Alexandra Gnjatovic
Founder & Director of Alexandra Gnjatovic Styling and InstaGlam™ the latest online fashion event taking Instagrammers by storm!
International luxury fashion buyer turned personal stylist, Alexandra influences the wardrobe choices of thousands of women through her high-touch personal styling service and InstaGlam™
Loved for her unique signature, she has a clever way of mixing high street with high end to pull off a cool yet accessible style that is loved by her followers.
As an influential fashion advisor, life in the fashion-lane used to find her in the FROW of New York, London, Milan, and Paris fashion week catwalk shows. Living a fashion life from her base in Dubai’s trendy Palm Jumeirah, she worked with global luxury brands such as Harrods, Gucci, Boutique1 and AlOthman Fashion.
With rave reviews from her growing legion of online followers and personal styling clients alike, Alexandra remains humble, with her feet firmly planted on ground. As a mother of two little ones, a burgeoning fashion empire to build and seasonal collection edits to curate for her luxury clients, her schedule is timed with the same precision as her daily outfit styling…but she always leaves dedicated time for family meals, bath time and bedtime stories.
“Alexandra is like a breath of fresh air; she works quickly and directly and left me feeling elated. She has a charming ability to push the boundaries due to her experience in the fashion industry.” (Debra Franses)
We sat down with Alexandra to discuss fashion, life and more…will you be adding the Shacket to your wardrobe this season?
INTERVIEW
Were you always interested in Fashion?
I have always had a great interest in fashion as my Aunt and Uncle had a successful women’s label back in the 80’s. It was a real family affair, with my Mother also involved in the business whilst my Grandmother was the seamstress, I always felt that fashion ran in our blood!
When I was in High School, I used to tell everyone that I was going to be a Buyer at Harrods, which was a dream come true when I started there back in 2004!!
So you started your career at Harrods?
I started at Harrods as a Junior Clerk in Soft Accessories back in 2004 after graduating from University; but quickly moved into Womenswear and became Buyer for Eveningwear, International Designer and Contemporary – I was the youngest buyer there at the time and am grateful to Marigay Mckee who was Fashion & Buying Director at the time, who believed in me and gave me the opportunity at the mere age of 24!
I loved working there and got a real sense of pride walking through my departments as I was fully empowered to run them as though they were my own business.
I feel extremely privileged to have been educated within the walls of Harrods as the foundations for my career were well and truly set within this amazing institution.
Where did you go after Harrods?
I left Harrods and moved to Dubai to be Senior Buyer for Boutique1 overseeing their Women’s & Men’s categories.
My lifestyle there was work-led, and travel was often in my weekly schedule. I immersed myself in the rich culture that the travel experience brings and, of course, discovered so many luxury brands not known here in the UK.
My work and my reputation became well known and I further established myself in the international fashion network of brand executives, many of whom I maintain life-long relationships with.
After Boutique1 I spent a brief time in Singapore before returning to Dubai as Head of Buying for Gucci Middle East, India and South Africa overseeing all categories across Women’s, Men’s and Kid’s.
What was it like working in the Middle East?
I adore the Middle East and find the women there fascinating. The pride they take in themselves and the way they dress is second to none.
The United Arab Emirates is a real melting pot of fashion, culture and food – I loved the fact that you could wear an over the top cocktail dress on a Tuesday to dinner and not look out of place!
Dubai is extremely glamorous, and fashion is universally loved by all. People take great pride in what they wear and how they express themselves through the power of their unique signature style.
Curating the Gucci collections was exceptionally exhilarating for our region as we were able to develop exclusive products and capsule collections where the sky was the limit.
What made you transition to styling?
Styling came as a natural progression for me as friends and family have always turned to me for styling advice.
I have a natural flair for taking runway, designer pieces and making them more accessible and wearable by coordinating them with high street treasures.
I also get an infinite sense of joy helping women discover their own signature styles and seeing their confidence soar through the power of dressing and accessorising well.
What services do you currently offer?
I’m currently booking one-on-one personal styling, shopping, and wardrobe make-over sessions as well as virtual styling. I also work with international luxury brands and retailers – on the brand side for VIP styling and I advise on buying for high-end retailers across the world.
In addition to this, I have recently launched InstaGlam™ which is a seasonal online styling event where I hold live sessions and show the key trends of the season, where to shop them and how to style and wear them to create and develop your signature style. We also have guests on the show from the world of fashion, wellness, nutrition, jewellery, fitness and beyond!
We’re just about to launch our Winter Wellness and Comfy Styling special edition – coming up in December, but we’ve got a few free previews before then, so people can get a feel for the full experience of the live sessions and the full InstaGlam™ experience.