#finnish female swimmer

[niuniente]

I'm not sure if anyone's said this yet - I just saw your post about pronouns for context- you can just use it/its if you want! they're a viable pronoun to use, my gf uses them, as do so many others that I know!

I have had people saying that it/its is a pronoun many use but I'm not comfortable with it in English, as English it/its does not have even remotely the same connotation and meaning as Finnish se/sen has got. it's like... How I feel it is that English it/its is "No gender at all" whereas se/hän is "The gender exists but it can't be expressed through language". Which is true, you can't express gender through Finnish, unless you use gender related words. Finnish from gendered language point of a view sounds like:

"Today we are interviewing our newest hope in swimming. They have won multiple gold medals and just made their personal record in their latest competition. They have been swimming since they were three years old".

Every single person is spoken like that but it doesn't mean the genders don't exist and everyone is gender neutral. The genders are there, the all myriad varieties of them but you can't express them through language. You can express a gender in Finnish language like this:

"Today we are interviewing our newest hope in swimming. Maria Mattila has won multiple gold medals and just made their personal record in their latest competition. They have been swimming since they were three years old little girl".

Okay, now we know the swimmer is a female named Maria.

So, in English and in gendered languages, I prefer to go with she, but as said, it has no emotional feeling to me. Like mentioned, in Finnish I'm it that's female. A female It. I have had people suggesting they/them for me, too, but again, it doesn't have the same meaning as Finnish se/sen or hän/hänen. They is gender neutral in English but Finnish hän/se always contains a gender, even when it's a gender neutral pronoun.

Languages have emotional connotation to things, so the emotional, non-verbal meaning of English they/them is not the same as Finnish hän/hänen or se/sen.

So she/her is fine in any gendered language when you speak about me :3 I've seen people using they/them of me, too, and frankly, it's fine, too. But she is my favorite.

[maxenceandrebisset]

F1 WAGs guide || 2021 edition || part two

MERCEDES

Lewis Hamilton - single

Said, that he currently doesn't have time for dating, which is understandable given that he is fighting for a title - he had an eight-year-old relationship with Nicole Scherzinger from 2007 to 2015 though, but ever since then, every single dating rumor of his with the numerous female celebrities has been either made up or only about a hook up, not serious relationship.

Valtteri Bottas - Tiffany Cromwell

- Valtteri was previously married to Emilia Pikkarainen (Finnish professional swimmer), but they got divorced in 2019

- Tiffany is from Australia and is also a professional athlete - cyclist. She even represented Australia in the Summer Olympics in Japan this year.

- She is a year older than Valtteri (33)

- They allegedly met in Monaco and got close through their shared love of cycling (if you didn't know, Valtteri is also attending cycling races and marathons in his free time) - Tiffany even roasted his cycling skills by saying that he sucks in endurance

- Funny thing is that when Tiffany visits the racetrack, you can usually spot her and Valtteri "inspecting it" all professionally geared-up with their bikes

- She was also rumored to be hitting on Lewis before moving on to Valtteri, but I have no idea if that is one hundred percent valid information

- Their support for the other's profession goes both ways - Tiffany occasionally visits the racetrack and Valtteri her races, usually with a camera to take photos of her she later uses on her social media

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RED BULL

Max Verstappen - Kelly Piquet

Probably one of the most "controversial" and talked about relationships on the grid...

- The two of them started dating some time at the end of 2020

- Kelly was previously dating another Red Bull driver Daniil Kvyat with whom she even has a daughter named Penelope, who is two years old - people are joking that Verstappen not only took the Red Bull seat away from Daniil but also his girlfriend and daughter...

S- So basically, Max is already a step-dad, despite being only 24 - Kelly is eight years older (32)

- She has the most following on social media out of all WAGs and is quite vocal there about every injustice Max faces in the sport (especially when it involves Lewis)

- Her father is Nelson Piquet - former F1 driver and three times World Champion (1981-83-87) - while her mother is a Dutch model Sylvia Tamsma

- She was born in Germany, spent early childhood in France, and then moved to Brazil

- Kelly has studied and worked in many different countries - England, France, Brazil, the States, where she majored in International relations with her main focus being a political science

- For a while she was managing Formula E social media in 2015, then she worked with fashion magazines like Vogue and Marie Claire, and now she also models

- She is also one of the WAGs that shows up at the racetracks quite regularly

Sergio Pérez - Carola Martínez Pérez

- Checo was also previously married - to Andrea Campillo Vivanco

- He and Carola have started dating in 2017 and got married in 2018 - currently they live together in Mexico

- They already have two children - son Sergio Pérez Jr. who is nearly four years old and daughter Carlotta, who is two years old

- There is not much known about Carola - she allegedly worked in some sort of financial firm but stopped working once she became a mother and started dating Sergio

- She is very religious - also pro-life (something making her be questionable in the eyes of some) and vocal about supporting different charities fighting against anti-immune diseases on her Instagram

[chloeokeeffecommunitymultiverse]

Beyond the Frame - Community

what is the brief?  

- ‘Beyond the Frame’ is the title of this competition brief collaboration with Norwich University of Arts and Canon. The theme is ‘Community’ and we’ve been asked to portray our own version of this. It can include anything from wildlife and conservation, your life and where you live or fashion and culture. 

What are the expectations and what are they looking for? What do you need to submit? 

- The judges are looking for us to submit 3 images each. They can be a series of the same images or 3 independent different images, that portray our versions of community.  

Who are the judges? What do you think each of them will be looking for considering their specialisms in photography?     

- The judges for this competition are : 

Amit and Naroop, who are a stills and motion duo from Southall, West London and have been working together since 2003. They originally came together on a photo shoot for a music artist. Amit was the photographer, while Naroop had been brought on board as the art director. Whilst working so closely, they both recognised the creative chemistry between them. They’re ideas bounced off each other and they came up with interesting compositions and produced a set of images that were far more superior to anything they had done before as individuals. And with no formal training, they managed to perfect their craft by constant experimentation, using friends to pose for them and set up their first studios in Amit’s living room. After a while word spread of the images the duo could produce, leading them to then go on to work with the biggest records labels, photographing some of the most successful artists at the time. Having now made a name for themselves within the music industry, they moved on to editorial and advertising. Amit and Naroop have shot campaigns for brands including Barclay, MTV, BBC, Sony Music, Discovery channel and many more.

