WE are COCO are pleased to welcome Charlotte Williams to its board of mentors. Charlotte Williams over 7 years’ experience and has worked her way up within a merchandising role, Charlotte took the decision four years ago to follow her passion for product and made a move into buying. This has enabled her to acquire a well-rounded skill set within both divisions which helps to inform professional decisions on a daily basis and to grow the departments she is responsible for. 

Charlotte currently manages a £25m per season department which plans and executes 3000 SKUs. She has also strategized and built relationships with over 100 suppliers to launch gifting and beauty on the Outlet department which now turns over £4m per season.

“My favourite part of being a buyer is discovering smaller brands just starting out on their journey and collaborating using my years of experience and product knowledge to grow and develop the brand. This is why I have decided to join WE are COCO as there is nothing more rewarding than watching a brand flourish which I have had a direct impact on.” - Charlotte Williams, ASOS, Senior Assistant Buyer. 

WE are COCO are pleased to welcome Alexandra Powley to its board of mentors.

Alexandra Powley is a luxury buying manager with a buying career spanning over 17 years across womenswear, footwear, accessories and leather goods. Her experience includes working with global giants such as Prada, Selfridges, Bergdorf Goodman and Holt Renfrew. Alexandra’s skills and expertise cover a wide range of areas within the fashion industry, from buying and merchandising strategies, creative direction, styling, product development and range planning, e-commerce and sales and distribution.

“In the current climate it's more important than ever to come together as a fashion and luxury community to mentor and support emerging designers and brands. WE are COCO gives brands and designers alike the opportunity to look to industry veterans for support and to provide them with a meaningful sounding board.” Alexandra Powley, Prada, Buyer

Alexandra’s passions lie in dealing with all different scopes of brands, taking interest in strategic planning and development of products within the industry. She has covered areas in men’s and women’s wear, street and active, while also working with accessories, bags and jewellery. She not only brings quality knowledge and experience in those areas but also looks at the fashion industry as a whole, focusing on sustainability, trends and events.

 “As a working mother the ideals of WE are COCO are aligned with mine. It's a supportive and creative community looking to new ways of collaborating and communicating. I am thrilled to be a part of the team.” - Alexandra Powley, Prada, Buyer

WE are COCO is pleased to welcome Julie Ellis to its board of mentors. 

Julie Ellis is a luxury branded buyer with over 12 years of industry experience from luxury global e-commerce to boutique bricks and mortar. She has built extensive knowledge in the industry by delivering the buy strategy and product curation across multiple categories. Julie has had unique experiences leading own label development at The Outnet alongside managing branded buying.

We are COCO is pleased to welcome buyer Kimberley Walker to its board of brand mentors.

Kimberley has been a seasoned buyer and brand manager for almost a decade, working across both bricks and mortar retail and direct-to-consumer eCommerce. Having been trained in fashion design, she enjoys marrying creative thinking with commercial thinking, and driving impactful execution. Kimberley has experience purchasing, launching and managing products and brands across the APAC and US markets.

“Buyers and brand managers are at the heart of the retail industry. They are the creative and commercial brains who take on a big financial responsibility to bring concepts, products and brands to life. COCO allows mentors who are experts in the buying space to connect with brands who are looking for support, mentorship and someone to bounce ideas off, so that we can help shape the industry's future buyers and business leaders! ” - Kimberley Walker, Globeln, Buyer.

We are COCO is pleased to welcome, June Wanwasir to its board of brand mentors. June is currently working as retail merchandiser for leather goods and accessories at Prada. In the past she has worked with Alexander McQueen & Vivienne Westwood.

She has over ten years of experience as in-house buyer/merchandiser for designer and luxury brands, with extensive knowledge in the UK, China and Far East markets.

“I love supporting emerging brand or SMEs. They play a crucial role in the fashion industry and often find it challenging to manage production, design and sales. With this passion, WE are COCO has provided an ideal platform and opportunity to collaborate with emerging brands and share my skills, knowledge and experience” - June Wanwasir, Prada Group

June specialises in product assortment planning, sales analysis, OTB and seasonal strategy planning, and has a proven record of growing businesses with the strategies that she has implemented. She works closely with the designer, collection merchandiser, logistic, retail/e-commerce (both department store and own retail), marketing and PR and visual merchandiser teams in order to develop 360 strategies when launching a collection (both seasonal and perennial)

WE are COCO is pleased to welcome, Alexandra Gordon to its board of Brand Mentors. Alex is a luxury womenswear buyer with ten years of experience with British based retailers Liberty, Fenwick & Selfridges.

Her knowledge extends across most ready-to-wear groups from casual & denim to contemporary & designer. In her most recent role as Head of Womenswear at Liberty she was in charge of the business unit, leading the buying team and strategy across multiple functions including brand management, trend predictions, product sourcing and selection.

“Brand mentoring is so important, especially in times likes these. Young creatives are the heart of the industry so it’s vital we support and nurture their businesses. WE are COCO provides a meaningful platform where people can come together to exchange ideas, knowledge and experience” - Alexandra Gordon, Liberty

Throughout her career, Gordon has taken a collaborative approach when working with brands, helping them with range building, pricing architecture, merchandising & delivery phasing. Alex will help your brands build confidence, experience, and the correct creative approach to deliver a unique and desirable product mix whilst growing sales and market share.