How I Got Here: Incu’s marketing manager on the power of internships and being curious

“Take your work seriously but don’t take yourself too seriously.”

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 job.

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 being at the top of their industry?

Fashion Journal: Hi Ellyce! Tell us a little about who you are and what you do.

Ellyce: I’m the marketing manager for Australian fashion retailer, Incu. I lead a small but mighty team that looks after the online and offline marketing channels including campaigns, retail marketing, email, social media, PR, partnerships, events and activations.

We work very collaboratively with teams across the business from our creative team to ecommerce buying, retail and our Incu Collection design teams. We also work closely with the global marketing teams for Ganni and A.P.C. on the marketing for their stores here in Australia.

Take us back to when you were first starting out. Did you study to get into your chosen field, or did you start with an internship and climb the ladder?

How far back do you want to go?! Honestly, I’ve kind of always wanted to be doing this type of work. I started by applying for work experience in my school holidays from year nine. By the time I had finished school, I had completed work experience with magazines like Harper’s Bazaar and the studios of young fashion designers – basically anywhere that would write back to my cold-call emails.

 

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Originally I wanted to pursue a career in journalism but I chose to do a double degree in Business and International Studies at UTS in Sydney, with the intention of focusing on marketing and French studies. From there, I continued to work in internships and work in retail throughout university, until one of my internships introduced me to my first employer in the industry. I landed a part-time job in a luxury and PR agency, which turned into a full-time job once I finished university.

I spent a year there, working on the most amazing projects and clients, but a lot of the time working on global brands for the Australian market, you’re at the mercy of the decisions made by someone in the New York, London or Paris offices. I wanted to be where the decisions were being made, so I decided to move to London. Thankfully, my boss at the time was incredibly supportive and put me forward for a role as International PR Assistant at Matches, the now sadly closed online retailer.

I sat next to the founder of Matches and met my future bosses at a dinner a couple of months earlier and luckily made a good enough impression for them to offer me the job before moving to London. My time at Matches was probably the most formative period of my career to date. I spent four-and-a-half years there and it was the most creative, challenging, fun and rewarding experience. Working as part of the International Communications team, we would create brand experiences all over the world, working with some of the world’s best designers, artists and creatives in cities such as New York, London, Paris, Seoul, Dubai and even putting on a seaside fashion show as part of Australian Fashion Week here in Sydney. I met some of my heroes and best friends during my time there.

After Matches, I spent a year leading the global communications for a wellness brand called The Nue Co. Working in a smaller, start-up environment was really valuable as I got to be involved in a lot of things beyond my scope of work and learned some valuable skills in a broader side of marketing. After almost six years overseas, I relocated back to Australia and spent time leading PR and marketing with local fashion brands including Ksubi, before landing at Incu.

 

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They sound like great experiences! What challenges have you faced getting to where you are now?

I think in building any career, there will always be setbacks and challenges. One of my favourite and wisest bosses once said that resilience was the biggest skill you need in this industry and I wholeheartedly agree.

I didn’t grow up knowing anyone in the fashion and creative industries. I had to knock on a lot of doors and work really hard when people were kind enough to open them for me. I also had to make some big sacrifices during my first year living in London. I worked at a gym on weekends, in addition to my full-time job just to pay for my living expenses.

Having said that, I have received so much more from my experiences than I ever had to sacrifice. A career is a massive journey and I think you have to build it one day, one role and one opportunity at a time.

What do you want people to know about your industry?

This is such a cliche one but the industry is full of wonderfully talented and kind people. You certainly do encounter a lot of egos and some people whose values don’t align with yours, but I’ve experienced many incredible leaders and people who have shown me that you can get ahead by being kind and authentic.

 

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What’s the best part about being a marketing manager for Incu?

Everything. I love my job, even on the days when things don’t go to plan. One of my favourite parts is how collaborative and dynamic it is. I’ve spent most of my career working in multi-brand retail and it’s the best of what is the typical experience in both agency and in-house marketing roles.

We are constantly working towards innovating the Incu brand but also getting injections of creativity from our brand partners and building a strong understanding of what customers will find exciting about them. I also get to work with so many teams across our business and am constantly inspired by the wonderful and creative people that I work with.

What would surprise people about your role? 

Marketing is the most collaborative function within a business. Our team is often one of the last touchpoints in delivering a product or service to a customer but you need to understand all the steps that come before and after you. Understanding logistics for deliveries, production timelines on clothing collections, how clothes are made and even how to serve customers in-store… these considerations are all part of my day-to-day.

I often joked early in my career that my occupation was actually in logistics, rather than communications, from the amount of time I spent dealing with couriers and shipping companies. Knowledge is power and the more you know about how everything functions around you, the better you can be at your job.

 

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What skills have served you well in the fashion industry? 

I think an innate sense of curiosity has served me well. Each job I’ve had has been an opportunity to learn a new skill – whether it’s a hard skill such as affiliate marketing and managing paid social, or a soft skill like learning to manage people and developing my communication style.

Relationships are also paramount in the fashion and creative industries. You would be surprised how small this world can be, even when dealing with different countries, so it always serves you to do right by the people around you.

What advice would you give to someone who wants to be in a role like yours one day? 

Trust your instincts and create things that excite you. If you’re bored, chances are the customer is bored. Look at every role as a chance to learn something new. Be curious about the world around you. Read what you can about the industry and who is making an impact when it comes to marketing. Substack in particular has such a wealth of knowledge from people in the industry! I sometimes share my own thoughts on my Substack, Market Stall, but some of my favourites are Zara Wong’s Screenshot This and Rachel Karten’s Link In Bio for brand and marketing insights. I also love The Foreword and Holly Garber for general career advice.

And lastly, take your work seriously but don’t take yourself too seriously. Leave your ego at the door, be willing to help and know that hard work doesn’t go unnoticed.

What about a practical tip?

I often get asked what I look for when hiring people, particularly if they don’t have experience or it’s for an entry-level role. For me, it lies in internships and examples of what you think is good marketing. Share why you love a particular campaign, email or piece of social content. Or even just create your own content – it will give me so much insight into what you can bring to the team.

Also, look at the job descriptions for the ‘big job’ you want one day. Have a look at the skills and experience that are required and look for opportunities to start adding these things to your resume.

Keep up with Ellyce here.