As judges for this competition I think as Amit and Naroop are specifically professioned in photography and have immense experience in it, I’d expect they’d be on the look out for good quality photos that have good work and meaning behind. 

Below are photos of their campaign with ADIDAS. They photographed musicians, athletes, broadcasters and influencers for a global campaign showcasing the ‘change is a sport’ mantra of ADIDAS.    

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Tessa Bunney, who for over 25 years has photographed rural life and has worked closely with individuals and communities to investigate how the landscape around them is shaped by humans. From hill farmers near her home in North Yorkshire to Icelandic puffin hunters, from Finnish ice swimmers to Romanian nomadic shepherds. 

Her projects reveal the fascinating intricacies of the dependencies between people, work and land. Tessa’s ongoing project ‘FarmerFlorist’ explores the vibrant local ‘artisan’ cut-flower farmers which have recently sprung up in the UK and is a celebration of domestic growers past and present. It was shown at Ryedale Folk Museum in 2018 and Oriel Colwyn in 2019 and published in Rakes Progress and on the BBC. Her project ‘Home Work’ was published by Dewi Lewis in 2010 and was exhibited and published nationally and internationally including the Land exhibition as part of the Noorderlicht Festival, 2010. ‘Home Work’ explores the lives of female home workers in the suburbs and villages in and around Hanoi, Vietnam in the face of increasing urbanisation. Tessa also occasionally runs workshops within her community and regularly gives talks about her work to a wide range of universities, schools, galleries and other community groups.

After learning more about her work, as a judge, I’d expect Tessa to be mainly judging on the core sense of community that come with the photos. 

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James Smith, who is the Photography course leader at Norwich University of Arts. James’ background includes industrial photography, editorial content for the specialist rock climbing market and work for design agencies. Work undertaken for these companies has involved producing images for literature to promote clients ranging from youth development initiatives to business lawyers.

Again as a judge and considering his profession, I’d expect James to be judging the editorial works on people’s final 3 images. 

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Cherie Carman, is a fashion and portrait photographer currently based in London and graduated from Norwich University of the Arts in 2017. After graduating she moved into a full time position for Selfridges & Co working as a photographer within the in-house Photo studio team. Cherie’s day-to-day role consists of capturing fashion imagery for a range of designer brands to be used for Selfridges ecommerce imagery, editorials and social platforms. As well as this, she has traveled to showrooms in France to capture the latest collections for brands such as Balenciaga and Givenchy. Alongside her full time position at Selfridges she continues to capture her own imagery in her spare time allowing full creative freedom to explore her interests; one of her more recent projects includes ‘Refraction’ 2019 which went onto feature in PANSY Mag December 2019. 

Cherie says she aims to produce clean and simplistic images with added elements to make them stand out. She enjoys collaborating with a range of practitioners such as Graphic Designers, as she displays in her project ‘Minimalistic Fashion’. These pictures below are from her 2016 project Minimalistic Fashion.

I think Cherie will judge the fashion side of peoples submissions and also the photography side, considering she does photography as a full time paying job. 

Discuss your plans for submission and show any work you are considering to submit and why? How have you captured community? Does it meet the expectations of the brief?

At first, I was lost on what to do that would reflect community to my best ability. My first idea was to try and capture pure moments with my household. My sister’s birthday was recently and I hoped to capture her all happy and giddy whilst opening presents but I forgot. I had a second idea of capturing photos of me and my sister while we took our dog out around our village. I did capture some photos but they came out blurred and just not how I’d imagined so I also gave up on that idea. I went for a walk by myself around the village I live in and instantly an idea clicked. At the top of my village there’s a club/pub that my family and friends use to spend our entire weekends at, when I was in secondary school. My dad and our family friend use to help run it so we were constantly there, opening it and closing it when people finally left. This is the best possible way I could portray community as most of the families within the village would come and it was something I was apart of and experienced a lot. 

I’ve kept the images fairly simple because the building (pub) reminds me of simpler times. 

[skullumio]

Mimosa Jallow ja uinnin EM-mitali. (yle 1. 2.)

[orkidealapsi]

tagged by @kukkainen kiitos!💛

1. Nickname: I don’t really have a nickname, most just call me by my first name, few use my second name, Julia.

2. Gender:  Female

3. Zodiac: Pisces

4. Height: 170~ cm

5. Age: 18

6. Time: 00.27

7. Favorite bands / Solo Artists: Lana Del Rey, bts (and a lot of other kpop bands/artists..), Hayley Kiyoko, Nicole Dollanganger, Billie Eilish, CHVRCHES

8. Song stuck in my head: 365 fresh by triple h

9. Last movie I saw: I think it was Love, Simon 

10. Last thing I googled: “Crazyfactory” (a piercing shop)

11. Other blogs: Okay I’m weirdly organized when it comes to my tumblr so I have few.....

@silknvelvet

@artbylife

@y0onged

@notefrommyjournal

12. Do I get asks: Sometimes

13. Why I chose my username: So it basically means fragile in finnish and that just describes me pretty well I guess...?

14. Following: 215

15. Average amount of sleep: Now that I have summer vacation, about 10 hours...

16. Lucky number: Don’t have

17. What am I wearing: a black top and black pants

18. Dream job: Something to do with animals or art

19. Dream Trip: Somewhere with a lot of nature and rain gjkhkjfklhk

20. Favorite food: Ahh too hard.. well I like chinese and mexican food a lot

21. Play any instrument: I used to play violin when I was young and... well I can barely play two songs with a guitar 

22. Favorite song: ummm Singularity and 4 o’clock by bts, Ball jointed doll by Nicole Dollanganger.... 

23. Play(ed) any sport: Haha I used to be a swimmer

24. Hair colour: Light brown (w orange tint, hopefully not for long...)

25. Eye colour: Green

26. Language you speak/are learning: Finnish, English and I can like... count to ten in Swedish, suomalaiset olkaa ylpeitä

