Raw Talent with Fiona Abrahams – Details, episodes & analysis

In Series 5 Episode 2 of Raw Talent, I am joined by Alice Heusser, the Founder & Creative Director of Kitani London. 

Alice is a dynamic and business-savvy individual focused on achieving results. She possesses a global perspective and an entrepreneurial drive that will shape our discussion as we look at her experience at the helm of two successful fashion labels and the evolution of her stunning new brand, Kitani London, launched in June 2024, born from a deep-seated passion for wellness, sustainable clothing, homeware and conscious living.

The Raw Talent podcast series. Sharing career stories from across the fashion, beauty and creative industries.

We are kicking off Season 5, Episode 1 of Raw Talent with a compelling chat with educator and coach Sasha Damjanovski. Sasha has enjoyed a multifaceted career as an award-winning writer, director and producer in film, TV and theatre, he has also cultivated a career in business communications and as a psychological counselling and CBT coach, as well as an educator at Central Saint Martin's in Applied Imagination, which is a research degree.

The Raw Talent podcast series. Sharing career stories from across the fashion, beauty and creative industries.

In Series 4, Episode 1 of Raw Talent we're heading to Ipswich to chat with Matthew Rawlings Retail Director of Coes, one of the UK’s largest independent fashion retailers. Matthew has extensive expertise across all aspects of retail operations including product, high-end store management, area management, buying, merchandising, financial planning and team development. 

He brings a warm and engaging leadership style that gets the best out of individuals and creates happy high performing teams. Exactly what you'd expect at a business at the forefront of style that is constantly pushing for innovation. Where service excellence and selecting the best styles with customers in mind is at the heart of what they do.

The Raw Talent podcast series. Sharing career stories from across the fashion, beauty and creative industries.

Welcome to Series 3, Episode 10 of Raw Talent where we are back in London diving into brand development, communications and investment with John Hoffman, Partner at the New Spirit Group and ex-Chairman of The Communications Store, now Science Magic Inc.  

John was at the helm during the evolution of The Communications Store into Science Magic Inc. with the mission of building, partnering with and investing in the brands and people of tomorrow using Science, Magic and Experience.

The Raw Talent podcast series. Sharing career stories from across the fashion, beauty and creative industries.

Welcome to Series 3, Episode 9 of Raw Talent, where we are back in London sneaking a peek behind the scenes at emerging menswear brand Basic Rights with MD Jack Gove. Basic Rights was founded in New York and launched in Electric Lady Studios in 2016 by guitarist Freddie Cowan of The Vaccines, before relocating to East London in 2018. They believe in style combined with fabric, fit and finish. Ethical transparency and sustainable practices are at the forefront of the brand's values in creating elevated essentials, designed as off-duty uniforms for modern creatives. 

The message is about getting the basics right.

The Raw Talent podcast series. Sharing career stories from across the fashion, beauty and creative industries.

Welcome to Series 3, Episode 8 of Raw Talent, where we are hanging in London and experiencing a French twist with footwear designer Léa Zana who is also the founder of emerging homeware brand Vaisselle Boutique, founded during lockdown as a homage to all the favourite restaurants and bistros Léa is missing. 

Léa confesses that the food she cooks is terrible and she had to find a way to make it tasty and yummy.

So she designed a range of kitchen and decoration essentials inspired by Spanish antique ceramics with a colourful twist. All the items are interchangeable so you can create your OWN tablescape. By the way, in case you're wondering what Vaisselle means... it’s the French word for crockery.

The Raw Talent podcast series. Sharing career stories from across the fashion, beauty and creative industries.

Welcome to Series 3, Episode 7 of Raw Talent, where we are back in London exploring the world of brand consultancy with Erin Mullaney whose experience has been honed in luxury fashion working at Selfridges, Browns Fashion, Avenue32 and Tom Ford before stepping out as a luxury fashion consultant guiding brands on PR, marketing & creative direction, buying & merchandising, product development, range planning, global pricing, digital strategy and distribution channels.

The Raw Talent podcast series. Sharing career stories from across the fashion, beauty and creative industries.

Welcome to Series 3, Episode 6 of Raw Talent, where we are heading to Ireland and jumping into the world of AR with Allen Wixted and exploring how Augmented Reality is helping bring furniture to life inside your home, which is an ideal solution for brands with physical stores impacted by lockdown, online brands and consumers looking for new furniture and homeware items.

Plop have harnessed ingenious technology that allows you to place an item of furniture in your home on your mobile so that you can see what it looks like before you buy. 

The Raw Talent podcast series. Sharing career stories from across the fashion, beauty and creative industries.

Welcome to Series 3, Episode 5 of Raw Talent, where we are heading into the world of design with Creative Directors Rob Warner and Craig Buglass founders of Spark Design Academy. 

Rob and Craig have amassed 45 years experience between them and are proud owners of the award-winning design agency Spark. Together, they have designed a series of courses that can fast-track your career, built from the knowledge they have of working at the highest level in the field. 

Spark Design Academy has been crafted to provide you with everything you need to develop your core design, presentation and business skills with a window into the world of luxury, fashion and sportswear industries, giving you the advantages you need to forge a successful career.

The Raw Talent podcast series. Sharing career stories from across the fashion, beauty and creative industries.

In S3 Episode 4 of Raw Talent, I am speaking with Elodie Carpentier founder of Le Rouge Francais the first vegetable based ethical cosmetics brand inspired by a search, whilst pregnant for chemical free cosmetics that would not harm the baby.

Le Rouge Francais is blazing a trail in ethical make-up innovation using pigments derived from plants. Dyer’s madder, alkanet, achiote (ah-chee-oh-tah), red radish, elderberry, hibiscus, sweet potato, purple corn, tomato lycopene are all sources of inspiration infused to reveal their natural, colours. As a bonus they also boast extraordinary biological properties that nourish, hydrate, repair and protect the skin. 

Forging a path in natural, responsible and sustainable cosmetics, Le Rouge Francais collaborate with pioneers and artisan communities in sourcing fair trade certified, ethical, sustainable, organic ingredients.

The Raw Talent podcast series. Sharing career stories from across the fashion, beauty and creative industries.