From banker to fashion - Libby London

Libby Hart, founder and owner of clothing line Libby London, launched her first fashion line in 2011, while she was still working in banking. Her career was rocketing fast and she was promoted to a senior directing role at the age of 28. She soon realised a massive gap in the market: good quality dresses that weren’t cheap looking, too expensive or uncomfortable.

“I hated dressing in suits and whenever I found dresses, they were either too mumsy, too boring, too expensive or too booby,” Libby says, explaining how she began to get annoyed by the low selection of quality business wear.

“If I didn’t want to spend a small fortune in a dress, the only options for proper business wear were basically places like Zara, but sometimes those dresses can be a bit inappropriate for a woman who wants to be taken seriously and works in the highest level of the game. They are a bit booby.”

Libby Hart

Tackling the problem first hand

“In my extreme naivety,” she laughs, “I decided that if I can’t find myself dresses, there is a gap in the market and I should try to fill that gap.” And so she did. 

She spent up to 5 years working as a banker by day and fashion retailer by night, until the growth of the business was too much for one woman to handle. Libby had to face the decision of either letting her career in banking, or her business go. We know what she decided to do.

“I really loved my career in banking and I had always been determined that I would be a chairman of Goldman & Sacks one day, but while doing this fashion business on the side, I started to realise that I could be a chairman of my own company and really give it a go.

“During my last year in banking the fashion business really started to take off and I was struggling to find the balance for both. It caught me by surprise,” she says adding that no-one really starts a business thinking that it will be the 'next big thing overnight.'

Positive attitude

Taking the final step of becoming an entrepreneur could feel daunting for some, but not Libby. Her positive attitude is without a doubt the reason she has done so well in everything she has put her mind into.

“I have always been almost stupidly ambitious thinking that everything is achievable for me. Not in an arrogant kind of way, more like thinking that there are always people who will make it as well, not only those who fail. 

“There are people who start and run successful businesses and I truly believed it could be me who can do that.” And she was not wrong.

Libby says that perseverance is the most important thing you need when starting a business and that resourcefulness is a great quality which will keep you going when you think you have hit the wall. 

“You will grow a thick skin over time for sure which is a painful process, but you need perseverance to succeed."

“People will help you in different things, but ultimately, you need to do things yourself and at first every little thing you don’t know is a massive challenge, but you learn along the way,” she assures.

Inspiration from powerful women

During her career Libby has both mentored, and been mentored by powerful women who have in time formed a close network which she often turns to for help and advice. 

“I have had some amazing mentors who have been senior people in the industry with a lot of knowledge and resources. I can’t say who they are, but they have been a tremendous help and an inspiration to me,” she says. Her own mentoring is also important to her:

“It gives me a lot to be able to mentor someone. It makes me appreciate where I started and how far I have come in a very small time.” The very tight network of other business women has helped her many times along the way. 

“Sometimes we share information like factory details, and sometimes I just need someone to talk to about my emotions or about some challenge and they have all been there. They know how it feels like and can support.”

Only dinosaurs think tattoos are not suitable for workplace

Long time ago, tattoos might have been the symbol of hard life, prisoners, sailors, prostitutes and exotic countries, but in todays modern society, one fifth of British adults have one.

Luckily for us “heavily tattooed modern folk”, tattoos are now becoming increasingly harmless across a variety of workplaces and situations.

Starbucks, for example, which used to be the leading business in the mainstream uptightness around the world, has recently (finally) given in and approved tattoos for their staff. In this world of boosting individualism, especially in a city like London, many employers now value our differences and ways of expressing it. Many even see it being good for their business concept that their individuals stand out.

Obviously we are not talking about offensive tattoos here, as those can indeed have an impact on how professional a customer or a future client sees a person. We are talking about little cute things like dolphins around an ankle.

(Did you notice how I used the tattoo of Samantha Cameron, wife of our current PM, as an example here?)

Employers and the perfect world!

In a perfect world all candidates for any position wouldn’t be judged by their appearance, with or without tattoos, but by their professional skills and merits of their work.

However, we do know by now that not judging a book by its cover has never really worked for the business world before, and is unlikely to work any time soon.

As long as “old dinosaurs", the white middle-aged male who ru(i)n the majority of businesses in London, get their way, tattoos will be covered under jackets and skirts, turning the business world into grey mass of emotionless achievers.

“I would never even want a job where my tattoo would be a problem,” said Annika, a Senior Consultant who has a big skull with roses in her left arm.

