S6, Ep5 – In conversation with Sophie Goodwin
13 March 2025
In our latest episode of Life & Smile, we are delighted to welcome Sophie Goodwin, the renowned Editor, Advisor, and Creative Strategist, to Harley Street.
You will now, of course, know Sophie as the Co-Founder of the agency Tiger’s Eye and as Special Advisor to the Director at the British Museum. Sophie is also the Creative Editorial Director for the interior and decorative arts title Cabana Magazine.
As an industry great, Sophie has held the title of Fashion Director at The Times Luxury and Tatler and is an expert on all things style and design.
Listen in full as Sophie reveals how she built her career and tips for how she makes it work on a daily basis. Plus, this episode wouldn’t be complete without Sophie revealing her little black book of what she can’t live without, and much more!
Conversation Show Notes – The Recap
The show opens with a mini recap of Sophie’s bio to date – after completing a degree in Russian history, she felt a little lost, and her sister suggested a work experience opportunity that had opened at ES magazines, where Sophie ended up staying for seven years.
Sophie has always been ruled by how she feels about a situation, rather than knowing exactly what the end result was going to be. As soon as she walked into the ES offices, the whole room just made sense to her, and she knew this was the start of something. This was then the path for the career that followed.
The landscape of luxury is constantly evolving, and Sophie confirms there have been so many things that she has enjoyed doing, which have then led her to somewhere else, notably her consulting role at The British Museum. This role added to the intersection where fashion meets culture, meets art, meets life — a unique space where Sophie now finds herself. It is a progression from where she started but now feels very natural for her.
In terms of advice Sophie would give to her younger self or those about to embark on their own career journey, she would say to never stop learning and to give yourself permission to make mistakes, as this will give you lots of different perspectives on everyone else around you.
Sophie became a stylist and Fashion Director by a chance opportunity — saying yes and stepping in because her boss was ill and couldn’t attend a fashion shoot. Sophie considers the emotionality of fashion deeply, and how clothes make you feel like armour.
In terms of her proudest moments, it’s often the simplicity of completing things that Sophie perhaps hadn’t initially wanted to do. There have also been definite highs, such as styling the first cover for Tatler, which turned out to be the best-selling cover.
Sophie has been very privileged by being inspired and been given extraordinary advice by people she has worked with, something she now aims to pass on to members of her team and others she works with.
When it comes to day-to-day life, Sophie describes it as ‘happy chaos’, thriving off not being a routine person and preferring to be doing lots of things rather than just one thing.
Episode Key Takeaways – The Best ideas
Follow your instinct – a bit of naivety can make you indestructible.
You never stop learning – give yourself permission to also make mistakes along the way.
If you are trying to be perfect – what is that? People’s ideas of perfection are so different, and many people often become their most brilliant selves when they stop trying to be so.
The world is evolving and changing and the gift of life is experience.
Say yes – it will often be the making of your career, however petrified you may be.
There are very few moments in life that you actually get to celebrate – own them.
You become much more engaged with your own sense of superpower the older you become and you become very careful with who you spend your time with.
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