from a really genuine place so it was quite often getting a follow-up. However, I was able to then make a good connection and that would follow once was the kind of six years and really starting to build up which was a challenge I was at work now I don’t need to do that as much. But no. Actually then going decided to go for a more portfolio role actually, I really, really need to do that. And I think I’ve currently at this time with more. I’m just going to be really curious to see where things go. Not have a plan. You need x job. At a certain level. I’m just going to follow where things are curious and where I can help and what’s interesting. So that’s how I’ve been able to get multiple jobs now because I keep nurturing that kind of network like I did when I was working full-time.
Juliet Morris
I love that you come from a place of curiosity, and I’m really intrigued because you mentioned a few times there that you went in with curiosity to make those connections. But how did you then use your curiosity to nurture those connections? Because I think that two different skills.
Emma Wallace
I think they are sort of more recently starting to really build on that next one. And partly it’s I think, I’ve now joined a couple of networks. So I tried to just nurture those now. So whether it’s going to events, meeting back with the same people, or sharing things I’ve written I think part of it is trying to be a bit more vulnerable and share my story. Yeah, those networking calls where you sort of work as a group and help someone else out. I think that’s really important. And the exon, some of them, I just send a sort of follow up of like always, especially if someone is making content send apart. So I’ve seen that, how is that going? Or another one is to try and remember make connections with people. So I sort of tried to do that one a bit more. So you’re interested in this. Here’s an here’s someone else who could be interested. So you don’t need to do that. I think that often I think some of them have been like three, six months apart. It’s actually not that long of time. So people still remember a lot.
Juliet Morris
And you’ve used those because I’ve seen it you have now become a mentor. So how did that come about? Because for someone who is an introvert who may also be shy or highly sensitive or just how do I start that, I really want to do that. How did you enable that connection?
Emma Wallace
So the mentoring started when I was like, Yes, I really want to sell this portfolio career and I want to broaden my skills. I think I wasn’t getting some roles. I didn’t want the other roles I was looking at because there were too much of what I’ve done. And I just didn’t see as many features in those areas, especially in a potentially shrinking industry. I needed to learn new things. So I started thinking about well, what I like doing when I was in some especially bigger roles, and when I’ve learned that was really developing people and managing teams. And you missed that as a portfolio personally like to go in and the other elements of it were I wanted to see how I could apply my skills in my narrow industry, fashion, making products into a couple of other areas to still give myself more confidence in what transferable skills I had. So it was a matter of going into it with that mindset. Those are people wanting to work on and improve. They both enjoyed and wanted to test myself. And as a matter of finding places and I thought well, I’ll start doing it for free because I’ll start doing what I do want to do something for no money, because I really want to do it. I’ll start that way. So I found a couple of volunteer programmes. So that was the business. I saw that on women on boards and other things. Yes, that works. It was a good one to help me with like, Oh, these are my properties. This is my profile. These are the things and this is how I can help. And then I had a cup two or three people, mentees, and that’s something really good feedback from the past couple of first couple of times was like, that’s good. And then I’ve been able to sort of one led to another. And then I worked with Impact Hub now a little bit and then internalisation and sort of Yeah, meet lots of interesting people and I don’t know where it would go. It’s just really interesting.
Juliet Morris
I love that. When you can feel isolated, but you miss the team interaction all the time, which you won’t even do it. And mentorship is such a good way to do that. Because like you said you meet some fascinating people, particularly in the world of entrepreneurship these days and you know all the change, it’s wonderful.
Emma Wallace
It’s great and then a few of them do provide more training as well. Gaining a lot more skills is way uncontested and applied as well.
Juliet Morris
Fantastic. We’ve talked a little bit about the approach and how you found your voice building those one-to-one connections. How do you think being an introvert has changed your approach to life and business?