27. Random fact: well I love 60′s decoration

28. Describe yourself as an aesthetic/things: okay I guess I’m some kind of a trashy art student aesthetic hh....

I’m tagging @keifs @havina @2bil @rakastuin @httpjh @useless--mind and @ohbutwebestmakepeacewithit

[megan-communitymultiverse]

Tessa Bunney

Tessa Bunney has photographed rural life for over 25 years, collaborating closely with individuals and groups to explore how humans influence the environment.  Her ventures, ranging from hill farmers near her home in North Yorkshire to Icelandic puffin hunters, from Finnish ice swimmers to Romanian nomadic shepherds, reveal the interesting intricacies of people, jobs and land dependency.  Tessa recently completed a North East Photography Network (NEPN) commission and her show Otherwise Unseen, which puts together four series exploring diverse rural cultures in Europe and South East Asia, was shown at Newcastle-Upon-Side Tyne's Gallery, the only documentary photography gallery in the UK.  Her work won two Prix Pictet awards in 2013: the Global Photography and Biodiversity Award (theme: consumption) and Dewi Lewis published her project Home Work in 2010 and was seen and published nationally and globally.  Tessa was based in Laos between 2012 and 2016, where she collaborated on her long-term dream, The Corridor of Opportunity, funded by England's Arts Council. Her series The Women of UCT6 was published in the Financial Times Magazine (UK) and online, recording an all female UXO clearance team in Laos.

I belivieve Tessa will be look at how my pieces involve community and the unique hobbies people have but also look at unique locations.

I like this pieces becase of the commtuniyty untiy side where the 2 people share a hobby and they support one another. I also really love the colour with the contast of the talll trees against the icy snow. I ts a very realsome pictures.. 

Here I love the colours with the contast of the blue see against the rocks, There is a sense of comuntiy all around these pieces inclduing people kayaking toghether, people rock pooling and people have fun together.

Here there is a sense of communtity where it shoes her busy working and shoes her role in the family where eveyone comes together and eats. I partucally love how the pieces is so real and espeically how all the colours work together, 

[ginevrapasqualeportfolio]

Beyond The Frame - Audience

Beyond the frame is a competition, where the judges are looking for for the finest photography by creative students currently in Secondary (age 11+) or Further Education (e.g. school, sixth form or college, but not degree level) on the theme Community.Acclaimed photographers Amit and Naroop, Tessa Bunney and Cherie Carman will join Norwich University of the Arts’ judging panel to help pick the winners and award some great prizes. The theme for this year was ‘Community’. Community; Global events can make us think about what it means to be part of a community on many levels: personal, local, rural, urban, national and international. From family, friends, carers and neighbours to people who share the same interests, dreams and ideals. 

The Judges:

1) Amit and Naroop have been working together since 2003. They came together on a photo shoot for a music artist. Amit was the photographer, while Naroop had been brought on board as the art director.They both instantly recognised that the creative chemistry between them was brilliant. They bounced ideas off each other, came up with interesting compositions and produced a set of images that was far superior to anything they had done before. Amit and Naroop was born. With no formal training, they perfected their craft with constant experimentation using friends to pose for them and set up their first studio in Amit’s living room. Having made a name for themselves in the music industry, they moved on to editorial, then advertising. With exhibitions in London, L.A and New York, their Sikh Project received global recognition, and in 2019, they released their best selling book Turbans and Tales, documenting the creation and images from the project. Amit and Naroop have shot campaigns for brands including Adidas, Xbox, Sky, Samsung and Huawei.

2) For over 25 years, Tessa Bunney has photographed rural life, working closely with individuals and communities to investigate how the landscape is shaped by humans. From hill farmers near her home in North Yorkshire to Icelandic puffin hunters, from Finnish ice swimmers to Romanian nomadic shepherds, her projects reveal the fascinating intricacies of the dependencies between people, work and the land.Tessa has recently completed a commission from North East Photography Network (NEPN) and her exhibition Otherwise Unseen, which brings together four series which explore various rural communities in Europe and South East Asia, was shown at the Side Gallery in Newcastle-Upon-Tyne, Britain’s only documentary photography gallery.In 2013 her work received two nominations for the Prix Pictet – the global award in photography and sustainability (theme: consumption) and her project Home Work was published by Dewi Lewis in 2010 and was exhibited and published nationally and internationally.Between 2012 and 2016 Tessa was based in Laos where she was working on her long term project The Corridor of Opportunity which was supported by Arts Council England. Her series The Women of UCT6 which documents an all female UXO clearance team in Laos was published in the Financial Times Magazine (UK) and online. 

3) Photography Course Leader at Norwich University of the Arts. James’ background includes industrial photography, editorial content for the specialist rock climbing market and work for design agencies. Work undertaken for these companies has involved producing images for literature to promote clients ranging from youth development initiatives to business lawyers.

4) Cherie Carman is a fashion and portrait photographer currently based in London. Since graduating from Norwich University of the Arts in 2017, Cherie moved into a full time position for Selfridges & Co working as a photographer within the in-house Photo studio team. Her day-to-day role consists of capturing fashion imagery for a range of designer brands to be used for Selfridges ecommerce imagery, editorials and social platforms. As well as this she has travelled to showrooms in France to capture the latest collections for brands such as Balenciaga and Givenchy.Alongside her full time position at Selfridges she continues to capture her own imagery in her spare time allowing full creative freedom to explore her interests; one of her more recent projects includes ‘Refraction’ 2019 which went onto feature in PANSY Mag December 2019. 

I am going to submit three of my favourite images I have taken of my model Nathan skating, as I think they came out really good, and really reflect on what I was aiming to do. I will be submitted all my images in black and white, as I think they look stronger and I personally prefer how the details really show when I change them into black and white. These images below are the three images I will be submitting, the reason why I am sending these images off is because they are all very different from each other but they all link to the theme I was doing. I think my images definitely capture community, unfortunately I wasn't able to take pictures of one than one person skating but I'm still very happy with the outcomes, I also think these are personal as I took these images to show other people why people skate and how it also forms a community. 

