In Conversation with The W – Details, episodes & analysis

Lauren Conrad and Hannah Skvarla are the duo behind nonprofit fair trade shop, The Little Market. Through the platform, artisans are able to hand craft beautiful gifts and accessories, which is then sold, providing them with opportunities beyond simply a job role. 

Coming from very different backgrounds - Lauren is best known as the television personality from reality tv series The Hills, and Hannah comes from a family where she was always taught to give back, however the pair unified in one vision to create empowerment and economic autonomy for women globally.

Phadria Prendergast talks to Dina Ibrahimova and Hanushka Toni, the mother and daughter duo who created Sellier Knightsbridge, one of the leading pre-loved platforms for luxury pieces and the most reputable reseller of authentic super brands in the UK. Their roster of mostly one-off pieces include an array of luxury houses such as Chanel, Alaïa and Hermès.

Phadria Prendergast talks with Whitney Bromberg Hawkings, the CEO and founder of FLOWERBX, her online luxury flower delivery service boasting a global clientele including Tiffany & Co., Dior, Louis Vuitton and Bottega Veneta, after forging a name for herself following a 19-year tenure as Tom Ford’s right hand.  

Ahead of the multi-billion-dollar industry, FLOWERBX has broken the norms of traditional brick and mortar floral services, without compromising on quality or customer experience.

Phadria Prendergast talks with Jessica Witenberg, the Managing Director and President of Global Beauty at female-owned and-led product development agency twelveNYC, where she manages the EMEA team headquartered in London.

twelveNYC tells stories through custom private label products, curated gifts-with-purchase, innovative packaging vehicles, and thoughtful sustainable merchandise. Their clientele include some of the world's most recognized brands, including companies in the beauty, luxury, corporate, tech, and lifestyle spaces.

Phadria Prendergast talks with Kit Kemp MBE, the award-winning founder and creative director of Firmdale Hotels and the Kit Kemp Design Studios, where she works alongside her daughters Minnie and Willow. The family’s ever-growing empire boasts an array of boutique hotels and restaurants in New York and London including their 5 star hotels Crosby Street, Ham Yard and the Soho Hotel. The Kit Kemp Design Studio is highly regarded for its bespoke hotel and residential designs, also allowing for ready-to-purchase pieces designed by Kit and her design team, to be bought. Kit’s youngest daughters Minnie and Willow Kemp have begun earning a name for themselves at the Kit Kemp Design Studios, where they have spearheaded projects leading in the areas of collaborations and interior design for almost a decade.

Phadria Prendergast talks with Brooke Wall, the CEO and founder of leading management agency The Wall Group. She is recognised for ushering in the celebrity stylist and represents Hollywood’s most profiled makeup artists, stylists and hair stylists to the stars including the likes of Gigi Hadid and Nina Dobrev, alongside co-directors and Senior Vice Presidents Alison Bird who leads at the New York office and Kate Stirling who leads the LA office.

Phadria Prendergast talks with Marine Tanguy. Marine leads MTArt Agency, as its founder, continuously challenging the reigning structure of the traditional gallery. Her global roster of artists include Delphine Diallo and David Aiu Servan-Schreiber. 

Tanguy has been the mentee of some of the greats, from businessman Michael Ovitz to investor Yannick Pons. She has also been the muse for a number of fashion houses including Chloé and Tory Burch.

Phadria Prendergast talks with Sarah Curran-Usher, a retail expert, with mega brands such as Shop Direct and French Connection under her belt and currently acts as French Connection’s Non-Executive Director.

In 2006, she disrupted the retail industry when she launched My-Wardrobe, her luxury e-commerce with an offering of brands from Mulberry to Missoni.

Now, also as True Fit’s Managing Director, the world’s best and largest data set for fashion, she continues to thrive as a retail mogul.

Phadria Prendergast talks with Sabinna Rachimova, the forward-thinking designer and founder of her namesake, brand SABINNA. The female-led label is well known for its signature handcraft details, strong silhouettes and vibrant colour palettes. 

Rachimova also lectures at leading university, the University of the Arts London, where she teaches the next generation of fashion leaders. 

This week, we discuss whether sustainability is the new bandwagon, many brands are now claiming to have jumped on and what it takes to go the distance in any industry.

Phadria Prendergast talks with Noëlla Coursaris Musunka, a mother to tens of thousands through Malaika, her nonprofit organisation which she began in the village of Kalebuka, DRC. After experiencing firsthand, the lack of opportunities available to many young girls and women in the DRC, she knew she had to provide a solution. Alongside her team, Noëlla has built a school which provides an education to over 370 students each year, they have provided clean water through 20 newly built or refurbished wells and have given many young girls across Africa a chance at life.