How I Got Here: Beare Park’s Brand Manager on LinkedIn stalking and staying agile
image via @abbeydockrill/INSTAGRAM
as told to daisy henry
“Fashion is driven by emotion but it still has to sustain itself.”
Have you ever stalked someone on LinkedIn and wondered how on earth they managed to land that wildly impressive job? While the internet and social media might have us believe that our ideal job is a mere pipe dream, the individuals who have these jobs were, believe it or not, in the same position once, fantasising over someone else’s seemingly unattainable career.
But behind the awe-inspiring titles and the fancy work events lies a heck of a lot of hard work. So what lessons have been learnt and what skills have proved invaluable in getting them from daydreaming about success to actually reaching the top of their industry?
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Welcome to How I Got Here, where we talk to people who are killing it in their respective fields about how they landed their awe-inspiring jobs, exploring the peaks and pits, the failures and the wins, and most importantly, the knowledge, advice and practical tips they’ve gleaned along the way. For this instalment, we hear from Beare Park’s Brand Manager, Abbey Dockrill.
While the title ‘Brand Manager’ can feel ambiguous to those outside the fashion industry, Abbey’s primary focus is ensuring the brand remains aligned across creative, digital and commercial pillars. “I love beautiful imagery and a strong creative as much as anyone but I’m always thinking about who it’s reaching, how it’s converting [and] whether it’s moving the business forward.”
For Abbey, building a career in fashion was anything but coincidental. “I was never too concerned with what the role would be, I just knew I had to be in the industry,” she reflects. Though she tried her hand at sewing, she ultimately studied art theory alongside social research and policy – an unconventional mix she credits with sharpening her ability to blend creativity and analysis.
From there, Abbey worked her way up, using LinkedIn to connect with fashion recruiters, which helped land her a role at Manning Cartell. Within a week, she left her hometown of Newcastle for Sydney. She later joined Lee Mathews in the digital and eCommerce team, before reaching out directly to Beare Park’s Creative Director, Gabriella Pereira.
“If I spoke to my younger self now, she would say ‘I’m in my dream job’ and in many ways, she’d be right,” Abbey tells me. Still, her advice to other young creatives is to the point: “You don’t simply step into your dream role. You build it, layer by layer.”
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Fashion Journal: Hi Abbey! What do you do and what’s your official job title?
Abbey: I’m the Brand Manager at Beare Park. Put simply, my role is to ensure the brand is strategically aligned across creative, digital and commercial touchpoints, performing at its highest level.
Taking us back to the start. Did you have an idea of your dream job growing up?
For as long as I can remember, I knew I was going to work in fashion. Growing up, there was never a bare wall in my bedroom, every inch was covered in pages from Vogue. I still own a lot of those magazines I ripped up, even though only the front and back covers remain. It was less a phase and more a quiet, constant obsession. In hindsight, it feels like pure manifestation!
I was never too concerned with what the role would be, I just knew I had to be in the industry. At one point, I thought I might be a designer, I begged my parents for a sewing machine, spent a school holiday using it and quickly realised that probably wasn’t my department.
If I spoke to my younger self now, she would say I’m in my dream job and in many ways, she’d be right. But now, rather than chasing a title, I’m chasing a set of evolving goals. Fashion doesn’t offer a clear or linear path, and that can be disorienting. However, the fact that there’s no roadmap is part of what makes this industry so demanding and so rewarding. You don’t simply step into your dream role. You build it, layer by layer, just like the magazine pages stuck to my bedroom walls.
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How exactly did you make the leap into the fashion industry? Did you study at uni, or did you start with an entry-level role and climb the ladder?
A bit of both! Even though I always knew I would work in fashion, I felt it was important to build a deeper understanding of visual culture. Right after school, I enrolled at The University of New South Wales and completed a double degree in art theory and social research and policy, where I majored in media, technology and culture. It was an unconventional mix, but it shaped how I think and work, allowing me to blend creativity and analysis, and to understand imagery not just for how it looks, but how it’s constructed, distributed and interpreted.
While studying, I worked at a fashion boutique called The Lair. That’s where I was first introduced to Shopify, and I quickly became fascinated by how digital, product and customer experience intersect. I was also given opportunities to create content, develop creative briefs and understand buying from a boutique perspective.
After graduating, I stalked every fashion recruiter I could find on LinkedIn. That led to my first full-time role as Marketing Coordinator at Manning Cartell. Within a week, I moved down to Sydney on the train with just two suitcases and sheer determination. I was thrown straight into hands-on work – managing samples, coordinating loans, assisting on shoots, building content plans and working closely with stylists and influencers. I still remember my first trade meeting, frantically googling the acronyms that sounded more like science than fashion. A few weeks in, I was presenting my own slides and quickly understood how even the smallest tasks always feed back into the bigger picture.