Emma Wallace
I don’t, I don’t know if it’s changed. My approach. I think one thing that’s influenced that is so very learning about myself. So learning I was introverted was probably a big part of that. I think. I think I have been aware of it since I was quite young, because I have an older sister who did management and she got me to do my Myers Briggs that was something I don’t know if it was true, but definitely the internet. Part of it was at the time and that stuff separately. So I think the element has been lots of keeping doing lots of self-development, understand myself and then putting myself in new situations whether that’s been through work going for going to try and present some ideas that have been put on the spot. Learning what I was comfortable with and what other people gave me feedback on. I think that’s a massive part of development is getting feedback and then I guess one of the other parts, like big meetings would always be a challenge, because especially if decisions were being made in that unit generally would be the loudest voice or the most senior voice that would get and I didn’t always agree with that. So I would, forming those relationships. With people then being able to say go to someone or my boss or someone else saying, I don’t agree with this. I think this was missed or for next time. Can we do things a little bit differently because x y Zed trying to get my influence over that way and then building a reputation of like, actually someone who knows what they’re talking about. Their predictions are right, get things in writing as much as possible. Those sort of helped to sort of navigate where I felt I’ve made it had weaknesses that are actually consistent, just differences, lots of learning and experimenting. I think the other part that wasn’t important and good to be able to practice was on public speaking. And that was, that’s a tricky one to do. But I think being able to present my ideas in my own way made it really did help especially in a creative field. And they’re different from big meetings because you can prepare them ahead. You don’t need to get interrupted and you can own the direction of it. So
Juliet Morris
There are a few things you mentioned. I think at the start of our conversation, you talked about being able to see everything and connect the dots which I think’s a real strength of introverts, and then you build on that. So irrespective of whether you’re introverted or extroverted or an ambivert. If you build your experience and your self-development on the way, the way you like to communicate and the way you like to interact, then you show that you can actually do the job. You know, that’s what you really want to do and you’re quite passionate about it. That’s, that’s when you vote so lots of things there that run through there. And I think that’s really important for for everyone who wants to explore a new avenue in their career.
Emma Wallace
I think what you’re going to have to do, I think I was definitely brought up with seeing my family and medical in the medical world, but it’s a very clear structure of like, how do you move from one job to the next. You’re training and you get qualifications and you move on? That’s sort of the world I saw that was there. Maybe terrified of me going into fashion because that’s so unknown. But what is the path there isn’t a path you have to make your own path. And that type of work is going to be more common as the world moves fast, we get technology even though it’s not a natural thing for a lot of people to learn, I can It’s absolutely vital. So I definitely feel like advocating. pushing myself now. It’s like an important thing to do. Yeah,
Juliet Morris
Agreed. You talked earlier about the future of fashion and gave a little whisper of sustainability so as an adviser to that industry and haven’t worked in a long time, where do you see the future of AI going?
Emma Wallace
There’s so many ways, one avenue I’m looking at which is much more long-term. Is the influence of I guess it’s it’s the web three world. It’s the metaverse and those new technologies like blockchain and more ownership that work through while people’s which is fascinating because it can explore like how much you need to make physical product or how do you own digital identities. And yeah, that whole idea of digital identity is really interesting. So there are a couple of products I’m looking at or exploring a bit more at the moment in that area. The other cynical to me is like reducing consumption, but how do you keep making progressing ideas so looking at other business models, so whether it’s rental or reselling, they’re significant areas to explore at the moment. And material innovation is always fascinating to see and so I hope people will still be really creative with that kind of innovation. I find it is a tricky one because we need to reduce our consumption but at the same time, we do still need to make things. This is a big part of people’s identity.
I hope we find ways that we can keep people exploring that we don’t have to have such a massive linear impact on the planet. Is anyone thinking about how you recycle clothes if things are being made that they can the industry can take them back and recycle and reuse and then outcomes new ideas.
As there’s lots of work going on. It’s still such a hot area because it’s all textiles and a lot of chemistry involved in logistics. How do you get textiles from people’s closets then different quality, different colours? Most things are blended which makes it actually really hard to recycle. So you do see a lot of more in terms of brands, there’s a lot of especially older, younger designers doing like upcycling and sourcing access. So that’s what they are. There’s a few that are looking at really big. Them also of production companies. So really looking at how to take all textiles and turn it into new that you can then sell to people so it’s Yeah, so just a very complicated one.
Juliet Morris
I think it sounds a lot more straightforward than he actually is, isn’t it? I was I’ve been fascinated by people over the last couple of years who are taking like leather, leather goods so everything from fire hoses or you know, rubber goods like tires, all those and making them into fashion. And I can’t remember who it is I started following someone who recycles trainers, so makes new trainers out of old trainers. And that’s just genius. So yeah, there’s lots of it going on. And it’d be wonderful to see that.
Emma Wallace
Yeah, it’s fascinating. It’s great for lots of small experiments at the moment is really hard. To find anything that’s scalable at the moment, so it’s yeah, just with the nature of sort of fragmented stock and things that you can’t create one idea and just easily, easily say like, oh, let’s make 1000 of them. And then we’ll be similar from the same materials. It just won’t work. So it’s, yeah, there’s still a long way to go with sustainability and passion, but I think
Juliet Morris
You talked about being a startup advisor for that. So where do you play a part in that?
Emma Wallace
I’m doing a few things at the moment. So one of them is the mentoring piece. So I’m working with a couple of early founders on partly on validating their idea, their new international but my tech background, so just opening the doors to who does what, how does it work that and then I’m working with another designer based in Canada. It’s got a strong sort of upcycling material innovation piece that helping her more with the commercial, commercial side. So pieces are looking at funding options. How do you sell looking at production options, have you priced in an advantage? There really early so trying to find that sort of product market? Fit to really understand customers? Get their physical space. So yeah, lots of research that’s looking at opportunities as well.
