Transcript

00:00:04 Introduction

Welcome. You are listening to Links at Bain and Gray. A catalogue of podcasts centred on all things business support in the workplace. Our aim is to bring you interesting and relevant content that will keep you up to date and thriving in your role.

00:00:17 Tray

Today I am talking to Ginnie Chadwyck-Healey, founder of BCH Style, writer, presenter, real focus on consumerism and and products and fashion and all great things. So Ginnie, welcome. Thank you for joining me today.

00:00:31 Ginnie

Thanks Tray.

00:00:32 Tray

For the benefit of our listeners today, would you please give me a bit of a brief synopsis of your career history to date?

00:00:38 Ginnie

So going right back to the beginning, I I went to Saint Andrews in Scotland and met my lovely husband, but more than that, I did an Art History degree, so really I should be at Christies or Sotheby's. But I knew deep down that I always wanted to work in fashion. And being really honest, I didn't really know what that meant. I thought I wanted to go to Central St. Martins. Anyway, I really squirrelled away. I built up my CV and I, right place, right time, I found myself at British Vogue and ended up staying for 12 years. So.

00:01:13 Tray

And that was your first job, post university?

00:01:14 Ginnie

That was my first job and you really start from the bottom and yeah, I mean, I didn't realise how much I was learning at the time, put it that way. But it was a great place to work. The Devil Wears Prada came out whilst we were there, everyone thinks it's horrible and bitchy and and it's really not. It was wonderful.

But I did start on the commercial side. So I was actually selling advertising. And then I clocked the job that I wanted to do and instead of you have to wait your turn, wait your turn. And and was the retail editor of Vogue. And and that was the job I ended up doing for about four years. Which, sort of led me on.

00:01:46 Tray

So what, 12 years later, what? What sort of was the moment where you thought about VCH Style and and how that was going to come about?

00:01:55 Ginnie

I'd love to know how many people can relate, but ultimately having had two children, I could not make it work. I couldn't make the finances work and I couldn't justify leaving my children, we'd moved out of London as well and commuting, and I remember I was running back through the station car park late back from a work event in Liverpool and I just, I don't like the dark and I thought, what am I doing? I think something's got to give and my husband actually said, do you know what you're bringing home the bags but you're not bringing home the bacon? So it's that annoying moment where you realise something's got to change.

And honestly, it actually was triggered, I guess, by The Telegraph picking up an article that I'd pitched, and it was simply called “I've I worked at Vogue for 12 years now. I've left. Here's what I really wear.” And it was that moment where I realised everything I'd learned at Vogue, worked on at Vogue, all those kind of “10 great items to ask for this Christmas” or “20 things you've got to have this spring”

I was like, the reality is women aren't shopping like that.

00:03:02 Tray

That's not people's real lives. Yeah. Yeah, I think that that point about motherhood juggling with the job will will resonate with lots of listeners. Um. So you thought there was going to be a sort of new career pathway. VCH Style, I think I'm right in saying starts out originally as a styling and potentially was going to be sort of personal styling and shopping with private clients.

00:03:20 Ginnie

Yeah.

00:03:26 Tray

And then it's sort of reinvented itself over the last few years. Is that right? Tell us about VCH Style.

00:03:30 Ginnie

So, to be honest, it's a reflection of what I did at Vogue as retailer today. You are pretty much public facing. You are wheeled out for events. You give trend talks to the industry insiders. I mean I was presenting the Vogue report to the fashion and beauty industry and so I kind of leant on my strengths and I love writing. So I I really was lucky to fall on my feet with the Telegraph as a contributor and started a regular column with them and I really enjoy public speaking. I don't get too nervous about it, but it was really encouraging women to find more confidence from their clothes. I think it's an age-old conundrum that so many women struggle with, so I really just used my network and I was fortunate enough to land my first event with Ralph Lauren as a styling event in store.

00:04:17 Tray

Hmm.

00:04:18 Ginnie

So yes, it was styling, but naturally I was basically saying to my clients “you really don't need to buy every item you see advertised” and combine that with this massive swell of activity in social media. I think people were getting more and more confused. And so I I got a bit bossy, to be honest and naturally, it led to an inclination to research more about sustainability, to understand the fabrics, to understand what's really going on behind the scenes at these brands in terms of forecasting and terms of workers’ rights in terms of asking the awkward questions. And then channelling that into my writing, but I'll be honest, it wasn't easy. I don't think mainstream media are still that interested in sustainability.