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From there, I went on to work at Lee Mathews in the digital and eCommerce team. My time there was incredibly formative. I worked closely with marketing, production, retail and external partners to continuously communicate the multifaceted, considered and beautifully crafted world of Lee Mathews across digital touchpoints. I was also incredibly fortunate to be managed and mentored by some of the industry’s most respected leaders – women who have been pivotal to my career and who I’m grateful to continue working with today.
Then, after admiring Beare Park (almost obsessively) from afar, I reverted back to my LinkedIn stalking habits and reached out directly to the Creative Director, Gabriella, offering support across digital and eCommerce. Being a very young brand with a wholesale dominant strategy, I saw a real opportunity to help build something special from the ground up. I joined the business and have since been proud to lead its DTC growth, driving Beare Park into a digital-first brand and, more recently, opening its first flagship store within two years.
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Can you walk us through a typical day in your life on the job as Beare Park’s Brand Manager?
Is there really a typical day in fashion? Haha. If there’s one thing that defines my day-to-day, it’s problem-solving. Every day brings a new set of questions to answer, from product performance and customer behaviour to how the brand needs to evolve next.
In saying that, I’m usually working between weekly, monthly and seasonal communication strategies – from planning eCommerce shoots, concepting campaigns, email marketing, paid media, to organic storytelling and in-store moments, all the while making sure everything feels connected and considered. Within that, there is always something bigger in motion, like partnerships, events or Fashion Week!
What has been a major career highlight for you so far?
When Beare Park was named the official formalwear partner of the Matildas ahead of the 2023 FIFA Women’s World Cup. Being part of something so culturally significant and seeing the brand worn by such powerful women was genuinely surreal.
Another was Beare Park’s Vogue Runway debut in 2024, and again in 2025. Waking up the morning after the show and seeing Beare Park on Vogue Runway was surreal, especially thinking back to a childhood spent covering my bedroom walls in those same pages. It was one of those rare, full-circle moments. Most recently, opening our first flagship in Paddington was another huge milestone.
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That’s a massive few years! Have you faced any hurdles getting to where you are now?
Learning to manage self-doubt. Fashion is an industry filled with highly visible success – beautiful campaigns, influential creatives, impressive titles – and it’s easy to quietly question whether you’re doing enough, or if your voice really belongs in the room. For a long time, I second-guessed myself, even when I’d done the work and had a clear point of view. I would look around and assume everyone else was more confident, more creative, more qualified.
The shift came when I started grounding my confidence in something tangible (this has only been within the last 12 to 18 months, it’s been a long road!). I began looking at what I built, the growth I’d driven, the campaigns I’d shaped and the results behind it all. This perspective gave me something solid to stand on, to feel I could contribute in a way that I knew was earned, rather than forced.
I still have moments of doubt, I think anyone who cares deeply does, but I meet them differently now. Confidence, for me, is not about being louder, it’s about being grounded in the value of my own voice.
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What’s the best part about your role as Brand Manager?
The women I have the absolute privilege of working alongside every day. Their intelligence, creative instinct and openness continually push me to think more deeply and work more thoughtfully. There is a genuine generosity in the way knowledge is shared and support is given, with everyone invested not just in the brand’s growth, but in each other’s.
Being surrounded by women who lead with both strength and care is a privilege I don’t take lightly, and I know I wouldn’t be where I am today without them.
What would surprise people about your role?
While Beare Park aims to feel intuitive, editorial and instinct-led, the work behind the scenes is deeply informed by analytics. Throughout any given day, I’m analysing creative fatigue, customer acquisition costs, funnel movement, merchandising impact and conversion metrics.
For me, it is not ‘brand versus performance’, it’s brand through performance. A brand is not just how it looks. It’s how it converts, retains and grows in a sustainable, premium way.
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What skills have served you well in the fashion industry?
Understanding performance has been one of the most valuable skills in my career. I love beautiful imagery and a strong creative as much as anyone, but I’m always thinking about who it’s reaching, how it’s converting, whether it’s moving the business forward or if my younger self would pin it up on my bedroom wall.
Fashion is driven by emotion but it still has to sustain itself. I take that responsibility seriously, making sure the brand’s creative vision doesn’t just look beautiful, but translates into something meaningful, measurable and built to last.
What advice would you give to someone who looks up to you, and wants to be in a role like yours one day?
There’s very little handholding into fashion, so it’s natural to feel a little overwhelmed or unsure when you’re starting. Try to use that uncertainty as an opportunity to take ownership of your growth and begin by setting high standards for yourself. Work ethic matters deeply in this industry and the habits you build early – how you show up, your openness, attitude and willingness to learn – are what open doors over time.
What about a practical tip?
Always stay agile. Fashion moves quickly and the goalposts you’re working towards can change overnight. Whether it’s a shift in creative direction or deadlines, your ability to respond with clarity and confidence is what keeps momentum alive.
I’ve learned that change does not undo good strategy, it sharpens it. The more you continue to learn, observe and evolve, the better equipped you are to make decisions that keep both the brand and the business moving forward.
Keep up with Abbey here.
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