A Day In The Life Of A Fashion Brand Owner
@FisayoLonge
5am
As soon as my alarm goes off, I check my emails. I work with a lot of different suppliers in different time zones – from Turkey to China – so to avoid any anxiety, I make sure nothing needs my urgent attention. I like to feel as zen as possible in the morning, so I either get ready in silence or I’ll put on some calming music by my favourite artist, Jhené Aiko. Once I’m in the shower, my favourite products to use are a Dove body wash and Supernova body scrub. On my skin, I use the Dermalogica Clearing Skin Wash, Paula's Choice Skin Perfecting 2% BHA Liquid Exfoliant, Obagi Hydrate Facial Moisturiser and Sunday Riley C.E.O. Glow. My favourite beauty brand is Obagi.
6am
My mood dictates how I get dressed. I'm a colour girl and would describe my style as maximalist – more is more. I love anything with a bit of volume and structure. For office days, I like to keep it simple. I wear Kai and Y/Project jeans on rotation with a long-sleeved Kai top. If I want something a bit dressier, it will be a top from The Line by K. I am very much into my base layers – I swear by Marks & Spencer thermals. Footwear is usually my Axel Arigato Lo Dice trainers, and my YSL leather puffer jacket finishes the look. I am big into gold jewellery – most of it comes from an American brand called Brinker + Eliza. I also love Khoi and Schiaparelli jewellery. The bag is always my Kai London bag. It fits everything – including my laptop, notebooks and green juice. I am a big sunglasses fan. Bottega Veneta is a constant, but I have a great new oval pair from Miu Miu. If I have a meeting, I will wear a dramatic skirt – it just takes my look from zero to 100 and makes me look like I made a lot more effort than I did. Some of my favourite designers are Marni, Simone Rocha and Hanifa. The Kai community is also a huge inspiration – I love seeing how they’ve styled the pieces.
6.30am
I leave the house early to avoid traffic. The drive from north London to Shoreditch takes me about an hour. On the drive, I will listen to a business podcast – it just gets me in the zone and excited about the working day. How I Built This by Guy Raz, The Tim Ferris Show and Working Hard, Hardly Working with Grace Beverley are all favourites.
7.30am
I am the first one in the office. Sometimes there'll be samples from the day before. I try these on before anyone else comes in. I love getting the entire team's opinion, whether their role is design related or not, so everyone usually participates in our fittings. But before even it gets to that, I like to try things on myself so I can see my real reaction. I then focus on clearing out my urgent emails.
9.30am
The team arrives by 9.30am. We all sit together at one long desk. The office is a big warehouse-style space with lots of natural light and wooden flooring. There is a big modular rust-coloured sofa from Soho Home and artwork from Lana Denina on the walls. One of my greatest treasures is our coffee table from Amsterdam-based artist Kooij. I spotted one of his tables at the Farfetch offices two years ago and knew I had to have one. No two pieces are the same and I really love the one we have. We have a signature office scent from my friend's brand Cececa.
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NoMad Hotel
1pm
I find so much inspiration from watching people in and around Shoreditch. The office is on Commercial Street, near Spitalfields. I will head out at 1pm to get some steps in and pick up some lunch from Farmer J. My go-to order is a salmon and brown rice box. If I have a lunch meeting in central London, I love the Nomad Hotel or Soho House Mews. I love working as part of a team – I think I become smarter by learning from people. We have lots of conversations, fittings and social content going on throughout the day. I’m working on time-blocking right now, so I’m concentrating more on my own work rather than being reactive.
3pm
I leave the office at 3pm. Once I’m back home, I deal with anything that has come up since I left or jump onto calls and take part in afternoon meetings. I drink decaf green tea throughout the day, and I usually snack on Haribo Starmix, even though I’m trying to cut down on sugar. Pistachio nuts are a healthier alternative. I travel for work every two months, and I'm also in a long-distance relationship, so a lot of the time I'm working from Houston where he lives.
6pm
I have a PT session three times a week. My favourite gym gear is by Aritzia – I stock up whenever I go to the US. The fabrics are a cut above. I prefer to workout in shorts and a bra top. I try not to be out in the evenings, but if I do have an event or brand dinner, it’s usually on a Thursday. For an evening event, I will typically pick something to wear by Rick Owens, Marni or Y/Project.
7pm
It’s time to wind down. After making dinner, I sit down to watch TV. My recent favourites are Gangs of London and Landman. I will watch a whole box set in an evening. I never used to watch TV, so it's something I'm trying to get into. Shopping is also a real hobby. There are always packages arriving from NET-A-PORTER or another online shop. I've always said I prefer online shopping, but recently I’ve enjoyed going to Dover Street Market. Now that I make clothes, I'm focused on improving our fabrications, so, I love to go in and feel different the different textures and see which manipulations can create different shapes. It’s fun and inspiring.
10pm
Sleep is very important to me. I like my bed to feel like a hotel. I'm very particular about my sheets and bedding, so I invest in sets from companies like John Lewis and The White Company. Applying the SkinCeuticals Hydrating B5 Moisture-Enhancing Fluid is a must before bed. On my bedside table I have water, magnesium, my Koba hand cream and a book. I've just finished reading The Parlour Wife. I try to stick to fiction these days as opposed to a business book because I'm trying to expand my mind outside of work. The last thing I do before bed is FaceTime my boyfriend.
Follow @FISAYOLONGE
@TheNoMadHotel; Old Spitafields Market
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