Tech Powered Luxury

Lauren Ingram is the Founder of Women of Web3, a community helping women make the leap into the world of Web 3.0 through job opportunities, learning resources and connections. She is a marketing leader with experience in agencies and tech companies including Meta, where she was responsible for Meta’s multimillion-dollar program for female entrepreneurs, #SheMeansBusiness. As a consultant and founder of Women of Web3, Lauren helps businesses to win in Web3 by demystifying the opportunities in this space. Lauren also hosts the Women of Web3 Podcast where each week she interviews a different incredible woman making moves in Web3. In this episode of Tech Powered Luxury, Lauren gives us an introduction to what Women of Web3 does, how she navigated layoffs at Meta which impacted her directly, and what a career in tech means for a new mother. Lauren has collaborated with some of the biggest brands in fashion and beauty, from a project she worked on with Tech Powered Luxury host Ashley McDonnell for a NFT activation for Carolina Herrera in Madrid and Rio, to Charlotte Tilbury, and as the brand ambassador for Shiseido. Tech Powered Luxury is proudly sponsored by FarmHouse Fresh.

Mario Maher and Joe Wilkinson are the co-founders and creative geniuses from Sheffield, England, behind the mystery box that's shaking up the luxury industry and tapping into the Male GenZ Market: Heat. Heat launched in 2019 with a simple goal: to provide 3 luxury items to their customers through exclusive drops. From low-tech beginnings to a high-tech expansion, Heat has evolved from an original goal of 100 boxes per drop to major luxury-brand partnerships and matching tens of thousands of Gen Z and streetwear enthusiasts with their super-hyped mystery luxury boxes. Each mystery box drop provides access to streetwear, fashion and luxury brands, often with products and collections from the archives that are no longer available on the market. In this episode of Tech Powered Luxury, Mario and Joe talk us through their humble beginnings of hand selecting products to include in customers' boxes to leveraging AI and technology to scale their offering across the UK and USA. With a digital-first strategy and ultra-slick marketing, the Heat team achieves the impossible: creating demand for a mystery product. A start-up that has sparked the interested of all of the coolest brands on the market as well as investment form Antler and LVMH Luxury Ventures, this episode dives into the origins of the platform as well as it's objectives for the future. Tech Powered Luxury is proudly sponsored by FarmHouse Fresh.

Michaela O’Shaughnessy grew up in County Galway, Ireland. When her dream of becoming a doctor shifted towards embarking on a summer adventure in New York, the biomedical scientist found a city and new career that captured her attention: the world of social media and entertainment. Michaela has carved out a killer career at the crossroads of culture, entertainment, and tech, with globally recognized companies and events making up her resume. Arriving in New York City, she landed a dream role at MTV, walking red carpets and attending the Met Gala with a clear goal: bring new, young audiences into the world of entertainment through the medium of digital, and in particular, mobile. As the role of TV and print media became challenged by the rapidly rising accessibility of online channels, Michaela was climbing the ranks at major fashion publications like Teen Vogue and Glamour before joining Instagram’s social team, where she now leads editorial content. A creator herself, you can find Michaela on Instagram as @LifeofALadyBear to follow her journey in New York. In this episode, Michaela generously shares her advice on finding opportunity in New York, honing skills in both creative fields and business-driven environments, and how she finds balance between major events, internet celebrities, and a career in technology. Tech Powered Luxury Season 3 is proudly sponsored by FarmHouse Fresh.

In this bonus episode of Tech Powered Luxury, Ashley McDonnell talks us through her first month since moving back to Paris, France.Ashley started her first day back in the city for the Ireland vs. South Africa, Rugby World Cup match in Stade de France with Emirates, followed by Paris Fashion Week. During a week of attending shows and meeting designers in their showrooms across the city, Ashley had the opportunity to sit down with Irish, Ukrainian and Spanish designers Sorcha O’Raghallaigh, Mary Furtas of Cult Naked and Celia B, all of whom will have upcoming dedicated podcast episodes in this season of Tech Powered Luxury.After Fashion Week it was time to start a new job, find an apartment, and of course continue with weekly episodes of Tech Powered Luxury. Over the last month Ashley has had conversations with Niamh O'Donoghue (Head of Editorial and Social at Victoria Beckham), Carlota Rodben (2 times author and formerly within Open Innovation at Chanel, Laurent Piffaut (CEO and Co-Founder of Dweet, formerly at Dior, Chanel, Prada and Alexander McQueen), Pavan Ahluwalia-Dhanjal (founder of the world's first luxury henna bar at Selfridge's and IrelandsEye's Founder and Head of Design.Lastly, Ashley speaks about her biggest challenge to date which is just around the corner: trekking to Everest Base Camp in November 2023.We hope you enjoy this bonus episode of Tech Poewred Luxury.Tech Powered Luxury Season 3 is proudly sponsored by Farmhouse Fresh. #techpoweredluxury. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

IrelandsEye is an Irish knitwear brand that embraces technology, tradition, sustainability, and style. Founded over 35 years ago, the brand remains family-owned and creates premium knitwear at their production site in County Dublin, Ireland.Paul O’Sullivan, who is the Managing Director and one of the family founders of the brand, along with IrelandsEye Head of Design, Maria-Christina McPadden, share with us the origins of IrelandsEye, their creative and technical processes, and how their mission to create long-lasting knitwear has an inherently high-tech approach.Tech-Powered Luxury Season 3 is proudly sponsored by Farmhouse Fresh. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Pavan Ahluwalia-Dhanjal is a world-renowned henna artist, bringing an Indian beauty ritual to the globe with a luxury and digital-first approach. With two Guinness World Records for being the fastest henna artist on the planet, Pavan was also awarded the British Empire Medal in 2018.Pavan has collaborated with major celebrities, including Alesha Dixon, Rudimental, Ellie Goulding, Perrie Edwards, and Huda Kattan. She has created bespoke designs for international runway shows, including Manish Arora and Antonio Berardi during London Fashion Week and Paris Fashion Week, and has worked with the BBC and ITV.Pavan is also the woman behind the first-ever henna bar in a luxury department store, with her space at Selfridges in London. In this episode of Tech Powered Luxury with Ashley McDonnell, Pavan shares the story of how she created her brand and elevated henna through a luxury and digitally-driven business plan.Tech Powered Luxury Season 3 is proudly sponsored by FarmHouse Fresh. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

