2025 SPEAKERS

Leonie Bell, who was born in Dundee and grew up in nearby Fife, is the Director of V&A Dundee. Prior to this, she worked in a diverse range of roles and organisational settings, advocating for the transformative potential of culture and creativity across society. She began her career at Glasgow 1999: UK City of Architecture & Design before joining The Lighthouse, Scotland’s Centre for Architecture, Design & the City, where she led an ambitious programme of exhibitions, festivals and events. From there she moved to Creative Scotland before joining the Scottish Government as Head of Culture Strategy & Engagement. 

For over a decade, Kristina Blahnik has expertly steered Manolo Blahnik, merging creative vision with strategic business leadership. As CEO, she has ensured that the brand continues to thrive globally, all while honouring the artisanal craftsmanship and timeless design that define its legacy. Kristina’s ability to innovate without compromising integrity has been crucial in maintaining the brand’s position as a global symbol of luxury and excellence.  

Beautiful Braemar has bewitched Kings and Queens, artists and writers, plus a plethora of travel pilgrims who have taken the long journey from around the globe to see it in all its glory for centuries. The Fife Arms is the heartbeat of this bewitching. I feel immense patriotic pride watching people fall for her charms. This bastion of style in bricks and mortar form will leave an imprint on your soul as soon as you step foot in the door. Come join us in November and you will feel what I’m talking about.

Lynne Coleman is a luxury knitwear designer, author, and broadcaster known for creating the first 100% Scottish cashmere Guernsey and Fair Isle sweaters knitted on their respective islands. A passionate advocate for provenance, she began her career as a style columnist and stylist for Scottish publications. She has written for Town & Country and served as Brand Guardian for DC Dalgliesh, Scotland’s oldest artisan tartan mill. Lynne owns the world’s largest private tartan archive, with over 10,000 swatches linked to brands, films, and royalty. She has authored four fashion books, including Cashmere: A Guide to Scottish Luxury, which inspired a capsule collection and global podcast. Her work has featured on STV, BBC Radio, and the BBC’s Icons of Style.

Kirsty Hassard is a curator, and fashion historian. She is currently a curator in the exhibitions department at V&A Dundee, and previously worked in the Furniture, Textiles and Fashion department at V&A South Kensington.  She was co-curator on Tartan, V&A Dundee’s first major inhouse exhibition.  
She has worked on a range of exhibitions including Night Fever. Designing Club Culture (2021) and  Mary Quant (2020) at V&A Dundee and Balenciaga. Shaping Fashion (2017) at V&A South Kensington.  She has published on women and work, and the relationship between fashion and print culture in the eighteenth century. 

Born in Montreal to a Turkish father and British mother, Erdem Moralioglu graduated with an M.A from London’s Royal College of Art in 2003. His first womenswear collection debuted in 2005 and quickly gained recognition with its language of poetic and modern femininity. 

ERDEM has forged its own path in the industry, centering each collection around a forensically researched narrative and a belief in the power of craftsmanship. Collections are formed with a muse in mind, depicting previously untold stories of heroic women. 

ERDEM has received global recognition and industry accolades, including the 2010 inaugural British Fashion Council / Vogue Designer Fashion Fund Award and the 2014 BFC Womenswear Designer of the Year Award. The brand opened its flagship store in Mayfair in 2015. In 2020, Erdem was honoured with an MBE in the Queen’s Birthday Honours List for his contribution to the fashion industry. 

“Having participated in the Festival of Fashion since its launch in 2019, I am delighted to be returning to the Fife Arms again, to this most inspiring, creative and thoughtful of gatherings.” 

Justine Picardie is the author of six books, including her highly-acclaimed biographies ‘Coco Chanel: the Legend and the Life’ and ‘Miss Dior: A Story of Courage and Couture’. She is a contributing editor to Harper’s Bazaar, having previously been its editor-in-chief. She was formerly a journalist for the Sunday Times, a columnist for the Telegraph, editor of the Observer Magazine, and features director of Vogue. Her new book, ‘Fashioning the Crown’, will be published by Faber in March 2026.

“I’m honoured to be part of the Festival of Fashion, celebrating creativity and craftsmanship in such an inspiring setting. For centuries, women have worked quietly in the back rooms of tailoring, and I am proud to lead from the front, upholding the highest standards of true bespoke while shaping both the present and future of the craft. My work remains dedicated to creating quintessentially British pieces, infused with a refined, contemporary vision, and I’m grateful to share my expertise at this year's festival.” 