[lucybuntonportfolio]

Beyond the frame - Judges

- Amit and Naroop have been working together since 2003.They came together on a photo shoot for a music artist. Amit was the photographer, while Naroop had been brought on board as the art director. They both instantly recognised that the creative chemistry between them was brilliant. They bounced ideas off each other, came up with interesting compositions and produced a set of images that was far superior to anything they had done before. Amit and Naroop was born.

With no formal training, they perfected their craft with constant experimentation using friends to pose for them and set up their first studio in Amit’s living room.Having made a name for themselves in the music industry, they moved on to editorial, then advertising. With exhibitions in London, L.A and New York, their Sikh Project received global recognition, and in 2019, they released their best selling book Turbans and Tales, documenting the creation and images from the project.Amit and Naroop have shot campaigns for brands including Adidas, Xbox, Sky, Samsung and Huawei.

- For over 25 years, Tessa Bunney has photographed rural life, working closely with individuals and communities to investigate how the landscape is shaped by humans. From hill farmers near her home in North Yorkshire to Icelandic puffin hunters, from Finnish ice swimmers to Romanian nomadic shepherds, her projects reveal the fascinating intricacies of the dependencies between people, work and the land.Tessa has recently completed a commission from North East Photography Network (NEPN) and her exhibition Otherwise Unseen, which brings together four series which explore various rural communities in Europe and South East Asia, was shown at the Side Gallery in Newcastle-Upon-Tyne, Britain’s only documentary photography gallery.In 2013 her work received two nominations for the Prix Pictet – the global award in photography and sustainability (theme: consumption) and her project Home Work was published by Dewi Lewis in 2010 and was exhibited and published nationally and internationally.Between 2012 and 2016 Tessa was based in Laos where she was working on her long term project The Corridor of Opportunity which was supported by Arts Council England. Her series The Women of UCT6 which documents an all female UXO clearance team in Laos was published in the Financial Times Magazine (UK) and online.

- Photography Course Leader at Norwich University of the Arts. James’ background includes industrial photography, editorial content for the specialist rock climbing market and work for design agencies. Work undertaken for these companies has involved producing images for literature to promote clients ranging from youth development initiatives to business lawyers.

- Cherie Carman is a fashion and portrait photographer currently based in London. Since graduating from Norwich University of the Arts in 2017, Cherie moved into a full time position for Selfridges & Co working as a photographer within the in-house Photostudio team. Her day-to-day role consists of capturing fashion imagery for a range of designer brands to be used for Selfridges ecommerce imagery, editorials and social platforms. As well as this she has travelled to showrooms in France to capture the latest collections for brands such as Balenciaga and Givenchy.Alongside her full time position at Selfridges she continues to capture her own imagery in her spare time allowing full creative freedom to explore her interests; one of her more recent projects includes ‘Refraction’ 2019 which went onto feature in PANSY Mag December 2019.

[perfectirishgifts]

Swimming Against The Tide - Helen Williamson & A Career Of ‘Quiet Disruption’

New Post has been published on https://perfectirishgifts.com/swimming-against-the-tide-helen-williamson-a-career-of-quiet-disruption/

Swimming Against The Tide - Helen Williamson & A Career Of ‘Quiet Disruption’

In a career that has spanned years, and helped transform the fortune of brands like Ted Baker and … [] Whistles, Helen Williamson has repeatedly demonstrated that her love for retail and the change she has made within the industry has been a journey of collaboration and partnerships. At the very heart of that sentiment is an unbreakable trust in the belief in the power of people. Finland may have welcomed Williamson with open arms, but it just might be the case that retail’s need for her second act is greater than ever before.

The waters of the Melavesi Lake in Riistavesi, Finland have welcomed a new swimmer of late. Making waves in the two-degrees Celsius aqua is Helen Williamson, who moved to the country for the start of a new chapter just a few months ago.

“My husband is half-Finnish, he has always had the desire to come ‘home’. We bought a house in the middle of the pandemic and didn’t even view it, nor had we even been to the village or nearest city. it just felt right. The house is beautiful, in a calm setting. The lady we bought it off designed it herself and she put all her energy into it.”

The home’s previous owner and creator had put her heart and soul into the property, creating a house that is as aesthetically pleasing to Williamson, as it is practical and easy to live in. Values that Helen herself has delivered through many household retail names over the last three decades. Establishing retail brands with offerings that looked good, felt good and were complemented by purchasing experiences that felt inclusive and enjoyable for consumers has been her mark.

In her last role as MD at fashion brand Whistles, she took a business that was trading to a niche audience – a certain age, size and type of customer – and evolved it into a brand with a much wider reach.

Clothes were created for and modelled by women more representative of the 35 – 55 age group Whistles once attracted, with realistic sizing and flattering shapes introduced for more realistic body shapes and sizes.

“We started with the values under the moniker ‘We are all Whistles’ to bring the idea of collaboration and empowerment throughout the team. I wanted to say we are stronger together, collectively we are more powerful and individually you are empowered to be the face of Whistles. It was a really big thing for me to celebrate all the amazing people within the business.”

Throughout her career to date, Williamson has been a quiet but effective disruptor. There seems to have been no ego to stroke, indeed throughout the interview, she is constant in referring to colleagues that have been part of the journey in all the pivotal points of brand transformations. 

Colleagues like Kate Cannon, Head of Creative at Whistles, whom Williamson worked with on new store concepts and the look and feel of the brand. “Kate is Whistles – she is Whistles through and through. Kate grasped the need to shift the business in a really beautiful way. The softness of the store fit-outs were entirely developed to make the brand feel more welcoming.”

But the journey was not as easy as it seems, in embracing and finding new customers, Williamson knew that she may alienate the existing customer base.

“It was a difficult balance to strike. I knew in commercialising the brand, we risked losing those followers who loved the previous aesthetic. But I knew looking into the data, what the opportunity was for Whistles and by becoming more flattering and feminine, how we could grow. We made the brand more accessible and attainable. We opened up the brand to many people who had wanted to shop there but hadn’t been able to. Anyone coming to the brand could see themselves represented on the website and in the stores.”

