If you’ve scrolled through our feed or shopped our online store, then you’ve already seen the work of Charlotte Agnew, iD Australia & New Zealand Fashion Editor, and freelance stylist for Incu. Charlotte’s made a name for herself both at home in Australia, and on a global scale with her eye for styling and an uncanny creative direction. Our eCommerce Coordinator, Mariah, caught up with Charlotte to chat about how her career in fashion started, where she finds inspiration, and to have a look back at her favourite Incu campaigns.
Tell us a little about yourself. Your work, hobbies, how you got started, etc.
Hello! I’m Charlotte, I work as Incu’s freelance stylist for the multitude of Australian and international affiliate brands they host on their site. I am a freelance stylist who has worked in the industry for about 6-7 years now and also work as iDs fashion editor in AU\NZ as part of @i_dasia.
I have liked the part of this time that has allowed me to see where my brain goes when I’m not non stop with work. I’ve been baking and gardening with everyone and trying to teach myself typography in graphic design, doing lots of walking and podcasts (Stuff They Don’t Want You To Know and the SHOWstudio series are good) and then a lot of nothing.
I started everything job wise when I entered work experience in magazines when I was 16. I was so interested in everything and anything that surrounded fashion and magazines and just wanted to keep learning more.
I like to be involved and connected to everything and anything at one time, my brain is usually going 100 miles an hour and that’s where it feels good.
Some words of advice
Think what you think and move forward with that as the focus. Work hard, and hard meaning = quietly, efficiently, proactively, modestly, politely, passionately and full force-fully.
When was the first time you thought of fashion as a career?
I don’t think it was ever a focused idea - I was interested in the people and world fashion existed in so much, I just wanted to know about it and understand it for myself. After trying out and learning through various internships, I found styling is where I naturally found my brain forming from the ideas I felt connected to.
This way of doing everything from the minimal things you have - meaning experience, knowledge or physical fashion - is a way of work I’ve found I adapt to and am quite addicted to.
What does fashion and styling mean to you?
Fashion is the how-to of trends - a timeline of interpretations to culture/music/ art - it’s the fabrication of what’s happening in the world everywhere else.
Styling is a mood and energy that is individual to me and my perspective and my experiences. It’s just how I want to show people - to excite people, to hero people - it’s all the feelings I want to feel and share at the same time.
Your style of working isn’t quite like everyone else’s. Tell us about what inspires you, and where you find points of interest in what others might see as mundane?
I won’t have a full circle idea of what I’m really doing until I’m in the environment of wherever I’m making, and with the person I’m creating with. I’ll always research the ideas and origins of talent/ trends to have a point of view and perspective I’m trying to communicate, but the conversation, feeling and tools I put together will form its own world for me when I’m in it.
I am just interested in the people, usually - clothing or a fashion story is always a background thought to me because the story with clothes for me is made exciting by the people wearing them.
Who are some artists/ photographers/ creatives that inspire you? Why?
Everything! I love to look and look and look - this is what I’ve been looking at consistently lately
I love people who just explode their own personal worlds and interests in a way that makes me consider something else in the way I do things.
@itsrainybaby_
@uhz.7
@cultjones
@morgvn.elizabeth - irish dancer
@fruitopiafruitopia
@nasa
@usfinatelier
@nowness
@i_am_kiko
@isaboulder
@agathe_zaerpour
@marzipanjupiter
@rutt_au
@comfyshrooms
What would you like to see change in the fashion industry?
There are always going to be things to change because change is developed from culture and people and those two things are always moving. I would personally like to see a less socially constructed and informed view on the design in commercial fashion teams and ideas- I believe great ideas will always achieve the best work and these ideas are wanted in the landscape of commercial fashion, we should all continue to keep our minds open.How would you describe Incu’s aesthetic?
Refined, simplified, unique. It’s the ‘everything you need’ to your anything else in your life wardrobe.
What are your three favourite Incu campaigns, and why?
Marni launch was a good moment! It felt really new in the way that it was still very refined as Marni is, but the newness brought from attitude, spirit and energy I created with the clothes and accessories individualised the feeling of the product which, I believe is what store/brand collaborations should be. Acne launch felt like that zone too. Proenza launch was good, it felt like all the pieces fit together that day and I was very into the beauty we did for it.
What are five items everyone should have in their wardrobe?
- Good pants
- Good sneakers
- Nice lingerie
- Rain protection
- A good bag