Juliet Morris
Is there a big leap from you know, one person who is creating some products or some ideas in-house, for example, to going into the large production sort of corporate world if you like, you know, the big fashion giants.
Emma Wallace
There’s all the same problems you still need to resolve to go on and that’s that mean was really understanding your customer. And what do they need and what’s your point of difference? So and that’s kind of the same everywhere I feel. You just need to have a good sense and keep working on and trying to push your customer on what’s what are they going to love before they know it? The other parts like finance and these are the things that do get really complicated aren’t just how you deal with stock and lead times and production and that’s when you need to really start building a team. What you don’t need to do until you are sort of asset and scale mostly becomes a sort of logistics operation to discuss Yeah, the timelines of what people want and when people need it. What’s the weather gonna affect sales? It’s not Yeah, it’s that’s the complicated bit. The brand you can build it. The amazing thing about fashion is you can build a really great, strong brand that gets attention at a really, really small level. You never quite know who’s going to do that, where it’s going to come from next. I think that’s to me, that’s just the power of creativity. And just being able to spot that opportunity that people love, and perhaps a new take on it.
Juliet Morris
So for someone who is perhaps pivoting or interested in creating something, they’ve got a great idea in the fashion space or creative space, but also an introvert and a bit stuck to what to do next. What would you advise?
Emma Wallace
To me, I think some of it is just putting it out there.
So that has been social media. People like a bright idea, and have a good way of talking about it differently. I think that because there’s so much out there there is just not finding your own. Finding your tribe and finding your point of view is it’s not easy. It looks very easy. That itself is a bit of luck in it. And then I guess it’s. Yeah, to me, it’s mostly talking about talking to your customers in whatever way you can feel comfortable with. So get yourself out there being on social media, going into markets, going talking to your friends, and showing ideas. Anything like that will get you a bit closer, and it’s a long journey as well. Sometimes you can have some quick overnight success if you’ve got something unusual that’s really unusual. So be prepared.
Juliet Morris
Yes, absolutely. So what’s your big dream for the future, Emma?
Emma Wallace
That’s a really tricky question. I’m not really sure. I feel like I just want to keep following sort of my curiosity and being able to solve work on solving problems. So my hope is getting us in that work in that fashion sense is that we can still well, hopefully, that fashion can just return to being all about creativity and we don’t need to worry about this, the impact that that those are having on the world. And we can just keep using it as that creative expression piece to explore our identities and find people who look like us and stuff like that. So I can’t wait for it to solve those problems. And then we can just return to being inspired and looking at beautiful the impact of textiles.
Juliet Morris
Yeah. I don’t know. Is that possible? Do you think I mean, I don’t know how far out that is and then we keep talking about it.
Emma Wallace
It kind of is that it would be quite a fundamental shift and you still need to produce things that has a degree of impact. But actually, there are ways of farming their ways of growing products, and recycling. We have so many textiles in the world. If we can just keep reusing what we have like we’ll be going for a long time. It is just about educating the end buyer so you know everyday people who are who make a choice on where they buy things and no cost is often the latest trends are you know, have an impact but helping the buyer understand what impact they’re having. Absolutely, yes, it’s that’s the biggest education piece and just people valuing the clothes and just what’s going into it like partly on educating well how much what work what is gone and what’s the bigger price being paid for a five-pound top because it doesn’t, if you’re paying minimum wage here it would be 30 pounds just on labour without ease so there’s a big education gap on what’s the cost to craftsmen and trying to get people to see things that they should last longer but you don’t necessarily have to hold on to that. So better buying less moving pieces on being okay with buying secondhand, they’re all big education pieces. that need to happen.
Juliet Morris
Because I think buying secondhand, good quality secondhand goods, and they’re starting to appear now. What’s the number one thing that you would encourage quieter? Leaders, introverts, whether it’s to build a portfolio career or go into fashion or something else. What tips would you give them?
Emma Wallace
My top three tips. One of the things is to identify and protect those times you need to recharge. I think you need to look after yourself to be able to like help other people and in those ways and be the expert at times. My second one is really then finding your own way to show up deep thinking that you have so those pieces we talked about. So really like avoiding spots or preparing all those small actions that add up and then the third one. Is find your tribe value that so if you feel like you’re not being valued for those things, to move, move on. Yeah, you can find your tribe who will value those things. There are lots of different ways that you can help build your network in any way you like. But you don’t have to be stuck in one.
Transcribed by https://otter.ai
SUMMARY KEYWORDS
people , fashion , build , bit , textiles , companies , big , explore , world , career , lots , impact , work , talking , roles , pieces , portfolio , learning , recycle , brand