There was a mainly female leadership team at Whistles under Williamson and collaboration was important to the way in which she led the change within the organisation. Yet retail has for decades had its share of prominent, characterful leaders, where there has been a clear link between the brand and behaviours of these often ego-centric individuals. 

“Collaboration seems to be more prevalent in, dare I say it, female management teams. Let the brand speak for itself, allow the brand to have its own voice in the way it is presented on social media and interpret the brand according to its values. I have seen so much more collaboration in management leadership recently, particularly in some of the newer brands like Mint Velvet and Hush – both of which have ‘quietly brilliant’ women at the helm. They don’t need to do lots of interviews and profile raising initiatives to get their brand out there. I’m pleased it’s more prevalent now than ever before.”

After starting her career aged 18 with Marks & Spencer on the trainee scheme, where she felt a little, “cloned into the M&S regime,” Willamson with a rebellious spirit, moved onto Schuh and then on to Topshop – which after years of high street domination entered administration last week.

“At Topshop I was part of an amazingly successful team led by Sion Parry and Jo Rose, now husband and wife and with whom I’m still friends”

Ted Baker is where Williamson felt she could where Williamson felt she could consolidate all her industry knowledge, whilst putting in place the ‘nuts and bolts’ to facilitate the changes operationally. 

She cites her partnership with Catherine Scorey (now at All Saints) as pivotal to the changes made at this critical part of the Ted Baker brand transformation. 

“We made a fantastic team. Catherine’s creative direction for the brand and my commercial head allowed us to really understand where the customer wanted to be led and what needed to change in order to make the brand more successful internationally.”

The period that Williamson worked with the Ted Baker brand (2006-2012) was one of hyper-growth on a huge scale. The expansion of womenswear, international development – particularly pan-Asia and the flourish of distinctive creativity allowed this mid-market player to stand up and be counted as an aspirational middle-market player.

“Once we had proven ourselves with a couple of early wins, Ray Kelvin and Lindsey Page gave Catherine and I the space to do what we did. Womenswear and menswear were doing well – and when you are on a roll, not many people want to intervene and try and change your plans. We were able to take the brand and roll with it, and we had the support of the board. We changed the womenswear handwriting from being very British to become more designer inspired – incorporating touches taken from luxury design and making them accessible.” 

“The catalyst for change was the opening of a new womenwear only store in Langley Court, just off Floral Street in London. We enabled it to become the focal point of the women’s collection so we could take our international partners to the store to show them what we were about. Ted Baker was very much a menswear brand up to a certain point. The Langley Court store allowed womenswear to move into the spotlight, showing international buyers something very different.”

Ted Baker finds itself in a changing position today, with recent scandals including the resignation of founder, Ray Kelvin – after a “hugging scandal” in 2019 and Lindsay Page standing down after three profit warnings and a huge accountancy overstatement.

When asked if she feels there is life left in the brand, Williamson says, “It is a great brand. It is sad to have seen the recent demise, but I think it has enough brand heritage in it to go again. But it’s going to need the right energy from a creative perspective. There’s now a lot of pressure on the new Creative Director, Anthony Cuthbertson to bring about the right changes”  

It is clear that throughout a career at some of the iconic brands to grace the high street, Williamson has been a mentor and supporter of many colleagues.

This commitment to help and support others is something that is natural to her, as even now in her new adventure in her Finnish home, she is supporting young people starting their career in retail at a very pivotal point in time. Active on social media, Williamson has offered to support anyone who feels they need guidance, be they someone she has worked with before or someone entirely outside of her well-established network.

Some leaders would have happily signed off and be satisfied they have done their time. In a completely philanthropic effort Helen has run the ‘Covid’ sessions without any charge to help those in retail at this time to have an additional supportive voice and mentor.

“It has been received really well, everyone has been so appreciative of the time and the sentiment of getting out there to help. I have met people that I wouldn’t have ordinarily had the opportunity to meet. In the next phase of my mentoring, I am going out to young adults who may not have had many advantages in their young lives so far and are trying to find their way in retail. It can be very hard for them to find a way in. Many can’t afford to live and work in London on the entry salaries. It has been my experience that often the internships can be granted to those already in the fold, or who can be supported on an unpaid internship by family.”

“There was a session with a young lady the other day – that reminded me of all I loved about working at Whistles – she inspired me – her confidence, her innovation. It is a symbiotic relationship and has given me additional purpose.

 In a career that has spanned years, and helped transform the fortune of brands like Ted Baker and Whistles, Helen Williamson has repeatedly demonstrated that her love for retail and the change she has made within the industry has been a journey of collaboration and partnerships.

At the very heart of that sentiment is an unbreakable trust in the belief in the power of people.

Finland may have welcomed Williamson with open arms, but it just might be the case that retail’s need for her second act is greater than ever before.

From Retail in Perfectirishgifts

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Since the very last Countrywide Coming Out Working day, dozens of celebrities have stopped, taken a deep breath and unveiled to the environment that they are homosexual, bisexual, lesbian, transgender, queer, non-binary, pansexual — and even in just one controversial circumstance, two spirit.

From singers and political figures to sporting activities stars and Hollywood’s brightest, the previous twelve months have proven, in circumstance any individual needed reminding, that any individual can be LGBT+.



As we glimpse forward to Countrywide Coming Out Working day on Thursday (October eleven), let’s rejoice the icons who put their heads higher than the parapet to be agent of the neighborhood — commencing with some amazing musicians.

Monáe came out in April (Tommaso Boddi/Getty)

The Dirty Laptop or computer singer came out as “a queer black woman” in April just after yrs of speculation, revealing that she had “been in associations with the two males and females.”

Monáe explained that she had determined as bisexual at very first, “but then later on I examine about pansexuality and was like: ‘Oh, these are matters that I discover with as well.’

“I’m open to learning far more about who I am.”

The “Sorry Not Sorry” singer, a longtime LGBT+ advocate, unveiled very last yr that she was open to relationship females, stating: “That’s how I have always felt.”

Lovato then explained far more about how she sees her sexuality in March, stating: “I’m quite fluid, and I feel like is like.

“You can obtain it in any gender. I like the freedom of becoming able to flirt with whoever I want.”

The Panic! at the Disco frontman unveiled he was pansexual in July, becoming a member of Monáe in coming out publicly in his early 30s.

