10 months ago, Roberta Einer was still in school. She studied at Westminster, my school (London College of Fashion's) sister school. Today however, flipped from ten months ago, Roberta is at the front of the class, instead of in it, sharing with us her crazy journey and lessons learned. Talk about a prodigy.
If I didn't walk out of that talk feeling like the pressure was on for the next 10 months.. then something would be wrong. One couldn't help but leave in awe.

"She's just like us though?" said one of my fashion friends. Yes. She is just like us. Because unlike the other industry professionals that had come to talk to us with their life lessons, she looked, talked, and dressed like us 20 somethings.
Which was pretty fucking rad if you ask me.


Working days at school and embroidering in the likes of Alexandre McQueen and Balmain into the night: Roberta had the passion and fuel needed to launch her brand. But it wasn't always her intention, as she explained to us today, she never actually anticipated creating her own brand.

After she graduated, instead of going on holiday like her friends, she worked. She milked every opportunity that came her way, that led her from strength to strength: from insta-fame, to her feature in American Vogue, to a deal with Asian fashion mogul I.T. Hong Kong, and incredibly a partnership with Saks Fifth Avenue ("Can you be in new York by tomorrow night" she was told!).

With couture embellishments to drool over, and price points rivaling that of Gucci, being launched into luxury-dom in a matter of 10 months is merely a fantasy for most.

Gucci SS16, a competitor of Roberta.

Roberta Einer SS16

But it wasn't without merit; when I asked her how she got the confidence to play on this global playing field, with lawyers, numbers, and no PR agency to support her, so young and fresh: she laughed and responded that she had never cried so much, than in those first few months.

I would too: mass conglomerates chasing after you, trying to buy your brand.
When she applied to the BFC for their New Gen support scheme, they advised her to lower her price point and get an MA.

But Roberta saw her training, materials, and brand as luxury. Rightly so. Therefore she stuck by her guns and listened to herself... and look at her now.


"Don't listen to people, but question yourself" she said. "You need to be self critical". Was one of my favourite pieces of advice today.

As well as the way she measures her success by the autonomy of her brand:
"When you can go on holiday and close your computer for a week: that's how you rate your success".

When we asked what her next step was; 'online retail', such as Net-a-Porter, she suggested would be nice: but right now she is just focusing on delivering.
"It's my baby" she said, as I have heard time and time again from many others like her in this classroom.

I hope to one day be as young yet powerful, decided yet successful, and as grounded and driven, as Roberta Einer.
..and perhaps have my own little luxury brand baby to love and care for..

Keep your eyes on her. She's the one to watch.

Tonight is, again, one of the decidedly more extravagant and exciting nights of my life.
The event tonight was a celebration to welcome Manolo's new Burlington Arcade store.
It was held by Vogue, and Mr. Blahnik was interviewed by Vogue's Ginnie Chadwyck-Healey (who I met already at the Vogue Night Out event at Westfield end of 2015).

The event was; as illustrated by my photo's, a classy sophisticated evening with canope's, champagne, and hot chocolate vodkas.
The event, as my photo's also illustrate, was ever-so-slightly blurry. Considering the wonderful array of cocktails my mother and I had just before the event.. ..

So my mother and I arrived; teetering over across the street from Peyote where we had what turned out to be 'pre-drinks'.
Despite our slightly giddiness: we managed to keep our cool.
Until my name wasn't on the guestlist [when it should have been] and I had to do step away.
Compose myself, and do little of what us PR's do best. ;)

A few seconds into round two; my booze-fuelled apparent charisma and charm, managed to get me and my mother into the event.
Emphasising, as well, for the third time: this was a classy event; which didn't help with the suitcase size noisy paper ZARA HOME bag we lugged into the event.
Teetering on it's own is a challenge. With a shopping bag the weight of a toddler leads into a little bit more of a kind of game of bumper cars with waiters, guests and such.

But alas: I shall let the [hopefully not too blurry] images do the talking!