Q&A with Frame Account Manager Lauren Hegley

Tell us a bit about your background and how you came to be an Account Manager at Frame

After leaving high school I briefly studied Business at AUT, then moved on to align with my more creative side, doing my studies in makeup. From here I got my dream job working at Mecca. This was such an awesome experience for me, because it was a beauty retailer that I loved and really wanted to work for - it is truly where I learnt all of the makeup skills I have today. I actually applied for a Summer Host role and didn’t get the role the first time, so my advice to job seekers is to never give up! 

I ended up working at Mecca for over seven years, where I progressed from a part-time host in the Ponsonby boutique to becoming an Education Partner for New Zealand. I had some great experiences with Mecca, including traveling to Melbourne to deliver trainings, meeting some extremely talented international artists, and working at NYFW on shows such as Alexander Wang and Philip Lim. 

I decided to take the leap into recruitment last year, as I love working with and helping people - I started off working in executive recruitment. This was a great learning experience for me; dipping my toes into the business world, picking up all of the terminology, and meeting a vast range of people from all walks of life. This opened my eyes to recruitment, and when the opportunity came up with Frame, I was super excited as it was a chance to return to my roots of retail and fashion. It was an opportunity to help candidates, like myself 8 years ago, find their dream job.

You are quite the beauty expert, can you tell us the one item your beauty bag would never be without? 

I love ALL things beauty, but if I had to narrow it down it would be a great lip balm that doubles as a gloss. My favourite at the moment is the Laniege Sleep Lip Mask. You’re meant to sleep with it on, but I definitely use this throughout the day too - a game changer!

If you could go back and talk to your 18 year old self, starting out her career, what is one piece of advice that you’d give?

My advice is to go for your dreams, no matter how big they are. In saying that, you have to work hard to get to where you want to be. If you have the drive and determination, and are willing to put in the work, you’d be amazed at the opportunities you will receive. As mentioned above, I didn’t give up and applied for Mecca twice, and once I got the role I managed to work my way up the career ladder. This perseverance led me to some phenomenal experiences with the brand.

Paint the picture of what a weekend with you in Auckland might look like

It’s winter at the moment, so it’s definitely getting chilly! On a typical weekend, I love to catch-up with friends and try dinner spots. We tried Aigo in Ponsonby recently and it was so good. I love to walk down to St Heliers beach and get a coffee, enjoying any bits of sunshine we get when I can. Along with this, I love to see my beautiful nieces and nephews and I’ve started getting quite into cooking; on a Sunday you’ll find me in the kitchen cooking new dishes, much to my flat mates' delight!

Weekends for me at the moment are about resetting, and filling my cup with what makes me happy.

You have such great style - how would you describe your style and what is your favourite brand? 

Thank you! I would like to say I pull a lot of my inspiration from Scandinavian fashion, and I follow a lot of Danish and Swedish fashion bloggers on Instagram for some inspiration. My personal favourites are Matilda Djerf, Sophia Roe and Josefine Hanning Jensen. I would say that this style is more minimalistic, but polished and clean, with a fun-pop occasionally. For an evening look I love adding a bit of edge, and I love Peggy Gou’s eccentric style for this. I do have to credit my best friend who works at Burberry, too, I go to him for a lot of fashion advice and he lets me know what styles look best on me. I would say my all-time favourite brand would have to be Acne Studios.

What’s one tip you would give someone who is job-hunting at the moment?

A tip for job-hunting is to do your research. If there is a role you are interested in, research the brand and find out as much as you can about the company. As an interviewer, we want to make sure that we are finding the right person for the right role, and we want to see you succeed in the interview process. It’s also a great way to see if the brand aligns with your career goals, and whether or not you can see yourself working there. If you are well-educated on the brand and the company, you’re already one step ahead!