00:05:04 Tray

I was going to ask you about, you know, how you determine your message to the market because there's lots of, excuse the pun, but threads across the fashion industry in terms of sort of messaging and you know these companies are trying to acquire B Corp status in the in the fashion space is is becoming an increasing thing. But you might tell me that that's still very low level in that space. But how do you how do you determine what messaging you're putting to market. Or is this very personal to you in terms of what your own thoughts and drives are?

00:05:31 Ginnie

Yeah, I mean, I hate to admit it, everybody, but there was no business plan. I've never even written a business plan. It comes very naturally to me. And my main thing is that I have to tread a very fine line between encouraging and brainwashing because I am not a scientist. I'm not a sustainability expert. I have not studied it. No one has all the answers, not even the scientists. But so I tread this fine line in order to maintain attention of my audience, whether it's a you know my mother, reading The Telegraph or it's, you know, a kind of a lot of teenagers now getting in touch for work experience, which is great.

So there's an interest across a broad range. But if I start hounding people with information and making them feel guilty, quite frankly, they're gonna roll their eyes and turn on their heel and head straight back into Zara. And that's so I'm I'm in terms of my social media, I definitely strike a balance between serious content and really reminding people what their clothes are made of or the charities they should be supporting with their unwanted garments. But also I share like the fun side of my life with my kids and but I I don't want to kind of brainwash. Hopefully they get a balanced approach to both.

00:06:42 Tray

Yeah. Mm. It's interesting in terms of the different messaging around sustain the sustainability I suppose online are you able to see that there is more engagement with some of your messages than others? Perhaps sustainability being one of them?

00:07:03 Ginnie

Weirdly, one of my you know, I can see how many views various videos get, and honestly, one of the most successful things I've done is showing people how to get more wear out of their own wardrobes and just making a point that actually you don't need to be shopping at the rate we've all grown accustomed to, and and a dress that you buy in spring can easily work for winter, and that's what I then take as an idea, for instance, to what, after this I'm going to work with Boden and everyone would probably think, oh, they're not very sustainable, are they? Well, actually a machine as big as Boden you can't change overnight, but I get to put my own imprint on the on the editorial we create. So you sort of get that messaging out through consultancy, but also to my own audience.

But but I think there is an interest. Yeah. Yeah. And it's not going away. This topic is never going away in fact.

00:07:55 Tray

Well, I think you know your point there about buying fewer items and being more considered with what we're purchasing has got to be more relevant in this current economic climate than it's ever been.

00:08:04 Ginnie

Yeah. I mean, I dare I say it, but I feel like the only silver lining from this cost of living crisis, which we are all feeling. Obviously some more than others, but I do think that natural inclination would be to to just not shop because you can't afford it, and possibly that is a positive for those of us who are trying to encourage a slower pace of consumerism and consumption because there's a report recently that came out and and ultimately we should all be aiming to buy just five things every year if we really want to slow down. And I've just walked down Carnaby St and the colour and the glitter and the lights and the people standing in the street saying, do you want to come in and try this for free? It's really enticing. It's really it's quite overwhelming. Yeah.

00:08:53 Tray

It's a real pull. A marketing pull, isn't it? I mean it. It's five items sounds, sounds quite hard just to only buy 5 items.

00:09:01 Ginnie

But isn't that, isn't that great? I've actually the former editor of Harris Magazine told me about this, and she, Tiffany Dark is her name and she is doing it. And you know, you can rent and all that kind of thing, but ultimately it makes you think, do I really need it? What are the gaps in my wardrobe and will the novelty wear off? I think that's a big question for a lot of people because we're all used to photographing items and being seen at events, but ultimately it does make you reassess what you really get joy from, not even what you need. What? What do you get joy from in the long run and who can you perhaps hand it on to when the time comes, you know?

00:09:44 Tray

Do you think generations said, you know, the under 30s are are, are more conscious about purchasing and and and where they're spending their money and what they're spending it on?

