KITRI Spotlight: Lucy Ward

#KITRIspotlight
Meet our creative, intelligent and simply brilliant friends who inspire KITRI in every single way. 

Meet Lucy Ward, Creative Director at Trouva, the online marketplace disrupting the industry by bringing together beautiful homewares from the best independent boutiques around the world. Intelligent and ambitious with an infectious wit, Lucy is a passionate supporter of other women in the tech and creative industries; she's the ultimate embodiment of a #KITRIgirl! We sat down with her at East London boutique, Bonds London to talk about interiors and her impressive career. 


We'd love to know more about your career path so far... 
I’ve always been passionate about retail. I started out in communications but side stepped into retail and marketing early on when I took a role at Jack Wills’ sister brand Aubin and Wills. In my next job at the creative agency My Beautiful City I got to work with a number of incredible retailers including Net-a-Porter and John Lewis. It was after this that I jumped head first into the world of start-ups with Trouva.

Tell us about Trouva. How did it start and what’s its ethos?
Trouva brings you beautiful homewares from the best independent boutiques around the world. It was set up in 2015 by co-founders Mandeep Singh and Alex Loizou who come from retail and technology backgrounds. I joined them early on in the journey to help lead the brand. Over the past four years we’ve gone from a handful of people to a team of 70. We are here to make sure that the people who care don’t miss out on discovering those hard-to-find pieces that would be perfect for them and their home.

 What homeware trends should we be investing in?
We’ve noticed a lot of interest in bathroom décor over the past few months. It’s a room that is often small and tends to get forgotten but with more of us embracing home rituals and morning routines, bamboo shelves, organic cotton towels and terrazzo soaps are reigning supreme.

 Personally, I’m loving the return of retro we’re seeing across all homeware categories at the moment. From coloured glassware in 1970s hues to fringing and tassels not only on cushions but lamps and mirrors too. My go-to brand of the moment is Hotel Magique who make bold and beautiful art prints. Think Parisian apartment meets Americana motel meets Wes Anderson.
 

 You’ve had an impressive career so far! Can you pinpoint a moment that you are most proud of?
Working with Anna Wintour on the Evening Standard Theatre Awards whilst I was at My Beautiful City. Visiting and presenting to her in her NYC office was pretty special. It’s exactly how you imagine it…

 
You’re passionate about supporting women in retail, tech and start-ups. What advice do you have for someone looking to break into the industry?
Make sure you don’t close doors when it comes to picking the right subjects to allow you to progress into roles like UX Design, coding and developing. Don’t shy away from typically male-dominated areas such as technology, maths and science at school. Find a great mentor. If you can find an inspiring female mentor, even better! 

I’m a big advocate of mentoring, especially for women, who I believe can really benefit from the boost in confidence it can provide. In workplaces where women are under-represented, it’s important that there are strong networks available to them, both in and out of work, so that we all feel supported and have someone to turn to whatever the situation.

 
Who inspires you? 
Right now, like much of London, I’m obsessed with Phoebe Waller-Bridge. After the final episode of Fleabag I pretty much sat and re-watched series two over again in one sitting. It’s so honest, funny and relatable. It’s inspiring to see a female playwright getting the airtime and recognition she deserves. I think she is a genius.

When it comes to finding interiors inspiration I’m lucky that I get to work with the Trouva community of 700+ independent, bricks-and-mortar boutiques. Behind the doors of our Trouva stores are some of the most inspiring creatives and best buyers in the world. I love talking to them about the ranges they are buying into or newly discovering on their travels. The boutique spaces themselves, like Bonds in Hackney where we shot the KITRI shoot, are also any interior lover’s dream. Whenever I get away from my desk and visit them I always come back with tons of ideas.

 
What’s the best piece of advice you’ve ever received?
Good is better than perfect (that’s not easy for a creative director but vital in the world of start-up). Don’t let the fear for perfection keep you from finishing things and believe it’s OK to fail as long you learn from it.

 
What does your typical day look like? 
Everyone who knows me will tell you I’m an early bird, however coffee plays a very important part of my morning ritual and is the first thing I do when I get up. I’m normally up and out of my flat in Victoria Park by 8am and if the weather permits I walk to Trouva HQ. I arrive at the office before 9am so I can prepare for the day ahead. In my role, I focus on creative content and building the Trouva brand. That means my day-to-day tasks can range from planning creative campaigns, meeting photographers and stylists, guiding my team in content creation for the week or interviewing customers for feedback on what they love about Trouva.com, as well as most importantly what could be improved.

I swear by my Classpass subscription and find time to fit in fitness at least 2-3 times a week. I’m tucked up in bed by 10pm. I love to read so am quite happy spending the last hour of my day in bed with a new book. At the moment I’m reading Silence of the Girls by Pat Barker.

 
How would you describe your style?
Feminine and minimal but also bold. I have an unhealthy obsession with oversized straw hats, flat shoes and gold jewellery.

We love to see you wearing KITRI. Why did you choose these pieces?
I was over the moon to be asked by KITRI to get involved. I choose these pieces to embrace the arrival of spring. I’ve spent much of the last six months covered up and wearing darker colours. It was refreshing to break that mould and see plenty of bold patterns. I particularly love the Siena Animal Print Tea Dress with its lime green buttons and the Eliana Polka Dot Wrap Dress which has since become part of my go-to work wardrobe.

 


Siena Animal Print Tea Dress, Oh-Snap Embroidered T-shirt, Eliana Polka Dot Wrap Dress, Valeria Vintage Floral Blouse, Marlow Rust Flare Skirt, Erin Frill Wrap Shirt

Finally, what’s next?
We’re aiming to become the destination for people to buy the most beautiful homewares from the best independent boutiques, from all over the world. As well as shopping the best from across Europe, our customers will one day be able to shop boutiques in Los Angeles and even Shibuya… watch this space.

Then, top of my personal agenda is buying a house – no easy feat in London. I’m not there yet but saving for bricks is all I think about these days. It’s a 2019-2020 goal.

@lucytward
@wearetrouva
www.trouva.com

Location: Bonds Hackney