From British Vogue to the BBC and Beyond: Fashion, Media and AI with Anne-Marie Tomchak ⭐️
In our latest podcast episode, Anne-Marie brings insights on fashion, sustainability, and AI, exploring how these forces collide and how they will shape the future of the industry.
Hello Tech Powered Luxury listener, and now reader!
🎙️ This week, live from The Fashion Innovation Agency in London, we bring an interview with British Vogue’s Anne-Marie Tomchak, journalist, broadcaster, documentary maker, co-founder of multiple organisations and expert of fashion, sustainability and AI.
🌟 Are you new here? Welcome to our amazing community - keep reading to discover everything about Tech Powered Luxury, our Community Rewards and how this newsletter came to life.
💎 I’m Laoise O’Connell and I’m very excited to welcome you to this week’s edition!
👀 TL;DR
This week’s guest: Anne-Marie Tomchak, journalist, broadcaster, and expert on fashion, sustainability, and AI.
Anne-Marie’s career spans British Vogue, documentary-making, and co-founding ShareJoy, a platform combining storytelling with sustainable fashion.
AI is making an impact on trend forecasting, supply chain management, and even design itself, while sustainability is becoming a critical business pillar.
AI vs. craftsmanship: Will we value artistry, or will speed and scalability win?
Exclusive reward: Win a 30-minute mentorship session with Anne-Marie! Comment below to enter. 👀
💡 Our exclusive question:
Who’s your most unexpected mentor, and what did they teach you?
“I’ve been really fortunate to organically have met some amazing mentors over the years. For example, my longtime friends and colleagues Samantha Barry and Deborah Joseph are people I never lose touch with. We've known each other for such a long time so even if we don't get to chat regularly, we just pick up where we left off. I also have a huge amount of respect and admiration for my ShareJoy co-founders Marie Sullivan and Maeve McMahon and for my Mirror colleague Nic Keaney (another Irish woman who is a digital trailblazer). I learn from Nic on a daily basis in my new role as Digital Editorial Director at the Mirror. And my twin sister (we're identical) is someone I go to about all sorts of things going on in my life—from parenting to career advice.
But if I had to choose a mentor related to the world of fashion, there is one name that comes to mind: Sara Simmonds. I was introduced to Sara by former Elle Editor-in-Chief Anne-Marie Curtis during the pandemic. We initially connected over our shared passion for sustainability and entrepreneurship. What started out as a work connection blossomed into a lovely friendship. I now count her as one of my dearest pals and mentors. She is someone I have learned a huge amount from about running your own business as a solo founder (which I did for over four years), living by your values and following your gut.
Sara was a fashion buyer for big brands like Harvey Nichols and River Island. She won awards for producing the world's first pair of sustainable denim jeans. I’ve been inspired by her trajectory—how she has taken her experience in the fashion industry and carved out a path to help grow and scale conscious businesses run by impact-driven founders. In some ways that's also what I have also tried to do with ShareJoy. Use what you know to give something back. Oh and did I mention that Sara is one of the most fun people to go for a cocktail with (spicy margaritas and tortilla chips forever!)”
💃 Anne-Marie brings us the reality of AI and sustainability in fashion
I LOVED this week’s episdoe with Anne-Marie Tomchak. Her episode explored the fascinating intersection of fashion, sustainability, and AI, all through the lens of someone who truly gets it.
Like so many of us, Anne-Marie always saw fashion as a form of self-expression. Case in point? She made her own debs (Irish prom) dress from a pattern—DIY queen! Possibly back then it wasn’t even deemed as cool as we see it today with the rise of upcycling over the last few years.
She never planned on entering the fashion industry, but when British Vogue came knocking, looking for ‘diversity in thought’ (during Edward Enninful’s era as Editor-in-Chief, no less), how could she say no?
“It’s not necessarily a bad thing if you’re pushing at doors and they don’t open. Eventually, another door will… (and that door might be Vogue), and it might be quite an iconic door.”
(✨GOALS✨)
It was her time at BV that really shaped her perspective on sustainability and AI—two areas she believes (and convinces us during the episode) are deeply interconnected.
“Both sustainability and AI, in my view, are inextricably linked. They both highlight big problems but also come with potentially huge solutions and transformation for how we live and work in our lives.”