00:09:52 Ginnie

Well, they're very vocal about values and I think that has probably prompted the shift in the fashion industry that most of us had hoped for a long time ago, but you know, they also get a lot of joy out of things, I think. And I'm only assuming it's because I don't have teenagers. But you know, Tray, we were talking about your children, you know, they don't necessarily go shopping anymore on a Saturday because everything's, you know, that they can have it at the flick, flick of a or top of a screen, as it were, so that notion of going shopping is no longer a pastime per say.

Because they get as much joy from going out for a frappuccino as they do from buying a new item of clothing. And also I think the trend right now is is probably athleisure, which is affordable to quite a broad range of society. And also the notion of shopping on Depop and reinventing something you were given and selling it on like that has prompted every brand to wake up and think, Oh my gosh, they're not. They're not the audience of the future, that we thought they were.

00:10:56 Tray

That is so true, you know, Vinted and Depop, you know of that's hugely popular with teenagers, aren't they? Yeah.

00:10:59 Ginnie

Mm, it's huge. Yeah.

00:11:03 Tray

What about trends versus personal style? You know, how does one decipher sort of fashion trends that come and go and and sort of spend money wisely?

00:11:12 Ginnie

Ohh this is such a great question because I mean, ultimately style I don't think can be bought. I think you you are your own person and I really encourage this. Whether it's me going through someone's wardrobe and decluttering or working with Smart Works, the charity I'm in an ambassador for.

You know, you own your own style. Clothing can help, but ultimately if you're someone that currently would admit to buying into every trend that you're reading about or seeing on social media or you know you're exposed to because we're exposed to it and we don't even realise it's happening, I think you possibly got to question is it filling a void that maybe there's something else that, you know, you could actually fill that moment with other than shopping and just like I said, slow down.

For me and I I speak as someone who has experience, I've amassed a great wardrobe, but I know my own style. And so I know what fits me and I'm really happy to say that I don't have a really clumpy pair of oversized boots because I know they look awful on me, but my goodness, I was tempted for the last two years. We've seen them on every body.

And I I was like, don't do it. Don't do it. So I know my own style, but I get it. It's hard when you're being, you know, shouted from every which way. So I would say you've got to start asking questions like, “do I really like this item or am I just, you know, following the crowd or my friends have all got it, so therefore I think I should?”, “Can I actually afford the item?”

I think most of us would admit to spending overspending. I think things like Klarna are really dangerous and actually they've been marketed in a really beautiful pink way, haven't they? To speak to an audience who really possibly can't afford to to shop at the rate that they want to. And I think you've also got to work out, have I have I already got five of whatever I'm looking to buy?

00:12:53

Hmm.

00:13:09 Ginnie

You know the the trend for oversized collars. I only have one, but I know people that bought 10 and you know what? It's it's over. And I say don't stop wearing them. But equally, don't be a slave to them. You know, just just choose what you really love and what you can afford and try to fill in the gaps of your wardrobe.

00:13:29 Tray

Yeah, makes complete sense.

And you write for Grazia and you contribute to The Telegraph. What drives the content of some of that? Is that all your personal sort of ideas and thoughts and curated sort of?

00:13:41 Ginnie

So I can honestly say The Telegraph have never said, by the way, you need to support this advertiser cause I make it a real point of by have have I got to support them in any way cause that's how it worked at Vogue. You know if you were Chanel you had to get your fair share of editorial coverage given the amount you were spending in the magazine in terms of advertising.

00:13:55 Tray

Right.

00:14:01 Ginnie

So at the Telegraph, I wasn't led by advertisers, which was great, and mostly I I was given the autonomy to to write about what I wanted and then COVID it sort of adapted to focus on British brands doing good and then it became more about finding those pieces that really will work long-term and their future-proof and perhaps you can adapt them to different occasions. So naturally I was bringing it into my writing.

But as I said earlier, I don't think mainstream media are really on top of it purely because you've got to keep the advertisers happy. Yeah. And if you've got Marks and Spencers spending X hundreds of thousands of pounds in advertising, you've got to give them that coverage. So if you then get Ginnie coming along saying “buy 5 items this year!”.

I'm sorry it's not gonna wash, so I have to be realistic, but I would definitely say my focus for Grazia in in going green, it's a tiny column, but it actually indicates that maybe there's an appetite amidst that audience, which I'm really pleased with. And I have a good relationship with the editor, but that's just more of a tips, like how to “go green”, in terms of fashion consumption, but ultimately I vet every item I recommend and that's quite a lot of work behind the scenes that I don't think people realise, so I always look at fabrics.