“It is so important to like the atmosphere at the office and the culture of the company, so I think that in a place where tattoos in general would be a problem, I would not feel comfortable anyway.”

Even though she proudly carries her skull anyway, all the comments about her tattoo have been positive on her workplace.

“If someone is doubtful about the affect of a tattoo in a workplace, then maybe they need to have another thought about having one in the first place. They are forever so you need to be sure in all that comes with it,” she said.

Inappropriate or not? 

When looking at the recent statistics, a strict no-tattoo-policy would remarkably cut down excellent candidates for any role so it seems like a no-brainer, but there are other kind of statistics too.

Forbes published a 2011 study by CareerBuilder which shows that 31% of surveyed employers ranked “having a visible tattoo” as the top personal attribute that would sidetrack them from promoting an employee, 76% of respondents felt tattoos and piercings hurt an applicant’s chances of being hired during a job interview and 42% felt visible tattoos were always inappropriate at work.

There has been no reliable statistics from the UK recently, but it has been argued that the amount of people with at least one tattoo was close to 20 million in 2013. What is certain though, is that people in all walks of life have them. We should not try to fit in the same template.

People should stop being afraid of the dinosaurs who fight for their dear lives in the business world. Their time is done and a confident, high achieving woman with a visible tattoo can drive them to extinct better than a meteor ever could.

101 for Women in Business

All the channels available today have, however, given the “internet national” generation a possibility to brand, sell and work themselves as a desirable employee purpose-built for their potential employer.

Never under-estimate how important social media is for getting noticed and being visible, but also how damaging it can be if not managed effectively. And remember, your LinkedIn profile might open you the door, but your personality needs to support your online brand.

How to start building your brand

Make a plan and spend a lot of time before your job search making sure you have a clear and specific goal on what you want to accomplish in your career or in the next few years. Think about who you really are, what you stand for, what your values are and what motivates you in life. What are your strong personality characteristics, your talents and strengths?

Make sure YOU know exactly who you are, so you will be able to sell yourself.

“New employers will be looking for authentic confidence, good personal presentation that is appropriate for the role you will be in and for their corporate brand,” said Lesley Everett, the creator and founder of Walking TALL which is a methodology for building original personal brands.

“They want to know about ‘you’ not just what you’ve achieved so far, and to ensure that your communication skills in all forms are of a high standard.“ 

We live in an even faster moving world, where we are forced to make decisions quickly, have limited attention spans and where trust and like-ability are at the fore-front of our sub-conscious minds when we chose to work with, promote, recruit and build relationships with individuals,” Everett said.

The part of social media

You must know by now that each post made on social media sites is a layer added to your personal brand. A certain carefulness is always good to keep in mind. Before posting, ask yourself: ’Would I care if my boss saw this?’

Also, those warnings your mother gave you are worth considering - whatever is added to the internet, could very well stay there even if deleted later.

The first steps in branding should always include taking a closer look on your existing accounts and ‘cleaning’ them up.

“I recently pointed out to a young guy, who has a lot of talent and drive, that his profile picture with his hand gesture as it was, and a certain comment in a post about the police should be changed immediately,” said Lesley Everett.

Her advice on social media use is: “You need a LinkedIn profile with a good, clear and professional head and shoulders photo and a strong summary statement. On Facebook make sure you have your settings so that when you are tagged in a photo you know about it to delete if necessary. 

“Twitter is great for building a presence if you have an area of interest or expertise, and great as a tool for research and following relevant people or companies. Always ask yourself before posting – is this in-line with my personal brand and how I want to be perceived in the professional world? 

“Just remember, that your personal brand is about being who you really are and being the best you can be. Just take time to define it, refine it and project it consistently in all you do,” she said.

Lisa Christensen

Women in business

Women in business can succeed if they remember one simple tip, according to Lisa Christen, the Founder and Managing Director of Christen Consulting. She said: “You have to take the action and control your own destiny. Don’t sit back and wait for others to recognise your work, give you a promotion, hire you for a job or tell you your opinion matters.”

“The best way to get noticed for a job is to network, network, network offline... and then use online to stay recent and relevant in a potential employer’s mind,” Lisa said.

The trick, Lisa explains, in selling your brand forward is to take part in the social media conversation. Weekly, post links to interesting articles or provide insightful and interesting comments on LinkedIn, XING, and other social media platforms. Show initiative and give your brand some coverage and visibility.

In the world of business, women should empower each other and surround themselves with other strong and confident women. Your brand should be one that works as a positive force for others.

