Speaker Profiles
We are delighted to welcome a number of professional retailers and educators to the Creative Fashion Forum.
Susan Bishop - De Mystifying Marketing
My passion for fashion started at a young age. When I left school I dressed windows for a large department store. My grandmothers were very well dressed in the latest fashions and both lived abroad so I had an interesting cultural view on what to wear.
I work as a Post Graduate lecturer teaching fashion and event marketing at the University of Brighton, Northbrook College, Oxford College and I am and examiner for the Chartered Institute of Marketing.
In 2005 my colleague Sandra and I conceived the Creative Fashion Forum, a group of small independent fashion retailers and designers. The membership has grown and developed resulting in a community of local and national fashion businesses.
Since 1992 I have shaped both large and small companies and their marketing plans. I work best as a catalyst for change by undertaking specific, measurable projects, Research has played a major role in my portfolio and Sandra and I implemented a survey in Brighton looking at purchasing behaviour, focusing on independent shops.
Anna Hayman
My background is in retail, working for large fashion companies and small independents. I began trading on eBay in my spare time selling high heeled shoes. Under the name ShoeMissy it has now grown into a wholesale/retail business with an online shop at the heart. I have used social networking and blogging extensively to spread the word online and build online presence for the brand. I’m hoping in the future to trade with a large online retailer, and get ShoeMissy better known.
Having always been interested in retail display I also do window dressing for a small independent boutique in Lewes, Sussex, which I really enjoy as it brings a weekly creative challenge and keeps me in touch with real live customers! Shortly I will also be working freelance doing window dressing and merchandising for menswear store MERC in Carnaby Street, which will hopefully be a good learning curve and round out my experience further.
Esme Hilliard - Personal Image Consultant
I trained with Colour Me Beautiful as a personal image consultant 5 years ago and work mainly from my studio in Lewes, East Sussex. I am enthusiastic about my work and think that personal image consultations are a life changing experience. It’s an emotional experience for many clients but when they start to feel confident about putting an outfit together its very rewarding. I love what I do - It’s all about helping people look great and this of course makes them feel good.
I work with both women and men and have delivered image consultations both in colleges, on cruise liners and in a corporate setting. I have facilitated sessions for women who are setting up new businesses and who want to reassess their image. I also runs parties for groups of friends as well as consultations on: colour, style, make-up, wardrobe weeding and style updates.
Recently I was very pleased to have been chosen to be a model in the recent Colour Me Beautiful book “Colour me Younger”. It’s so important for women to be confident about how to update their look into their mature years.
esme.hilliard@which.net - www.cmb.co.uk
Janeen Witherspoon - Creative Make-up Artist
I began my career in New York working as an assistant on shows and various photo campaigns.
I was introduced to Diane Kendal and given the opportunity to become the second assistant on her team. After working with Diana for one year I became her first assistant and remained with her for two and a half years.
With Diane I helped co-ordinate shows in New York, Paris and Milan as well as working alongside her with many different photographers. I worked on fashion shows for Chloe, Celine, Jean Paul Gaultier, Balenciaga, Chanel, Vera Wang, PHI, and Donna Karan. I have also created looks for Cameron Diaz, Renee Zellwegger, Eva Mendaz, Naomi Cambell, Kate Moss, Stephanie Seymour, and Julianne Moore.
Since deciding to be independent I have worked on fashion and styling shoots with brands like Oasis and regularly worked with photographers Raymond Meijer, Todd Barry, Paul Rowland, Terry Richardson and Kenneth Cappello.
My work has been shown Internationally in American Vogue, British Elle, Harpers Bazaar, Korean Vogue, Korean Bazaar, French V, Ten and ID.
janeen.witherspoon@gmail.com - www.artandcommerce.com
For details of our next event see our Events Section.
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