 |
| Photograph by Lucas Seidenfaden |
We caught up with Kate Oyler, Consumer Communications
Manager at Vauxhall to find out just why this relationship works so well:
Why did Vauxhall choose to get involved with the Fashion
Scout?
Being involved with the Fashion Scout is important for us
because we are really interested in up and coming design and talent. Vauxhall
HQ has a very strong design team and we have been looking at lots of different
ways that we could tie up what the designers are doing with fashion and what we
could do with car design as well, because fashion week is a really good
opportunity to showcase our car.
What is particularly relevant about Fashion Scout to
Vauxhall?
It is a great way to see what trends are up and coming and to really get our name out there. I think it is very
important because there are many women who have a lot of money to spend on cars
and make decisions on what car they are driving, if not they have a
big influence in terms of the family and what they should be driving. It's
really about getting the Vauxhall name out there, showing that we
are doing some interesting things, and that we are interested in lots of
different ways to go out to consumers.
What is the relationship like between Vauxhall and the
Fashion Scout?
We work very closely with Martyn (Martyn Roberts, director
of VFS). We have a really good internal team, so a lot people love what we are doing. One thing we have tried to
do this season is to get more internal people involved so they can see what is
happening. Next season should be fun because we have a new car coming out and I
saw one of the designers, House of Evolution, had an electric coat so I had a
chat with them about a possible collaboration there.
Why is important for Vauxhall to recognise and support new
talent?
New talent is the lifeblood of what we are doing. We have a
very strong intern programme at Vauxhall which is very good at spotting up and
coming talent in terms of engineers, marketers, it’s important that we support
these people. We want to do more working alongside the designers themselves.
Next year we have got a great new car launch and we want to do lots more work
on what that. Unfortunately, I can’t reveal much about the actual car but it’s
really fun and there will be designer collaborations involved.
Have you seen many shows this week? Do you have any
favourites?
I loved Ziad Ghanem,
which was really fun. Our internal Vauxhall team came along, so that
was an eye-opening show for them. I loved Malene Oddershede Bach on the Ones
to Watch. I saw some of her AW designs and they were very, very
beautiful.
What advice would you give to our readers who want to make
it in a similar career role?
Really it is looking at brands that you like, brands that you
identify with. Get involved, read about them and have a look at
what they are doing. Vauxhall is a company that has been manufacturing cars in
the UK for nearly 100 years, we have a plant in Luton, and we are doing a lot
of work to bring manufacturing back into the UK. I know that the British
Fashion Council work with the same aim, as well as supporting young up and
coming British designers, so we have that link as well.
Interview: Amy Lockwood