In the world of social media and information, there is a great amount of knowledge your future employer can gather even before inviting a candidate into an interview.

Adventure awaits

“I just want to start by saying that sailing is not the best career option” says Hannah White who’s surprisingly an adventurer, sailor and TV presenter talking on the Adventure Travel Show, Kensington. She admits at just 31, she is still “sort of” in her gap year.
  

She is one of many travel and adventure experts who will spread inspiration and give advice based on their own experiences around the world. 

Hannah recently got engaged on top of the Mount Everest base camp during sunrise, but assures that you can have an adventure everyday without having to spend a lot of money. “The world is everywhere for us to discover, we just need to start doing rather than sit at home dreaming about doing it,” she says. Hannah sailed the Atlantic on her own three times, but says the most epic things she has done have been the cheapest things she has done with her friends.

Felicity Aston on her expedition. (Photo from her website)

Get out of the tent

If you think that Hannah’s solo trips were impressive, the next speaker certainly knows what the word ‘alone’ means. In 2012 Felicity Aston became the first woman to have crossed the Antarctica by skiing solo. Her 1084 mile and 60 day adventure truly made her an expert of persistence. 

After watching the plane that dropped her to the Polar region disappear to the horizon, she sat down and cried. Terrified of the adventure ahead, the reality sunk in: “I was supposed to know what I was doing. It was not my first expedition, but after a month or so, I became sure that I could not finish. Every morning I had to keep pushing myself to get out of the tent,” she describes.

She later started to value her stubbornness more than ever before. The motivational message she wants to share with other people is to keep getting out of the tent.

She says:  “it doesn’t matter how fast you are going or for how long, what matters is that you are making progress.”

Let’s talk adventure

Both ladies have created a brand out of themselves and make a living by going on different adventures. However they say that it is a demanding career that involves a lot of determination to succeed.

The travel show introduced several ways to see and learn about the world we live in. The best buzz seemed to be around the Globetrotters stands, where people exchanged travel experiences.

The club has a meeting every month in Covent Garden, and if you are planning a trip, there is a huge chance that someone in the meeting is able to give you excellent advice. The world is full of amazing places and adventures. 

“My favourite is India,” says Sandra Reekie, a travel advisor from the Globetrotters Club in London, who has visited more countries than she can count.

“On the other hand, being married to this lady for 49 years, I can tell you that if you ask the same question again tomorrow, the answer has changed,” says David Reekie jokingly and continues: “Sometimes it is India, Syria the next day, Iran or Afghanistan, often middle east in general, but it changes a lot,” he laughs.

Sandra laughs along, but reasons her choice of the day: “Nowhere else have I seen a naked man walking casually down the street, or an elephant turn over a tuk-tuk on a busy road, but in India that is just the kind of things you see everyday. And it is normal there. It will widen your understanding of the world.”

She continues: “But the nicest people I have ever met have been in Pakistan. The Pakistani people are just so welcoming and amazing you just don’t believe it when you read the papers back home. It is just a phenomenal culture with such hospitality and the people are the highlight.”

“I told you,”  David laughs adding a little nibble of information they learned while in Pakistan last time. “It is the rule of tea. The first time a Pakistani invites you to have tea with them, you are a stranger and a quest. Second time you are a friend. And if they have tea with you the third time - you are family. And by family, I mean that they would take a bullet for you.”

“What we always want to do, is give something back to the community when we visit,” Sandra says. She explains that it is wrong to think travelling only brings fortune to the places where tourism is the main industry.

“You don’t want to take resources away from the people and add to their burden. You want to leave something good behind instead,” Sandra says, hoping that people would think responsibly when visiting a different culture. 

Volunteering or small donations can make a huge difference, or you can even highlight the problems you face after visiting. 

More than an award

Imagine you’re walking down the red carpet. There are flashing lights everywhere and photographers are screaming your name. Interviewers are dying to ask you questions. You’ve recently been in a hit film. Everyone knows your name. Where are you? Who are you? You’re at the BAFTAs of course.

One of the most prestigious awards in film and theatre, every British arts personality dreams of winning a BAFTA award. Why? What is it about this award that drives actors and can consume them?

On face value, the BAFTA is nothing more than a shiny metal award but it is the notion behind this award that makes it the best award for any British actor to win. Meryl Streep has gone on record of saying she feels “humbled” to win a BAFTA – this should give you an idea of how desperately celebrities want this award if even Meryl feels this way!

