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• IMAGES: JEREMY FRENCH

ICYMI, last night, we launched Inside Job, our new event series in partnership with THE FACE. The first instalment of the series saw Heidi Bivens, Euphoria’s costume designer, in conversation with celebrity stylist and Creative Council member Leah Abbott and Lucy Maguire, senior trends editor of Vogue Business, hosted by The Face’s digital director, Brooke McCord. From insider tips on how to succeed in the industry to insight on how TikTok influences trends, the conversation was on fire.

Inside Job is our new series of URL and IRL events spotlighting rising industry voices at the intersection of fashion, culture, art and music, in partnership with The Face magazine. Designed to share knowledge and remove barriers to entry within the creative industries, Inside Job will provide a new generation of fashion creatives and entrepreneurs with the tangible advice they need to level up on their own creative journey.

The audience was filled with future creatives. Emerging stylists, directors and artists headed to FLANNELS X, Oxford Street, ready to hear world-class advice from big names in the business. And they brought it, big time. This is everything that went down at the very first Inside Job event.

First on the agenda? An analysis of how TikTok and TV has transformed the fashion industry and the way trends now spread like wildfire. Lucy Maguire discussed how the Barbiecore trend exemplifies this. Having gone viral after those first photos were released of Ryan Gosling and Margot Robbie filming last year, the trend has got bigger and bigger, with seemingly everyone donning bright, Barbie pink. The hashtag now has 35.5 billion views on TikTok and the film isn’t even out yet. One of the most powerful examples of the way the relationship between TV and fashion works? Euphoria. After the first episode of season two, which saw Maddy don that cut out dress, search increased by 890% for black cut out dresses. According to Lucy, “that’s the power of TV and film in fashion”.

Another key point from Inside Job? The power of New Luxury. The Euphoria aesthetic embodies the spirit of New Luxury, through high-low styling comprised of a mix of streetwear and luxury styles. Sydney Sweeney’s character Cassie had a wardrobe made up of heels from Prada and tracksuits from Fiorucci.

And this reflects how Gen Z is really shopping and styling. According to Lucy Maguire Gen-Z, “are happy to save up and get extra jobs even, to fund their luxury habit and they love styling luxury”. From the screen to the streets, one thing is clear: a new age of style is dawning.

The fashion world is changing. Through the influence of new technology, social media and a new generation of consumers, one thing that people want more and more of? The behind-the-scenes content. This new drive reflects why, from Heidi Bivens’s perspective, the profession has been “elevated”. And it tracks. From the rise in figures like Bivens herself to celebrity stylists like Harry Lambert, people want to know what’s going on behind the scenes. And Heidi Bivens is taking us there with the Euphoria Fashion book.

Euphoria Fashion is a delicious, indulgent look at the iconic style of the TV show. There are deep dives into each of the central characters and insightful annotations of the fits, illuminating the thoughtfulness of Bivens’ work. At Inside Job, guests received copies of the book and Bivens signed copies of the instant classic.

Pioneers of their own creative fields, each panellist brought a unique realm of knowledge to the table. But one thing that shone through? The power of identity. As Leah Abbott told the audience, “No one else has your ideas”, instructing us all to “create, learn and repeat”. Style, identity and power. On screen and off screen, it shines through. And Heidi Bivens had similar advice, explaining: “The greatest advice I can give is to follow your bliss, find what you’re passionate about”. One of the key takeaways of Inside Job is this: be you. Whether that’s through how you dress or the way you carry yourself in your career, each panellist was firm in their belief that what will bring you success, is yourself. Be tenacious, be passionate and be authentic.

And as for their insider tips? They had some parting words for the audience:

Shoot your shot – Leah Abbott 
Always follow up – Lucy Maguire
Make connections and stay excited – Heidi Bivens