Kathryn Sargent is the first woman to open an atelier on Savile Row and to hold the esteemed title of Master Tailor. With over 29 years of experience, she began her career as an apprentice at Gieves & Hawkes, where she became the first female head cutter on Savile Row. In 2012, she established her own bespoke tailoring house and expanded her legacy in 2023 with the opening of an atelier in Edinburgh. Kathryn works closely with her clients, advising on cloths, textures, and styles to suit their needs. The bespoke creation process involves over 60 hours of handwork and a series of fittings, resulting in timeless pieces that are meticulously crafted using traditional methods. This unwavering dedication to craftsmanship establishes her as a leading figure in British tailoring.   

“I’m delighted to have been asked to speak at the Festival, which has already established itself as a highlight of the cultural and fashion calendar, and I’m excited to have the opportunity to hear from the other distinguished participants.”

Lydia Slater is the Editor-in-Chief of Harper’s Bazaar, leading the iconic magazine in celebrating fashion, culture and the modern career woman. During her tenure, she has launched initiatives including the Bazaar Summit conference and the membership club Bazaar Privé, while elevating the magazine’s Women of the Year Awards to a global cultural highlight. 

A respected fashion expert, Lydia judges the Goodwood Talent in Fashion Awards, sits on the British Fashion Council’s press committee, and contributed to Balenciaga: Kublin – A Fashion Record (Thames & Hudson, 2024). She also advises Walpole’s Women in Luxury programme. Prior to joining the magazine, Lydia’s career included launching The Week: Fashion, editing TheSunday Times Style magazine, and writing for The Times and The Daily Telegraph.

“I’m delighted to be participating at the Festival discussing with Shane Strachan one of the most innovative Scottish born designers of twentieth-century British fashion, Bill Gibb (1943-1988) who due to his short career and life, his contribution and legacy to contemporary culture, fashion and design history is largely unknown to younger generations of artists and designers.”

Josie Steed is Associate Dean for Research at Gray’s School of Art, Robert Gordon University, UK. She is also a design researcher in fashion and textiles and was formerly Course Director for the BA (Hons) Fashion & Textile Design. In her research she has a particular interest in the role and relevance of traditional hand skills in contemporary Scottish textiles and the value and status of craft making. She co-coordinated the online symposium ‘Fashion, Fantasy, and Collaboration: The Legacy of Bill Gibb’ in partnership with Aberdeen Art Gallery in 2021and is the co-editor and an author contributor of Refashioning Bill Gibb for the 21st Century to be published by Bloomsbury Visual Arts in January 2026.

“The Festival of Fashion is the perfect fit to preview our new Bloomsbury publication, Refashioning Bill Gibb for the 21st Century, highlighting the impact of this special Aberdeenshire fashion designer who celebrated his Scottish heritage on a global scale.” 

Shane Strachan holds a PhD in Creative Writing from the University of Aberdeen where he now lectures. He was the 2022-23 Scots Scriever (National Library of Scotland) for which he was awarded Scots Champion at the 2023 Scots Language Awards. His debut poetry collection DWAMS (Tapsalteerie) was nominated for Best Poetry Book at the 2024 Saltire Awards (Scotland's National Book Awards).

He has performed his work on BBC Radio 4 and displayed his spoken-word film and exhibition ‘The Bill Gibb Line’ in Aberdeen Art Gallery across 2020-21 before further commissions for V&A Dundee. 

“I am thrilled to participate in the Festival of Fashion which sheds light to Scotland’s fashion heritage - celebrating craftsmanship, tradition and talent, all of which are values deeply embedded in the DNA of Really Wild which we want to amplify with our new collections. Beyond creating a timeless luxury heritage fashion brand, we are supporting local craft and crafts people and therefore preserving cultural heritage.”

Nadja Swarovski is an Austrian-American businesswoman and a former board member of the crystal company founded by her great-great-grandfather, Daniel Swarovski.  During her 26 years with the company she was instrumental in elevating the brand from a maker of classic figurines to a creative powerhouse in the luxury and design world and supporting young design talent including Alexander McQueen, Jean Paul Gaultier, Christopher Kane and Erdem.   

 Last year Nadja bought the majority stake of the brand Really Wild. This heritage British brand is now entering an exciting new era—one that merges timeless countryside style with modern relevance with a focus on sustainability, local craftsmanship - conscious luxury. Nadja’s vision is to reimagine British fashion for today’s woman: elegant, enduring, and purpose-driven. 

Emily Tobin is the Editor of The World of Interiors, one of the world’s most celebrated design authorities. She assumed the role in January 2024, following a stint as deputy editor and over a decade at House & Garden - where she held positions including arts and features editor and hosted a series of weekly online talks.

