#30 TRACEY WOODWARD - from beauty counter girl to CEO with a cosmic shopping list

03/29/20 • 42 min

A vision of a world built with integrity.

Having left school at 15 to work in a chemist then later moving on to the Clinique beauty counter in Debenhams in Croydon at 18, to recently stepping down as CEO for Aromatherapy Associates, Tracey Woodward’s career to date has been a story of sheer determination and passion.

Rising above a challenging upbringing and being illiterate till almost 15 years old, Tracey’s approach to life and her career in the beauty and wellness industry is positive, uplifting and playful.

Contributing to the development and success of many brands including Estée Lauder, Donna Karan and Marks & Spencer Beauty, Tracey is one lady who means business. At the age of 26, Tracey was in charge of - what was at the time the largest beauty hall in the world - Travel Retail at Heathrow Terminal 1, later increased Aveda’s sales from 800,000 to 10.8million in less than 4 years and delivered double-digit growth for Urban Retreat in Harrods year-on-year for 9 years.

Turning her hand to a new opportunity alongside her ex-husband, Tracey opened East Dulwich Deli, then later put an East Dulwich Deli cafe in Harrods. She has also worked with the Prince’s Trust, Action for Children, Beanstalk Literacy Charity, Terrence Higgins Trust, CEW (Cosmetic Executive Women) and Eve Appeal to name but a few.

Tracey is incredibly inspiring and practical and believes ‘If I can do it, anyone can do it. You’ve just got to have a plan.’

In our podcast Tracey Woodward and Jodi Muter-Hamilton discuss:

Tracey’s prolific career and passion for learning and evolving
The importance of building strong relationships with yourself and others
The art of being vulnerable and asking for help
Mindfulness, empathy and kindness
Tracey’s go-to beauty products
Recently working on the UK’s first clean beauty store, Holland and Barrett in Birmingham

www.blackneondigital.com

Rising above a challenging upbringing and being illiterate till almost 15 years old, Tracey’s approach to life and her career in the beauty and wellness industry is positive, uplifting and playful.

Tracey is incredibly inspiring and practical and believes ‘If I can do it, anyone can do it. You’ve just got to have a plan.’

In our podcast Tracey Woodward and Jodi Muter-Hamilton discuss:

Tracey’s prolific career and passion for learning and evolving
The importance of building strong relationships with yourself and others
The art of being vulnerable and asking for help
Mindfulness, empathy and kindness
Tracey’s go-to beauty products
Recently working on the UK’s first clean beauty store, Holland and Barrett in Birmingham

www.blackneondigital.com

Previous Episode

#29 JESSICA MICHAULT - from Suzy Menkes’ assistant to global fashion guru

Towards the end of last year, we had the pleasure of working with a really great client, Puig (a third-generation family-owned fashion and fragrance business based in Barcelona and Paris, that owns brands including Dries Van Noten, Paco Rabanne and Christian Louboutin (beauty), to explore lots of topics close to our heart. It also gave us the opportunity to invite global fashion guru, Jessica Michault, to be part of our trip to Paris and Barcelona.

Having studied political science - not your typical route into an incredible career in fashion - Jessica’s first job at 23 was as a research assistant at the International Herald Tribune.

After about a year, ‘not knowing anything about fashion, nor who Suzy Menkes was’, Jessica applied for a job to be Suzy Menkes’ assistant. Her naivety was actually a blessing, as without it Jessica may never have had the courage to apply for and subsequently win the much-coveted job as assistant to the world respected fashion critic.

Working side-by-side Suzy Menkes for 16 years has given Jessica the best training a fashion journalist could have, which has led to her working with brands such as Miu Miu, Boucheron and Mulberry, plus having articles published in The New York Times, Business of Fashion and throughout multiple Vogue magazines worldwide.

Jessica is editor-at-large of the biannual fashion bible ODDA Magazine, SVP Industry Relations for Launchmetrics (the ultimate marketing platform & analytics solution for fashion and beauty), writer at L'Officiel Paris and Vogue Japan, and ignited digital fashion journalism with her 60 Second Fashion Reviews and Fashion Your Seatbelt podcast.

In our short and sweet interview, our founder, Jodi Muter-Hamilton and Jessica discuss:

What it’s like to work with Suzy Menkes for 16 years
The pace of fashion from 60 second fashion show reviews to collectable fashion publications
How data can support sustainability
If we still travel around the world to see for fashion shows in the future
How Jessica’s love of horse riding keeps her grounded www.jessicamichault.com www.blackneondigital.com

Next Episode

#31 WILLIAM DEFEBAUGH - creating a new narrative between climate and culture with Atmos Magazine

Atmos Magazine is beautiful, eloquent and inspires action. The biannual publication delivers a culturally-led luxury fashion feel with the substance of the National Geographic. Atmos was founded by Jake Sargent, who previously managed Monocle’s retail and product collaboration development before taking up the position of joint Creative Director alongside Daniel Corrigan for the premium denim brand Simon Miller. In 2017 Jake founded Magic Hour, an early-stage venture capital fund with a portfolio of brands that spans wellness, social consciousness, environment, food and fashion with the common thread to inspire change and transform consumer behaviour.

Following a reconnection through a mutual friend, Jake and William Defebaugh began to bring Atmos to life. Will’s career in fashion publishing began after moving to New York to intern at Vogue Magazine. After working at GQ Magazine, Will moved to the distinctively cool, culture obsessed, V Magazine, where during 5 years there, rose from assistant to Editor.

Why would you leave a career that appears from the outside the perfect example of a focused and driven fashion professional? Well, after experiencing what Will calls ‘fashion fatigue’ ne hit a turning point around the time of the Trump election and decided to use nir voice as a writer and editor to make a difference in the world. As someone who leads a consciously connected life, and helps others to live in alignment, Will could no longer be part of a system perpetuating consumerism.

Now as Editor-In-Chief of Atmos, Will has created a new narrative between climate and culture to re-connect us with nature and ourselves. Recognising that we have become divorced from the very thing that sustains us - the Earth - Will opens up the channels of communication between an aesthetic that we desire and the insight that we crave.

After recently launching Atmos Magazine Volume 3 entitled Flourish / Collapse we caught up with Will to talk to about; life in the fashion industry, the concept behind the title of Atmos Magazine’s latest publication and the Future Earth Day project.

https://atmos.earth

www.blackneondigital.com