The emo-rock singer, who also donated $one million to enable LGBT youngsters in US faculties this yr, explained it was “just men and women that I am captivated to.”

He ongoing: “I guess you could qualify me as pansexual since I truly really don’t care. If a individual is good, then a individual is good. I just like excellent men and women, if your heart’s in the right put.”

Coming out can be tough — and so can labels. When the “I’m Yours” singer unveiled in July that he had loved sexual ordeals with males in the previous, he defined himself as two spirit.

This term, which is applied by Indigenous North American and To start with Nations men and women to signify individuals who have the two masculine and female spirits and can encompass sexual, gender and/or non secular identities, captivated backlash.

However, it is excellent that the forty one-yr-outdated musician felt at ease ample to publicly announce his sexual orientation.

Kehlani (Christopher Polk/Getty)

The US singer came out in April on Twitter, producing: “I’m queer. Not bi, not straight.

“I’m captivated to females, males, Genuinely captivated to queer males, non binary men and women, intersex men and women, trans men and women.”

Rock band Say Anything’s guide singer also came out as queer, making the announcement in an psychological letter which also unveiled that the group was breaking up.

Under the heading “GAY Stuff,” Bemis, 34, wrote: “I have always been bi-ish or queer or a straight person who can also like boys.

“I always talked or joked about it with my buddies and identified it to be blatantly distinct I was.”

The Finnish singer and Eurovision 2018 star came out to PinkNews in March, stating: “I am quite very pleased to be lesbian and I experience quite a great deal like I am lesbian, absolutely.”

She explained she was blessed ample to have by no means struggled with her sexual id, stating: “My sexuality was by no means an issue.”

The British musician, who went to selection just one in far more than twenty nations as a showcased artist on Thoroughly clean Bandit’s hit music “Rockabye,” opened up about her sexuality just after releasing her debut album, Communicate Your Thoughts.

She explained: “I’ve by no means ever just been captivated to males. I have by no means just been captivated to females. I have by no means felt the require to tell any individual that I’m bisexual.

“I really don’t experience like I am. I just experience like I’m captivated to who I like. I honestly experience like anyone is like that.”

Lorde’s sister Indy Yelich-O’Connor unveiled she was bisexual in Could.

The 19-yr-outdated writer took to Twitter to share the information, keeping matters shorter and sweet by just producing: “plot twist (I like boys and ladies).”

The world singing sensation’s teen sibling then screengrabbed the tweet and shared it by means of an Instagram tale, making positive all of her followers had been up to velocity on her sexuality.

Hodgson came out in April (zander hodgson/YouTube)

The British design, actor and Instagram star was just one of a lot of celebrities this yr who chose to arrive out in a heartfelt YouTube video.

The actor, who lives in Los Angeles and has had smaller roles in Hollyoaks, Coronation Avenue and Shameless, determined to share his sexuality to inspire other individuals who could possibly be struggling to arrive to conditions with their LGBT+ standing.

In the video, Hodgson explained: “I needed to tell anyone that I am homosexual, and even though that does not alter just about anything for me, and ideally not for you, I just considered it was a truly important issue to share with anyone.”

He added: “I needed to do this video as properly, since when I feel about all the youngsters out there that are becoming bullied, or are truly struggling with their sexuality, even teenage or grownups, I just want you to know that you are not by yourself.”

Another design, actor and Instagram celebrity to arrive out this yr was Derek Chadwick, who produced the announcement in July, detailing that his mother and father had been “not quite accepting” when he very first advised them he was homosexual — and that he hoped his coming out would enable other individuals.

“Coming out in this way enables me to use the privilege that I have to enable other men and women who really don’t have that,” the Scream Queens actor added.

Andrea Russett came out to her seven.5 million Twitter followers and four million Instagram lovers very last thirty day period, the day prior to Bi Visibility Working day, since — she explained — her greatest close friend Sandra Poenar advised her she believed that queer men and women go to hell.

“I came out to Sandra as bisexual 4 yrs in the past. (Shock! Yeah. Not just how I prepared to arrive out publicly, but s**t happens I guess),” she wrote in a lengthy social media submit.

She added that she needed to tell “anyone who is struggling with just about anything very similar in their existence, you are not by yourself.

“You are not any a lot less of a individual since of who you may perhaps select to like.”

The YouTuber, who has far more than one.5 million subscribers, came out in November 2017 with a amazing video which has so significantly captivated all around 4 million views.

She advised lovers that her sexuality was anything she had struggled to communicate about to men and women shut to her, leaving her frustrated.

But just after likely by way of a individual journey, she posed in front of her rainbow-included dwelling and advised her audience: “I’m Elle Mills and I’m bisexual.”

Robert Páez (LLUIS GENE/AFP/Getty)

Sportspeople in diving, car or truck racing, swimming, squash, golf and soccer took the courageous move this yr of showing their legitimate colors to the environment.

One particular of these stars was Robert Páez, a 23-yr-outdated Venezuelan Olympic diver who shared an inspiring essay about celebrating “who he truly is.”

He explained that he felt “at moments ashamed to go out into society” since of who he was — but no for a longer period.

The racing legend and 3-time Le Mans 24 Hrs winner, is a famous stamina racing champ who received the 24 Hrs of Le Mans across 3 many years – in 1977, 1983 and 1994.

The racing driver, whose sexuality had been an open secret inside of sporting circles for some time, publicly acknowledged he was homosexual at the age of 69, forward of his autobiography becoming launched.

He talked about serving to a suicidal college student in 2012 and explained: “I considered, if my voice is powerful ample to enable just one child, it could possibly enable two youngsters, or 5 or a hundred.”

The footballer, who plays for Major League Soccer aspect Minnesota United, broke a big barrier in June when he came out as homosexual.

Martin wrote a assertion on his Twitter account which explained: “June is Pleasure thirty day period, and I am very pleased to be actively playing for Pleasure, and to be actively playing as an out homosexual person.”

The 23-yr-outdated added: “As we rejoice Pleasure evening I want to thank my teammates for their unconditional support for who I am.