The BAFTA is so much more than the award itself. There’s the pre-party, the award ceremony and the after-party. All three are attended by glamorous and exclusive A List celebrities. However, the less know side of the BAFTAs is the all-inclusive backstage exhibition, which, as long as you have a ticket, can be attended by any member of the public.

You can feel the inspiration as you walk through the halls decorated with pictures of celebrities gracing the all famous red carpet and taking to the stage to give their acceptance speech. Katie Russell, a drama student at the exhibition, says it was “amazing to think blood, sweat and tears go into winning this award.” The 22-year-old is currently studying at Guildhall School of Music and Drama and describes the actual award gong itself as “pretty small” for how prestigious it is. She wasn’t disappointed with seeing the award but she was surprised at the size of it.

Preeti Sarania is one of the many tour guides who were on hand to inform and answer questions. Although the BAFTA awards will not take place until 8^th February, so much work has already gone into the event. Invites have been sent, entertainment has been booked and stars have picked out their outfits in anticipation of making the ‘best dressed list.’

Many stars have walked the infamous red carpet, such as Lisa Maxwell.
Photo credit; damo1977

The tour guide says the exhibition offers members of the public a chance to “view a glimpse” of the work that goes into putting on the award ceremony. Preeti explains that some people travel far to see the exhibition because of how prestigious the BAFTAs actually are. She says, “It’s humbling because for me, I’m just going to work, but when I speak to someone who has travelled far to see this, it makes me realise how much people want to be part of this process.”

The infamous red carpet was shown at the exhibition. Many celebrities have walked on this carpet and have impressed, or disappointed, the world with their outfits. A hall of fame has been set up at the exhibition to show some of the best and the worst dressed celebrities that have attended the BAFTAs. Everyone from Brad and Angelina to Kerry Howard has been invited to the award ceremony.

This year’s exhibition displayed five exclusive images taken by Cornel Lucas, the only photographer who has won a BAFTA award for his services to the film industry. He won his BAFTA in 1998 and to this day, no one has followed in his footsteps. Lucas has since gone on to become a globally recognised photographer and has made a name for himself in the photography world.

Of course there are only a small handful of people who get to go to the actual award ceremony. The big A List stars will be there and the best reporters will be there hoping to get the exclusive scoop.

According to Preeti, you have to be “the best of the best” in order to go to the award ceremony. Anyone who attends the BAFTAs on behalf of a news institution is expected to get an exclusive scoop that will make their story stand out from the rest.

So why is this award seemingly better than the rest? What is it that makes top British actors desperate to win this award?

Photo credit; Rev Stan

“The stigma attached to a BAFTA award is so great that for a drama fan, like me, there would be no bigger prize to get your hands on,” says Katie Howlett, a drama teacher at Walthamstow Academy. The teacher beams at the thought of one of her students winning a BAFTA. “It would be an honour,” says the teacher if a student of hers won the award. 

The West End Wonder

Thirteen-year-old Kira Gorman couldn’t stop staring at the bright lights in front of her. Watching the West End hit ‘Defying Gravity’ being belted out made the teenager realise her passion. It was this moment Kira knew what she wanted to do with her life, she wanted to write about the West End.

Photo credit; Andy Roberts

Kira, now 21, started her own blog, The WestEnd Voice, which has gone on to amass an incredible amount of readers and subscribers. The blog gains thousands of hits every month. Kira says, “It still has a way to go before it is of an acceptable standard in my eyes but I get consistent viewing figures from around the world which I am very pleased about.”

For us, The West End Voice stands out from similar West End based blogs because it also features exclusive interviews with West End stars. Kira has interviewed Miss Honey from Matilda (Emily Shaw) and Neil McPherson who is the artistic director of Finborough Theatre.

Not only that, the writer is a far cry from the West End stereotype. Kira’s blog offers a fresh breath of reviewing to the West End world. Is this a sign of the old fashioned way of reviewing moving on? We think so!

Not bad for a thirteen-year-old girl who went to see Wicked with her family. The West End Voice is an original blog, which features reviews, performance times and so much more. Looking at the blog, you wouldn’t think the writer is a final year university student.

Kira is part of a social group called #LDNTheatreBloggerswhich is made up of people with an avid mutual interest in theatre. For Kira, this group is essential for helping her to develop her ideas and keeping her motivated to work towards her dream.

“We are a growing group of theatre and lifestyle bloggers who regularly have meet ups and outings to shows and we have even been invited to events as a collective group such as Dirty Rotten Scoundrels digital press night and Into the Woods private screenings. It is lovely to be part of a wider group who have the same interests and can help you get contacts,” Kira says.

