🤳🏼 Behind the Scenes with Niamh O’Donoghue of Stella McCartney: Crafting Stories and Strategies in Luxury Fashion
From the print-to-digital shift at Image Magazine in Ireland to shaping global narratives for luxury leaders Stella McCartney and Victoria Beckham.
Hello Tech Powered Luxury listener, and now reader!
🎙️ Today, we’re sharing an exclusive feature on Niamh O’Donoghue, a luxury fashion strategist and storyteller, with a CV spanning IMAGE Magazine, British Vogue, DREST, Victoria Beckham and now Stella McCartney.
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💎 I’m Laoise O’Connell and I’m very excited to welcome you to today’s edition!
💫 In this edition, we dive into the journey of Niamh O’Donoghue, a seasoned expert with over a decade of experience in content creation, audience growth, art direction and media strategy, Niamh is known for her work across the luxury fashion sector, and her deep understanding of cultural cache and intuitive grasp of the luxury market makes her a powerful driver of social storytelling.
A trained journalist, Niamh’s writing work spans fashion culture and women’s health, with bylines in major publications from British Vogue to Stylist and Dazed.
🎤 Who are you? Tell us in a few sentences about yourself and the role you play in your company and the industry.
"I’m a writer and social media strategist working in the luxury fashion industry. I studied journalism through Irish at DIT, Aungier Street, and graduated in 2015. My first job was as a staff writer and social media manager at IMAGE Magazine, which, at that time, was unheard of as the industry was shifting from print to digital. It was a pivotal time to join publishing because the industry was on the cusp of a revolution, and it was my job to figure out how to take the stories on the pages of the magazine and translate them for new, digital audiences hungry for innovation.
My career has taken many leaps and learning curves throughout the last decade: I have been paid €50 for a 12-hour day ironing 700 items of clothing as a styling assistant (the low). On the flip side, I also get to create global strategies for some of the biggest fashion campaigns of the moment (the high!).
I’m also a musician, and I take a lot of pride in being able to blend my passion for the fashion industry with traditional Irish music (yes, who doesn’t love playing a gig wearing Simone Rocha?)"
✨ Tell us about your mission! Do you have a mantra, a statement that you and your teams live by?
"My personal mission statement is to inspire people to find joy in their bodies through movement. I live with an acquired disability and never take for granted the joy and luxury of movement.
My professional mission statement is to craft compelling narratives and digital strategies that elevate luxury fashion brands, connecting heritage and innovation with discerning global audiences through thoughtful and purposeful storytelling."
👀 What is one of the most important lessons you’ve learned throughout your career?
"One of the most important lessons I’ve learned is the 20-60-20 rule. It implies that when you enter a room, 20% of the people present will always be your cheerleaders and champions, 60% will be neutral toward you, and the final 20% will not like you. Taking ownership of this information will help you to feel empowered in knowing where to put your energy, and where your energy will be wasted.”
🫶🏽 Anything else you’d like to add?
“Upskill, upskill, upskill! Learn from friends, shadow bosses, ask for mentorship. Be curious and passionate, and listen. One thing I try to encourage my mentees to do is to cull who they are following on Instagram: follow industry thought-leaders, new voices, creatives, and publications you wouldn’t otherwise engage with. Some accounts I enjoy following are @1granary, @databutmakeitfashion, @allthingsfashiontech, @evachen212 and @institute_digital_fashion.
Lastly, working in fashion is PR, not ER! No, the industry is not for the faint-hearted - it requires dedication, grit, and talent - but it’s important not to take it too seriously and to make sure to have fun along the way. What’s life without fun?”
I absolutely loved this interview with Niamh - she’s such an inspiration for us Irish-fashion girlies, carving her own path from Dublin to the fashion capital of London. 💘
She’s also a must-follow on Instagram, so be sure to check her out! Beyond her incredible career, you’ll find her running marathons, playing at trad sessions, and most importantly, championing the push for companies to adapt their websites to properly accommodate Irish names with fadas and apostrophes - which we absolutely love. 😆
Thank you so much for taking the time to read!
Until next time,
Laoise 🖤
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🎙️ Launched as a podcast on November 1st 2022 by Ashley McDonnell, Tech Powered Luxury has since nurtured a vibrant community of experts passionate about the evolving synergy between technology and luxury. We have reached over 20 million people through the podcast, social platforms and media, and have hit +500K downloads.
🪄 This season, our weekly newsletter will be curated by Laoise O’Connell, a luxury marketeer with experience in client relations and communications at fashion houses and global brands Chanel and Givenchy in Paris. Laoise has been a proud contributor to Tech Powered Luxury since Season 1 and we are excited to have her guide our content for the newsletter this season and look forward to the insights she will bring. 💎