“In gentle of who I am I want to stimulate other individuals who perform sporting activities skillfully or usually to have self-assurance that activity will welcome them wholeheartedly.”

Harrity, who has 2 times picked up the US Nationals title, turned the very first brazenly homosexual person at the major of squash in April.

In a submit to social media, the 27-yr-outdated athlete wrote: “To anyone I know, and to all who know me, I have anything that I am at last prepared to get off my upper body.

“I am homosexual, and I’m prepared to reside my existence as an brazenly homosexual person. I have determined to arrive out since I am persuaded that acquiring anyone know this about me is the only way I can truly be content.”

DeVine, a swimmer on the US national workforce, came out as homosexual very last thirty day period, admitting that coming out was “really tough” for him and that he was fearful of how his workforce would respond.

He broke the ice by very first telling a former teammate, who he explained “did a lot” for him “and was truly there for me as a close friend.”

And DeVine quickly learned that his apprehension about coming out to his teammates was unfounded, as all people all around him reacted properly to the information.

Tadd Fujikawa (Sam Greenwood/Getty)

In September, Fujikawa turned the very first male specialist golfer to arrive out as homosexual and explained he hoped his tale would enable other individuals in the LGBT+ neighborhood.

The American sportsman from Hawaii posted a picture of himself on Instagram on Planet Suicide Avoidance Working day, alongside a caption detailing why determined to go general public about his sexuality.

“So… I’m homosexual. Lots of of you may perhaps have already recognised that,” he wrote.

“I really don’t count on anyone to comprehend or settle for me. But remember to be gracious ample to not press your beliefs on me or any individual in the LGBTQ neighborhood.

“My hope is this submit will inspire every single and just about every just one of you to be far more empathetic and loving to just one a further.”

At the age of 47, the former environment champion and Olympic swimmer verified he was homosexual.

The British sportsman explained: “I obtained truly excellent at the dance of telling 50 %-truths. I have supported the Terence Higgins Rely on, Stonewall, Ben Cohen’s Stand Up to Bullying campaign.

“But I have always done it below the radar.”

He added: “I’ve lived an brazenly homosexual existence to my buddies and spouse and children. But I always hid it as a swimmer.”

The Thor: Ragnarok actress spoke publically about her sexuality for the very first time in June.

Thompson, who’s greatest recognised for her appearances on dystopian drama Westworld, as properly as her function as the explicitly bisexual hero Valkyrie in Thor: Ragnarok, explained: “I can just take matters for granted since of my spouse and children – it is so cost-free and you can be just about anything that you want to be.

“I’m captivated to males and also to females. If I carry a woman dwelling, [or] a person, we really don’t even have to have the discussion.”

The 19-yr-outdated, who produced their title in The Hunger Video games series and utilizes gender-neutral they/them pronouns, previously came out as queer and—in 2016—as bisexual.

But in an interview with lesbian pop singer King Princess—real title Mikaela Straus—in June, they explained: “*Insert Ellen DeGeneres’ TIME Journal address squat and vast smile* Yep I’m homosexual.”

The actor, who has since starred in hit movie The Loathe U Give, added: “I’m grateful for how becoming homosexual has afforded me this capacity to encounter and comprehend like and sex, and for that reason existence, in an expansive and infinite way.”

In July, at the age of 23, the Arrow and Scream actor unveiled that they are non-binary.

Taylor-Klaus came out as homosexual in 2016 by tweeting: “hello my title is bex and sure the rumours are legitimate I am v homosexual.”

And their most current announcement was produced with a very similar air of nonchalance, with Taylor-Klaus — who’s a series frequent on Netflix’s Voltron: Famous Defender — tweeting it out in a great deal the exact same way.

They wrote: “I came out as trans non-binary in a place entire of men and women right now. Guess it is time for me to do that on right here, too…

“Hi. I’m Bex, and the rumours are legitimate. I’m v enby.”

The actor, who rose to fame in Disney Channel movie series Teenager Seashore, came out as homosexual in August, revealing at the exact same time that he was in a extended-term marriage with screenwriter Blake Knight.

Forward of his movie Achieve becoming launched, he wrote on Instagram that he had “personally dealt with suicide inside of my individual spouse and children [and] powerful bullying in large school.”

He added that “myself and the person I have been in a marriage with for a extended time (@hrhblakeknight) have the two knowledgeable shootings inside of our hometown school programs, and have witnessed the heartache that will take put in affected communities just after this kind of tragic occasions.”

Abbi Jacobson (Frazer Harrison/Getty)

The star and co-creator of comedy series Broad City came out in April.

Even though marketing six Balloons, her Netflix movie with Dave Franco, she explained: “I form of go the two ways I day males and females. They have to be amusing, carrying out anything they like.

“I really don’t know — I have by no means truly been interviewed about this prior to.”

24-yr-outdated musician and Disney actress Alyson Stoner came out as bisexual in March.

The star, who is greatest recognised for her roles in More cost-effective by the Dozen and The Suite Lifetime of Zack & Cody, opened up about her sexuality and struggles with faith in an psychological essay for Teenager Vogue.

She wrote: “I, Alyson, am captivated to males, females, and men and women who discover in other ways.

“I can like men and women of just about every gender id and expression. It is the soul that captivates me.”

“It is the like we can build and the goodness we can add to the environment by supporting every single other’s greatest journeys,” she added.

The Glee actor appeared to arrive out on Instagram in March, when he posted a picture of a picture of just one man’s hand on major of a distinct male hand, with an emoji undertaking the hand gesture for “I like you” in ASL.

The upcoming thirty day period, he produced his rumoured marriage with fellow actor Austin McKenzie Instagram formal, submitting various pictures of the delighted few embracing.

The pair the two showcased in When We Increase, a 2017 TV miniseries designed by Dustin Lance Black that advised the tale of the struggle for LGBT equality in the US.

The Gotham star spoke about his sexuality publicly for the very first time in March, when starring in a drama set in the course of the AIDS crisis.

Smith, who is greatest recognised for actively playing Edward Nygma, aka supervillain The Riddler, on Fox’s preferred Batman prequel Television series, unveiled he identifies as queer.