Rebecca Felgate, a 26-year-old former university student, set it up. She says she wishes she thought to set up the group earlier because since leaving university she realises a lot of employers look for experience. “We want to help develop and support writers of all strengths and experience levels who are forward thinking enough to run their own blog,” the Official Theatre editor says.

Rebecca has helped Kira develop the West End Voice blog. It all started when she voiced her ideas which Kira’s friends and family really liked and with the help from #LDNTheatreBloggers, the West End Voice became a blog which attracts more attention than Kira thought possible.

The #LDNTheatreBloggers are able to obtain free tickets to see West End shows. Rebecca said she had arranged a group outing to see Les Misérables, which Kira was attending. This is one of Kira’s favourite West End shows.

According to Rebecca, Kira is one of the more proactive members of the group because she runs her own blog and she has managed to get exclusive interviews with West End stars; something you wouldn’t expect from a 21-year-old!

Rebecca says, “Having strong interests in something, such as a hobby, helps you stand out from the crowd. Similarly, those who have developed their own blog and built up their work experience portfolio also look like more attractive candidates for employment.”

Kira falls into this category thanks to her outstanding blog. She has recently won second place in Jonny Ross’ Top 12 Female Bloggers in London award. To even be considered by one of the top social media agencies is amazing. The student says, “To be successful in something you have to have a passion for it and I hope my passion for theatre shines in my blog. That doesn't mean I rave about everything I see because some productions have been less than pleasing but it means you have background knowledge for the industry which influences your writing.”

Are single sex schools all they’re cracked out to be?

“Single sex teaching works when you have the correct people in place,” says Hamayon

Pramanik, Head of Communications at Forest School.

Forest School in Waltham Forest, is a single sex school with a twist; both boys and girls attend the school.

Forest School teach children in mixed classrooms between four and seven years old and then children are separated when they reach the age of seven. From there children are taught in separate classes however they do spend break times and lunchtime together.

“At that age boys and girls learn differently,” says Hamayon. He explains that each gender tends to be more confident without the other in class. At Forest School there are a lot of girls who choose to study physics, which is commonly a ‘man’s subject.’ Likewise a lot of boys study drama. He says this is due to the fact classes are separated which allows each student to excel in class without the pressure of the other sex being in the room.

This alone should be a good indication that single sex classrooms work if each sex is performing better without the other in the room. Surely if your child is going to perform better in a single sex environment, why wouldn’t you go for this option? Surely isn’t it better to allow your child to get the grades they need so they are able to start their career?

Here at La Dolce Vita we believe getting the grades so you can get the best start in your career is vital. It’s not the only way to start your career but it is the most common way. It can be argued that people who attended a single sex school are more confident in the working environment because they have been encouraged to be secure during their school days. This is an important transferable skill to take into the workplace.

Single sex schooling is traditional in the United Kingdom. The first mixed school in the UK was founded in 1893 in Hampshire. Since then mixed schools have become more and more common to the point where single sex schools are in the minority nowadays. Forest School is no exception to this tradition as it was initially a boy’s school and when girls were finally accepted it “made sense” to teach each gender separately, Hamayon says.

Councillor Mark Rusling says children and young people tend to perform better when they are in single sex classes because statistics show they are “less distracted” when the opposite sex is not in the same classroom as them.

Whether this is the reality or whether it’s all psychological is a different matter but what can be determined is that this is the case because Forest School came fourth in the Waltham Forest School League table. Another single sex school, Connaught School for Girls, came third.

Councillor Rusling, who oversees children and young people in Waltham Forest Council, says that the fact two schools where the children are taught in a single sex environment came third and fourth in the table “speaks for itself.” Single sex schools dominate the Waltham Forest League table’s top five places and this is why the councillor believes single sex schools are good for the borough.

Photo credit; Dan Brickley

Looking at the wider picture, single sex schools across the country tend to perform better than mixed schools. This does not apply to every single sex school because it depends on who is teaching the children and how they are being taught, however this is an accurate sweeping statement. For example, the top school in North East England is a single sex school.

It is not clear why boys and girls learn differently however Hamayon Pramanik, Head of Communications at Forest School, suggests girls need more direction than boys. He says in a single sex classroom, boys are more confident and are more likely to take risks whereas girls need to “work to rules” and need to work as part of a process. Theories like his could explain why single sex schools gain better academic results because they are able to adapt their teaching methods to suit each gender. Obviously this isn’t practical in a mixed classroom where both genders are present so the teacher has to teach to suit all needs.