Under her leadership, the brand has evolved with the launch of worldofinteriors.com, and expanded editorial initiatives such as ‘Room for Debate’, a platform for readers and writers to delve into critical issues in design philosophy and culture.

Tobin’s editorial voice is both thoughtful and deeply narrative-driven. She emphasises interiors as cultural and emotional vessels - spaces that tell stories, evoke memory, and reflect lived experience - rather than just aesthetic backdrops.

“I’m thrilled to be part of the Festival of Fashion in Braemar. I have spent many years working with Scottish mills and craftspeople, so this part of Scotland is especially important to me. I’m greatly looking forward to being part of this fantastic Festival and community sharing their stories and insights into our world today.”

Clare Waight Keller is the Global Creative Director of Uniqlo, $25 billion Japanese brand.  

She has an extensive career spanning nearly 30 years in the fashion industry across the 5 fashion capitols of the world, New York, London, Milan, Paris and Tokyo.  

She has worked with fashion industry greats such as Calvin Klein, Ralph Lauren and Tom Ford at Gucci before becoming a Creative Director herself at heritage house Pringle of Scotland before moving to Paris to take the helm at Chloe and then become the first woman Creative Director at Givenchy.  

In 2019 Clare was awarded the Time 100 most influential designer in the world.  

She currently lives between Tokyo and London. 

“This is not a weekend to be missed when some of the world’s most creative designers talk in such beautiful surroundings about the future of fashion.”

Kirsty Wark is one of Britain's most experienced television journalists.  She has presented a wide range of programmes - from the ground breaking Late Show to Election specials, live stadium events to documentaries.  She is best known as an anchor on the BBC’s flagship News & Current Affairs show Newsnight.  In addition to presenting on television, hosts BBC Radio 4’s long-running flagship series The Reunion and is a presenter on Front Row. Kirsty has won several major awards for her work including BAFTA Awards for Outstanding Contribution to Broadcasting and Best Television Presenter.  In 2025, she was awarded a BAFTA Fellowship, the British Academy's highest honour.  She is currently writing her third novel.

I am delighted to be part of the Festival of Fashion at The Fife Arms. It’s a truly special gathering that celebrates creativity, craftsmanship and conversation in one of the most unique and inspiring settings! 

Emilia Wickstead is a London-based luxury womenswear designer known for her modern take on femininity and timeless elegance. Born in New Zealand, Emilia was raised in Auckland by her mother and was inspired early on by her made-to-measure fashion business.  At 14, she moved to Milan, where her passion for luxury fashion deepened. She studied Design and Marketing at Central Saint Martins, graduating with honours in 2007, and gained experience at American Vogue, Giorgio Armani, and Narciso Rodriguez. In 2008, she launched her eponymous label, opening her first store in Belgravia the following year. Her collections now comprise seasonal ready-to-wear, homeware and bridal, homeware, and bespoke bridalwear, as well as bespoke and made-to-order services operated from her West London atelier. Her designs have been showcased at London Fashion Week since 2011.

What a delight to participate in the Festival of Fashion given our shared interest in art and fashion!  

Sonnet Stanfill is Senior Curator of Fashion at London’s Victoria and Albert Museum (V&A) where she focusses on fashion since 1900. Her exhibitions include New York Fashion Now (2007), Ballgowns: British Glamour Since 1950 (2012), The Glamour of Italian Fashion (2014) and NAOMI: In Fashion (2024-5), with accompanying publications. Stanfill lectures widely on modern fashion. She is on the scientific committee of the European Fashion Heritage Association.  

Her exhibition, Schiaparelli: Fashion Becomes Art opens at the V&A on 21 March 2026, the first exhibition ever staged in the UK on Maison Schiaparelli. The project showcases new research and show-stopping garments by one of fashion’s most celebrated houses.  

From preserving craft skills through to innovative partnerships with industry, the power of collaboration is part of the DNA of the success of the work undertaken by The King’s Foundation. Fashion should not exist in an industry silo to still be relevant and responsive.

Jacqueline is Education Director at The King’s Foundation which she joined in 2014 to spearhead the Future Textiles initiative before overseeing the diverse Harmony inspired curriculum covering science education hospitality farming and rural skills education crafts as well as fashion and textiles. The focus is on interdisciplinary learning rooted in learning from nature to demonstrate best practice in skills and knowledge as well as ensuring our ecosystems remain in balance. Jacqueline is a passionate advocate for a responsible fashion industry and has championed a variety of unique approaches to ensure The King’s Foundation plays a pivotal role.