What is your role and how did you get into it – what is your background?
I am the Junior Buyer here at Liberty. I’ve been here for 6 years now and absolutely love it! I did geography at university so not related to the career I ended up in at all. I started off in Merchandising at a different retailer but from the get-go knew that Buying was what I really wanted to do!
If there is such thing as a normal working day, what does it look like?
Much of our day to day is spent working with our brands, planning out how we can continue to grow and support each of their businesses here, whether that be through marketing, eventing, launching a new product, or building on the existing range. We’re also constantly working on big projects like our famous Beauty Advent Calendar and coming up with new ideas such as the Beauty Christmas Crackers, which we launched in 2018.
Tell us about how you work with Sana Jardin in a couple of sentences?
We sell Sana Jardin in our store. We meet the team regularly to discuss performance and plan activity out for the rest of the year including how we can successfully launch new products.
What do you feel makes Sana Jardin special?
Using fragrance as a way to empower women is incredibly unique. The circular economy that Sana Jardin has created, allowing women to take charge of their own destiny is an inspiration.
What is your earliest scent memory?
I’m not sure what my earliest scent memory is but lavender has always been a powerful smell for me. Lavender reminds me of my grandmother and in turn, my mother; it has been omnipresent in my life.
There’s something special about women empowering women – do you have a life motto/favourite quote or best piece of advice that you use time and time again?
I love Charles Mackesy and his book The Boy, the Mole, the Fox and the Horse. It is a book that stays with you; the combination of the hand-drawn ink illustrations and his words are achingly beautiful. There are so many wonderful quotes in this book but two of my favourites are “One of our greatest freedoms is how we react to things”, and “‘Nothing beats kindness’, said the horse, ‘it sits quietly beyond all things’”. These seem to be more and more relevant in today’s world.
When do you feel most empowered?
At work, I would say I feel most empowered when a project I’ve been working on for months launches successfully. Not much beats the feeling of launching the Beauty Advent Calendar after working on it for the last 12 months!
What is the best part of your job?
We all love working with founders. It’s a real privilege getting to know the person behind a brand, and we are very lucky at Liberty to work with so many, including Amy.
Which flower is your favourite? And why?
I love peonies and hydrangeas: the huge array of colours is stunning, the way peonies bloom from a tightly held bud into a big, fluffy flower, and those huge hydrangea heads with so many tiny flowers which almost look like butterflies. I couldn’t choose between the two!
Which is your favourite Sana Jardin scent?
Berber Blonde has been a favourite of all of ours in the buying team since we launched the brand. The scent literally sparkles and is perfect for summer.