In conversation with: Lauren Faiers
Key Insights from Our Conversation:
True luxury service is about respecting clients' time - sometimes the most valuable gesture is a quick, efficient solution
Building trust through honesty creates stronger client relationships
Creating clear systems and boundaries (like dedicated admin days) is crucial for sustainable business growth
Successful luxury styling requires adaptability - being able to put aside personal taste to truly understand and serve each client's unique style preferences
The transition from corporate to independent business owner requires a mindset shift and new ways of structuring your time
Genuine passion for working with people is essential for long-term success in luxury service
Meeting Lauren Faiers, Personal Shopper and founder of The Shopper London, you're immediately struck by her polished presence and calming energy. Despite her natural, engaging Instagram presence and expert styling tips, Lauren confesses to feeling awkward about creating reels – a refreshingly honest admission that perfectly captures her approach to luxury service. Having built her career from Topshop's flagship store through NET-A-PORTER's personal shopping team and managing VIP clientele in Harrods' prestigious By Appointment department, Lauren now runs her own thriving personal shopping business with a philosophy centred on honesty and genuine connection.
The Art of Modern Luxury Service
This philosophy is particularly evident in how Lauren approaches modern luxury service. While the landscape of high-end retail has transformed dramatically in recent years, with clients expecting increasingly personalised and efficient experiences, Lauren's take on this shift is refreshingly practical. It's rooted in her understanding that time is often her clients' most precious commodity.
"Time is the most important factor for my clients and I get a lot of last-minute requests. If a client has a function they need to go to the next day and their shoes break, you make it happen."
She recalls a brand once sending a replacement pair via bike messenger within an hour - the kind of seamless service that builds lasting client relationships.
Building Trust Through Honesty
This emphasis on genuine service extends to what Lauren considers the cornerstone of client relationships: radical honesty. In an industry often criticised for superficiality, her commitment to straightforward advice stands out. "I had a client who wanted a Loro Piana jacket that was expensive but not special enough, so they chose something else that was more fun yet still chic. I told her, 'Why would you buy it? You look fab but it’s not your style.' She appreciated that honesty," Lauren recalls with a smile.
This philosophy extends to her own shopping experiences, which have helped shape her approach to client service. She shares a story about trying on jeans that weren't her size, where a sales assistant's overly enthusiastic but clearly insincere praise immediately broke her trust. "It was so false... I completely lost interest in buying from them. People pick up on sales tactics very quickly."
The Art of Style Adaptation
Beyond her commitment to honesty, Lauren's success stems from her ability to adapt her styling expertise to each client's unique preferences. While some clients are drawn to her personal aesthetic through social media, she emphasises that successful personal shopping isn't about creating replicas of your own style. Instead, it's about stepping outside of your own taste, truly understanding each client's vision, and helping them build a wardrobe that authentically represents who they are.
Creating Sustainable Systems
It's this commitment to authenticity that helped Lauren navigate one of the biggest transitions in her career. She missed working directly with clients so left the NET-A-PORTER team to begin her journey to entrepreneurship began in January 2020, just before the pandemic - timing that proved unexpectedly beneficial.
"The lockdown was actually a blessing in disguise because I didn't feel any pressure to be successful right away,"
This pause gave her space to develop robust systems that would support long-term growth. One of her most valuable innovations is her "Monday Admin Day" - a sacred time for managing the behind-the-scenes work that keeps her business running smoothly. Lauren maintains detailed photo albums of every item in her highest tier clients' wardrobes, creating a shared digital closet that helps her spot styling opportunities and prevent duplicate purchases. Sometimes this attention to detail leads to amusing moments - like the time she and a client showed up in matching Isabel Marant jackets, which made them both laugh!
The Art of Boundaries
Building these systems revealed another crucial aspect of sustainable success: the importance of clear boundaries. In an industry where client demands can be constant and expectations sky-high, Lauren has developed thoughtful strategies for maintaining boundaries while delivering premium service. "When I go to bed, I always put my phone on airplane mode," she explains.
“I don’t mind my clients messaging me in the middle of the night, I understand looking at fashion is their downtime so I always reply the next morning”
Lauren’s approach to client communication keeps focus on this balance. Rather than getting caught in lengthy message exchanges or listening to multiple voice notes (we joked about a mutual contact whose record for lengthy voice notes once reached 20-minutes!), she often opts for a quick phone call - respecting both her time and her clients'.
Building a Career That Lasts
This balanced approach to client service reflects Lauren's broader philosophy about building a lasting career in luxury fashion. Her perspective combines practicality with inspiration:
“I’ve done a lot of jobs in my life, and some I’ve loved, and some I haven’t loved so much, but every experience is a good experience. Nothing you do is a waste of time, especially if you work with people – you learn so much.”
Lauren’s social media presence has become an organic way to attract clients with similar style preferences, though she admits to feeling self-conscious about creating content. This authenticity resonates with her audience, who appreciate seeing both the polished and personal sides of luxury service.
My Perspective
Lauren's evolution from corporate retail to independent business owner mirrors a broader shift I'm seeing in our industry - the move toward more personalised, relationship-driven service models. Having made a similar transition myself, I deeply appreciate her emphasis on creating sustainable systems and clear boundaries.
What resonates most from our conversation is her practical approach to delivering outstanding service. While our industry often focuses on the glamorous aspects, Lauren's success stems from her commitment to reliability, honesty, and genuine care. When I think about my own journey from NET-A-PORTER to running my business, I'm reminded of how crucial these foundations are.
I've learned firsthand that the exhaustion of constant availability doesn't serve anyone well - a lesson Lauren articulates beautifully through her structured approach to client service. Her story shows that building a sustainable career in fashion isn't about endless availability or perfect sales tactics - it's about creating systems that allow you to show up consistently for your clients while honouring your own wellbeing.
What's particularly exciting is Lauren's vision for the future. She's currently developing a innovative product designed to help revive and refresh clothes on the go - a practical solution born from her understanding of clients' needs and her commitment to extending the life of luxury garments. "I'm hoping to launch a specific product that will revive your clothes and can be carried in your handbag," she shares. Her focus on sustainability and practical luxury solutions continues to shape her business evolution.
You can follow Lauren's journey and pick up her expert styling tips on Instagram @theshopper_x or visit her website www.theshopperlondon.com to learn more about her personal shopping services.