This episode is so educational because it perfectly highlights how fashion, sustainability, and AI are colliding in ways we really need to pay attention to.
🚀 Beyond Media
However, Anne-Marie’s career spans far beyond media and journalism—she’s also the founder of multiple companies and organisations. But her true passion? Documentary-making. And she absolutely nailed it with films that were way ahead of their time: Cloud Control: Who Owns Your Data? (2016) and Will a Robot Steal My Job?—both still so relevant today they could’ve been released yesterday.
🤖 She challenges the doom-and-gloom narrative around AI, calling out irresponsible headlines that claim ‘robots are going to destroy us all.’ Instead, she believes AI should be seen as ‘very intelligent collaborators’—a perspective we should all be thinking about.
🔌 AI & Fashion: Who Holds the Power?
During the interview, she poses a thought-provoking question:
The dress you’re wearing—will I admire it as much if I know AI designed it rather than a brilliant Irish designer? Does that change how I feel, even if the finished result looks exactly the same?
How much do we actually care? Enough to fight back?
It comes down to this: Does the community want to support the end product or the artist? Where people put their money will ultimately decide who the power brokers of the future are.
But AI isn’t all bad—it can be a force for good, too. Think about its potential for authenticating luxury items, solving supply chain issues, and creating more sustainable fashion solutions.
💜 Share Joy
One of the most beautiful things Anne-Marie has built is ShareJoy.
“ShareJoy essentially gets people to donate one item from their wardrobe (more if they’d like to), tell us a story about the clothes, and share that piece of clothing they love with someone else—spreading the joy of pre-loved fashion. All proceeds go to our partner, Pieta, which raises money for suicide prevention.”
As Anne-Marie highlighted, storytelling is a massive part of our culture—so why not let people do it through the power of fashion?
This season, we’ve had a lovely theme of women giving back, and it’s a perfect reflection of the innate generosity of Ireland (very proud moment here).
👀 The Reality of Sustainability and AI
It’s clear that sustainability and AI have become complete buzzwords. As a college student, it sometimes feels overwhelming—every assignment, guest lecture, and module seems to touch on one or both. But there’s a reason for that: these are not just fleeting trends, but fundamental shifts in how industries are operating. The challenge is to cut through the noise and understand how these forces are shaping the future and in our case, especially in fashion.
Anne-Marie’s episode really clarified this for me. AI, sustainability, and media aren’t just interconnected—they're reshaping the way fashion is designed, produced, and consumed. AI is already revolutionising trend forecasting, supply chain management, and even design itself. Meanwhile, sustainability is no longer an optional extra for brands; it’s a necessity. The rise of certifications like B Corp is a step in the right direction we are seeing now that it’s not really enough.
Luxury brands are now facing a crucial tension between profitability and sustainability. Brands like Stella McCartney, which built its identity on sustainable luxury, have set a high standard. But what about heritage brands like Chanel and Hermès? They’ve made moves towards sustainability, yet their core business still relies on traditional craftsmanship and rare materials. Consumers are watching closely—will they adapt fast enough, or will new players in the market, who prioritise sustainability from the outset, take the lead?
At the end of the day, sustainability isn’t just about materials or production—it’s about changing the way we think, consume, and innovate. Are we, as consumers, truly willing to invest in sustainability, even when it comes at a higher price? Are we prepared to value craftsmanship over convenience? Or will AI-generated, mass-produced designs win because they’re faster, cheaper, and more scalable?
Truly one of the most thought-provoking episodes yet. What do you think—are we supporting the art, or just the outcome? Let’s discuss in the comments below.
Thank you for reading.
Until next week,
Laoise 🖤
🎁 Community Rewards
This week, our community reward is an exclusive 30-minute mentorship session over Zoom with our guest, Anne-Marie Tomchak.
Whether you're looking for career guidance or want to dive deeper into the topics discussed in this episode, this is an incredible opportunity to connect with her one-on-one. Don’t miss out—comment below for your chance to win! ⭐️
💫 Who are we and what led us here today?
🎙️ 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. 💎
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I would love to win the 39 min mentorship session with Anne-Marie Tomchak ✨✨✨