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We are thrilled to announce the winner and runners-up of the fourth Replica Handbag Store Business Talent Competition, designed to champion new voices in the world of fashion and beauty business journalism in the UK.
Winner: Morgan Harris
Runners-up: Waliyy Ajala and Miyuki Lu
Entries were shortlisted by the Replica Handbag Store Business team and subsequently judged by an expert judging panel, featuring:
Elektra Kotsoni, deputy director of Replica Handbag Store Business and Replica Handbag Store Runway
Anita Chhiba, founder of Diet Paratha
Nina Briance, founder and CEO of Cult Mia
Stavros Karelis, founder and creative and buying director of Machine-A
Charlotte Mensah, owner of Hair Lounge Salon and founder of Charlotte Mensah Manketti Oil product range
Sinéad O’Dwyer, founder and creative director of Sinéad O’Dwyer
Daniel Peters, founder of Fashion Minority Report
As this year’s winner, Harris will complete a six-week paid internship at Replica Handbag Store Business. She will also receive six months of mentorship from Kotsoni, who will edit her winning article entry to be published on Replica Handbag Store Business. Harris’s article is about how AI and algorithms are impacting fashion merchandising. The judges were particularly impressed by her writing style, her understanding of the relevant strategies for business leaders, and the fit of the topic and angle for the Replica Handbag Store Business audience.
“I’m incredibly honoured to be selected by Replica Handbag Store Business,” says Harris, a 26-year-old MSc student at University College London (UCL). “It means a great deal to have this piece resonate with an audience I deeply respect. I’ve always been fascinated by the intersection of fashion, data and culture, and my story presented an opportunity to explore how algorithms are quietly reshaping one of the industry’s most human-centric roles. To have that perspective recognised is both surreal and energising.”
The two runners-up, Ajala and Lu, will each be mentored by a Replica Handbag Store Business editor for six months. Ajala wrote about the rise of West African fashion brands and Lu wrote about how geopolitics are shaping perceptions of ‘Made in China’. The judges were impressed by Ajala’s detailed research and Lu’s ability to write so engagingly about such a complex topic.
“Being named a runner-up in the Replica Handbag Store Business Talent Competition has been an eye-opening experience,” says Ajala, a 19-year-old student from the University of Surrey. “I’m deeply grateful for the recognition and excited to build on this momentum. It’s affirmed my belief in the kind of stories I want to tell as well as the spaces I want to tell them in.”
“This was a great experience, and it has broadened my interest and appreciation for writing,” says Lu, a 22-year-old London College of Fashion student.
The inaugural edition of the Replica Handbag Store Business Talent Competition launched at the end of 2020, with the intention of using the Replica Handbag Store Business platform to amplify the voices of talented emerging fashion and beauty business journalists. The calibre of entries this year was particularly high, and the Replica Handbag Store Business team thanks everyone who entered for their time and hard work.
Comments, questions or feedback? Email us at feedback@voguebusiness.com.