The actor added that his individual spouse and children responded with “a good deal of love” when he came out.

Totah has starred in Champions and Glee (Mike Coppola/Getty)

The actress, recognised for her Television roles in Glee, Champions and Jessie, came out as transgender in a potent essay for Time magazine.

Totah, 17, explained she was “grateful” for roles she has performed above the yrs, but regretted enabling herself to develop into recognised as a homosexual male alternatively than as a transgender female.

She also spoke about her faith, stating she has “come to think that God produced me transgender” and added that when it came to auditions for female sections, she was setting up to “gun for individuals roles.”

Immediately after all, she added: “It’s a clean up slate – and a new environment.”

True Blood actress Rutina Wesley quietly came out in November 2017 as she unveiled her engagement.

The star, who performed Tara Thornton on the cult vampire present and has also appeared on Queen Sugar, uploaded a series of Instagram pictures revealing her engagement to Shonda, a chef from New Orleans.

She referred to her new fiancée as the “light of my life” and “fire of my loins” in the posts, adding hashtags which examine: “Always far more, by no means a lot less. I explained yes” and “I like you far more than words and phrases.”

The Steven Universe creator came out as non-binary in July.

The 31-yr-outdated is the brain powering the preferred American cartoon series, which has repeatedly earned praise for its portrayal of queer people like lesbians Ruby and Sapphire, who obtained engaged before this yr.

Sugar, who has previously labored on Adventure Time and has been nominated for a Primetime Emmy Award 5 moments, unveiled: “One of the matters which is truly important to me about the present is that the Gems are all non-binary females.

“They’re quite distinct and they are coming from a environment wherever they really don’t truly have the frame of reference. They’re coded female which is quite important.”

Sugar added: “I am also a non-binary woman, which has been truly good to specific myself by way of these people since it is quite a great deal how I have felt in the course of my existence.”

We transfer on from just one form of outstanding writer to a further, and Ronan Farrow’s determination in April to publicly arrive out.

The influential journalist, who was essential in exposing Harvey Weinstein, quietly came out as he approved an honour from the Point Basis, which supports LGBTQ learners.

The former NBC Information character, who is the son of Mia Farrow and director Woody Allen, advised the audience: “Each and just about every LGBT individual who has to go by way of a process of accepting on their own and turning rejection and isolation into toughness is richer and far more resourceful and far more established for that journey.”

The writer and co-founder of The Toast came out in February, just after realising his id when researching for his most current reserve, The Merry Spinster.

“It turns out I’m trans!” explained Ortberg, who has also published Texts From Jane Eyre.

“I’ve put in a good deal of time pondering by way of this and likely to support teams, and I begun health care transition just after an preliminary ‘trial period’ to see how I felt about it.”

He added: “I’ve been working with realising that the emotions I had prior to had been not the entire tale.

“How do I produce a vision for the long run that does not negate the previous? It was wild to have all of this arrive up consciously for me in the middle of producing the reserve.”

As properly as culturally important men and women, the previous yr has also been notable for the political figures who have taken the courageous move of revealing their legitimate identities.

One particular of these was Huanwu, the grandson of Singapore’s very first prime minister, who sparked celebrations in the country — wherever homosexuality is unlawful — when he came out as homosexual in July.

Huanwu, who is also the nephew of current Primary Minister Lee Hsien Loong, broke the information by way of Out in Singapore, an exhibition for “LGBTQ people who would like to arrive out to spouse and children, buddies and peers in the neighborhood.”

Huanwu, 31, transformed his Facebook profile picture to a picture of him and Yirui Heng, a 27-yr-outdated veterinarian, just after they had been pictured with each other in the exhibition.

Ahlers was on Denmark’s variation of Dragons’ Den (Tommy Ahlers/facebook)

The Danish cupboard minister unveiled he was bisexual just after yrs of speculation.

Ahlers, who has been the Minister of Science, Technology, Details and Bigger Education since Could, explained that he was coming out publicly at the age of forty two since his position as a minister meant he could not hide any section of himself.

“When men and women mention that they have heard a rumour, I reveal to them that it is not a rumour, since there is no touch of fiction in it,” he explained.

“But the fact is also that I have arrive to the conclusion that I like the two males and females.”

The French cupboard minister, who serves as Secretary of Condition for the Electronic Sector, came out at 33 on the Intercontinental Working day From Homophobia, Transphobia and Biphobia.

The En Marche politician wrote: “Homophobia is an unwell that eats away at modern society, invades large faculties, and poisons family members and dropped buddies.

“Worse, it haunts the minds of homosexual men and women, and often forces us to hide and lie to prevent hatred, to reside.”

Jones, who sits in the Florida Household of Reps, came out as homosexual just about six yrs just after he was very first elected.

In carrying out so, the politician turned the very first brazenly homosexual African-American legislator in Florida.

He unveiled that he had recognised he was homosexual since kindergarten, but only opened up about his sexuality all around 5 yrs in the past when he determined to tell his spouse and children.

Jones came out by enabling Equality Florida’s political director to include things like him in a listing of endorsements of brazenly homosexual candidates, stating he was to begin with not sure if it would be the greatest “coming-out party” prior to choosing to go forward.

And here’s just one far more for this retrospective, which was as well ambiguous to include things like as a definitive coming out second, but as well amazing to leave out totally.

Harry Styles with the Pleasure flag at just one of his concert events (pukinghoran/twitter)

Which is right, the just one and only Harry Styles provoked an outpouring of enthusiasm from lovers before this yr, just after lyrics in his new music appeared to expose he was queer.

The former One particular Path singer had spoken about his sexuality prior to, stating very last yr that he had “never felt the need” to label himself.

But Styles’ lyrics for his music “Medicine” led his lovers to explode with enjoyment and hail him as a bi icon, as the 24-yr-outdated star sang: “The boys and the ladies are right here, I mess all around with them, and I’m okay with it.”

He adopted up individuals sensational strains by singing: “I’m coming down, I figured out I kinda like it, and when I snooze I’m gonna dream of how you tasted.”

The post 37 celebrities who’ve come out this year · PinkNews appeared first on PrideGuy - Gay News, LGBT News, Politics & Entertainment.