ANNA BERKELEY

We are delighted to spotlight our latest Marfa Muse and long-time Marfa Stance supporter Anna Berkeley.

An ex-Buyer at the likes of Selfridges and Prada, as well as range planner at Margaret Howell, Anna has now worked as a stylist for the past 15 years and is a body shape expert.

Anna is 5ft 8 and wears size M in the Signature Buildable Parka near her home in Southwest London.

#marfamuse

TELL US ABOUT YOUR CAREER BACKGROUND?

I have been a stylist for the past 15 years but I began my fashion career 26 years ago as an allocator and then moved into buying (which was my dream job). I started as a buyer’s clerk at Faith footwear and then I got a position at Selfridges where I stayed for 7 years. I worked in menswear initially and then moved to womenswear (and never left!) I used to attend the shows and travel all over the world to buy. It was a brilliant, fun, glamorous, but a challenging job. I then moved to Prada to buy for the UK shops and lastly to Reiss as Head of Womenswear Buying. When I got pregnant with my eldest, I decided to retrain as a stylist so I could stay in the industry but be more flexible. I also consulted for Margaret Howell on their womenswear ranges for 11 years. It was wonderful to be working for a small business with so much integrity. 

TALK US THROUGH ANNA BERKELEY STYLING AND THE SERVICES YOU OFFER?

I am best known for my Body Mapping session. I help women understand their shape. I look at each body section, every proportion and angle. Once you understand your unique body shape and ratios you can start to see why certain pieces work and others don’t. It’s methodical, forensic and a great starting point for a re-style. This session truly is the key to dressing well. It saves you time, money and effort whilst being fun and fascinating all at once! I also offer Personal Shopping, Wardrobe Management, Outfit Building and Colour analysis. All of these work together to give my clients a holistic styling programme.

WHAT LED YOU TO LAUNCH THINK SHAPE AND HOW DOES IT WORK?

ThinkShape is the natural evolution of everything I have learned over the past 15 years of studying and working with women’s shapes. I launched it in 2020 during the pandemic. One side is consulting. Think Shape uses a unique formula to calculate the individual proportions of each section of the female body, enabling product designers and sales staff to understand what works well, for whom, and why. Through a programme of workshops and training modules, we help commercial and design teams to better understand their customer, so that the consumer can be front and centre. If retail staff can understand women’s shape better and advise them what to look for when in store, we can start to build meaningful retail experiences again. The second part will be an online portal which I can tell you more about later this year!

WHAT ARE YOU MOST PROUD OF?

Apart from my two boys, Sam and Jesse. I am most proud of the reviews my Body Mapping service had from Anna Murphy of The Times and Lisa Armstrong of The Telegraph. And every single time a client writes to say how much it has helped them it brings a massive smile to my face.  It is literally the greatest job in the world.

WHAT ADVICE DO YOU HAVE FOR FELLOW FEMALE ENTREPRENEURS?

The best piece of advice I would give is just to start. When you have a great idea don’t keep sitting on it. Start – even if it’s only a small amount of time each day or week just do it! I promise it works.

WHICH IS YOUR FAVOURITE MARFA STANCE STYLE AND WHY DO YOU LIKE THE BRAND?

I love the ease of Marfa Stance. The beautiful but wholly practical design. It is relaxed but can easily feel smart too. I love to wear my parka with slim jeans, shorts or a mini skirt. There are multiple ways to style it and the interchangeable hoods, the quilts, collars and fabrications keep it feeling fresh and new. I can’t wait to see the next collection and continue to build my own Marfa Stance section in my wardrobe!Photographer Credit: Zac Frackelton