And I, you know, tend to look at the overall picture of the brand and there is a lot of green washing. So I probably don't get it right the whole time, but it's there's more research that goes into my writing than that people think.

00:15:25 Tray

Yeah, that might be apparent. Yeah. I mean, that's fascinating, though isn't it? You're doing all the legwork for your readers. That's great. How? With such a busy schedule, how do you organise yourself? Do you have a PA or how do you manage your admin?

00:15:37 Ginnie

Oh. No, I don't have a PA, but occasionally I do employ a remote PA for when I can see it's gonna get really busy and and that is a brilliant, brilliant resource that I've kind of learned of last year and.

00:15:52 Tray

I mean, that's great. Someone you can flex hours up and down and.

00:15:53 Ginnie

Yes. Well, someone who I actually go through my inbox because there's about 60 emails unread. I get a lot of dross …

00:16:00 Tray

Mm. That's not too bad, 60!

00:16:16 Ginnie

… Is that, I guess, I mean, yes, yeah, I got a press release on Love Island and the day before I got, you know, I'm getting press releases from everybody because as a journalist you get that amazing access. But do I really? I don't want to know about Love Island. I don't wanna know about Vogue Williams for Misguided or whatever it is.

00:16:19 Tray

Hmm.

00:16:20 Ginnie

And so you have to really sort through.

00:16:22 Tray

Yeah, sift through what's important and what’s not.

00:16:24 Tray

So what's next for you and VCH style?

00:16:27 Ginnie

So, I'm trying to juggle research with consultancy. So for instance, last week I was talking to a lady in Slovenia who I would actually really like to do some work with and I purely I just found her through a lot of research and then digging deep and finding her on YouTube. So I do I the research to me keeps keeps me I guess relevant and more of a a force for good. And which then leads into my consultancy because, like I said, this topic isn't going away.

I'm I've got a meeting, for instance, next week I've got a meeting with The Telegraph and I will. I will pitch some stories in a bid to kind of get back on track with that, and then I'm going off today to do consultancy for a brand I mean the big the big, the big projects are with the likes of Tencel, which is sustainable fabric. You know, there's there's so many avenues to tap into, but ultimately, and I think it's very important to cover this I have 3 children, I have a mortgage and I have to make money …

00:17:36 Tray

Yep, yep. Like most of us.

00:17:37 Ginnie

… Yeah, yeah, I have to, the research doesn't pay and so I have to be really candid about that. Like I I only have so much time to research, but ultimately. I have to also look for the next projects.

Yeah, I would also love to do a podcast, but that I would have to find a sponsor for. I think it's only gonna work if you have a, you know, a sponsor behind it.

00:17:55 Tray

Yep, yeah, absolutely.

So just as a bit of fun for as a sort of last question to you today, what three items if, well you said five actually, but if we're just buying three, what three items are kind of sort of fail-safe to have in your wardrobe, if we're buying a lot less in the future?

00:18:13 Ginnie

Well, because I thought everyone would guess what I was gonna say, I've slightly gone off piste, bar one, actually you know what, not really because they won't ever date. I

've opted for a pair of loafers because they are really easy to smarten up an outfit. And if you can get away with wearing a very smart pair of jeans to work on occasion, they look great with jeans too, and you could probably still hold your own in the boardroom with them. They also are great like with all those dresses that we've bought, which apparently are now out of fashion, that's a whole other topic.

Um, a striped shirt, because stripes will never date and thin stripes, wide stripes, you know, bright colours. It could be anything. I think they're they're very, very classic, very cool, and they can be worn undone with the polo neck underneath or they can be worn over a bikini or a swimsuit. They're they're very cool.

And this is really random. But I put scrunchies. I think scrunchies should come back. Tray, and I think they're not gonna break the bank. And they just add a bit more excitement to a ponytail or a bun, and I think we'll amazing.

00:19:24 Tray

Mm, amazing!

00:19:25 Ginnie

Haha! You weren’t expecting that were you!

00:19:25 Tray

No, I really wasn't! Scrunchies, you heard it here first.

00:19:30 Ginnie

Ah, I’ll get you a scrunchie!

00:19:33 Tray

Ah, Ginnie Chadwyck-Healey, thank you so much for talking to us today. It's been really interesting. Thank you so much. Thanks.