From initially studying finance to pivoting to luxury fashion, Laurent Piffaut - Co-Founder and Co-CEO of luxury careers platform Dweet - has embraced the power of AI to empower a global network of luxury experts looking to match talent with opportunity. Laurent established himself as a leader within luxury, starting with a foundation in finance, entering L'Oreal Group as a Financial Controller before joining Chanel for almost 10 years, climbing the ladder internationally and reaching the position of Fashion Director of the Middle East & India.Laurent's commitment to developing his soft skills as a leader in luxury were successful, as he joined Dior in 2015 as General Manager for Central Europe, followed by Director roles at Alexander McQueen and Prada.Today, as a tech platform Co-Founder and CEO, Laurent has set himself a new challenge: scaling and connecting. Throughout his years within retail and brand management, Laurent noticed incredible opportunities in-house which brands struggled to find the talent for, as well as highly-skilled and motivated people who could not find the right opportunities. Through the Dweet platform, Laurent's goal is to streamline this process within the luxury industry, simplifying and speeding up the process by which brands and talents can be matched for short, medium and long term collaborations.TPL S3 is proudly sponsored by Farmhouse Fresh. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Carlota Rodben, a Zillennial global nomad and former prima ballerina based between London and Paris, has distinguished herself as a two-time author before the age of thirty, and an innovation specialist in the luxury industry. This week, Carlota's second book "Beyond Luxury" was published, reaching #1 on Amazon within Retailing Industry.Rodben began her career at the House of Chanel, where she established an innovation team and worked on cutting edge new concepts for the future of retail of the brand - the exact type of missions we love to discuss on the Tech Powered Luxury podcast!In this episode, Rodben synthesizes elements of technology, innovation, sustainability, and human-focused experiences to forge a vision of purpose-driven luxury. We discuss the mission behind her latest book and the ways in which technology can be the ultimate growth and sustainability driver for existing and emerging luxury brands.Her acclaimed debut book, “Beauty As It Is”, promotes inclusivity and diversity in the beauty industry with the motto, “Beauty is a choice”, a topic even more relevant in the hyper-digital age. Currently, Carlota is invested in an entrepreneurial venture exploring the benefit of AI and IoT to optimize self-care. Additionally, she consults luxury brands and institutions on desirable futures, innovation, and transformation, and lectures at esteemed executive programs offered by IE and Luxonomy. Rodben’s ambition is to usher in a new era of luxury, leveraging cutting-edge technology, immersive experiences, and the power of emotion.You can order Carlota's book "Beyond Luxury" on Amazon.Tech Powered Luxury Season 3 is proudly sponsored by Farmhouse Fresh. #techpoweredluxury Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Journalist and fashion-tech thought leader Niamh O’Donoghue has been navigating between the realms of offline and online luxury fashion for the last decade. From her role as the acting social media editor at British Vogue, to her involvement with the fashion styling app Drest, and now in her current position as Head of Editorial and Social for the one and only Victoria Beckham - I’m asking Niamh about everything, from career tips to skill development, and how she’s carved out a path that balances business and digital creativity within the worlds of fashion and media.I’ve been following Niamh’s career from afar for many years and have been in awe of the roles she's taken on. Niamh shares a lot of behind-the-scenes moments from her life on Instagram with her killer style and wit, so I’m really looking forward to interviewing her in-depth about how she manages it all and how she’s developed a 360-degree understanding of the world of fashion.From studying journalism to becoming a content creator, styling and photographing shoots, to exploring Web3 and metaverse fashion, even working at the pinnacle of the fashion publication world during her time as the acting social media editor at British Vogue, and now, based in London, Niamh is collaborating with the absolute icon Victoria Beckham as the head of editorial and social for her fashion house.TPL S3 is proudly sponsored by Farmhouse Fresh. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

From the realm of fear to the trenches of economic hardship, and amidst the fragile walls of immigration, Paboy Bojang unfurls his kaleidoscopic dreams and cheerful visions within his designs. Born in Gambia, Paboy embarked on his journey into the art of tailoring at the tender age of 13, under the guidance of his uncle in their atelier. Faced with limited resources, Paboy made the difficult choice to compromise his formal schooling to become the primary provider for his family.From his eyes in the countryside of Gambia, Paboy developed a discerning eye for colors. While living with his grandmother, he honed his skills in sewing as he saw people dressed in brightly colored scarves and dresses. Intrigued and hopeful, his inspirations combine the spirit of Gambia, alongside living in his studio in Naples. In 2020, the brand started on Instagram and only moves forward. The colour combinations in Casa's creations are unexpected; from technicolor dreams, Paboy's story is rooted in the ruins of the tyranny of Gambia to the joys of pushing the envelope of passion. In today's episode of Tech-Powered Luxury, host Ashley McDonnell takes us through the excruciating pains of starting in Gambia, changing cities, and beginning from nowhere to the exhilarating joys of creating one's course of success at In Casa By Paboy Bojang, with the support of the internet, self-belief, and craftsmanship.TPL S3 is proudly sponsored by Farmhouse Fresh. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.