Q&A with Tarik Lu i

Kunle Q&A

WITH TARIK LUFTI

Tarik and Kunle have been friends for the best part of 15 years, with a shared love of fashion, music and social mobility. Here, Tarik tells us how working as a club and events promoter in his youth stood him in good stead for life in the world of high end fashion.

Tell us a bit more about what you do. I’m an Area Manager for a British luxury fashion brand and am responsible for our UK and European Outlet business, as well as our top performing concessions across the UK. My role is really there as a support function for our store leaders and teams and I act as the bridge between retail and corporate. I work on strategy and planning team development, collaborating with third party partners and ensuring everything we do delivers amazing experiences in store, building relations for the future.

What do you most enjoy about your role? I love working with people. No two days are the same and it’s so exciting and rewarding to see and support my teams deliver amazing experiences to our clients.

Would it have been important for you to have learnt about personal finance at school? 100%. I may have made more sensible choices as a younger man.

What was your first job? My first ever job was working outside clubs and outdoor events in North and East London, handing out flyers and sticking posters to walls. That was super fun and got me loads of free entries.

What tips would you have for anyone starting a career? Be yourself, believe in yourself and trust yourself. How did you learn to deal with people? I guess growing up and working in clubs and events, I was able to meet people from all backgrounds and you would have to deal with lots of different personalities, some more challenging than others, especially when alcohol is involved. Then working in my current role having interaction with all types of clients from VIPs to someone who has saved all year for that one purchase, it’s being able to adapt to meet expectations. Also, in my role I need to coach my teams and always look for ways to help them develop. In doing so, again you’re dealing with people at different stages of their development and need to manage their expectations in a way that they will respond well to.

How do you deal with disappointment? You can’t change yesterday, let go, learn and move on. It all happened for a reason.

What's your favourite quote? By Muhammed Ali “I don’t count my sit ups. I only start counting when it starts to hurt because they’re the only ones that count.”

What would you now like to have known that you didn’t know before? I have learnt more in life as a father than as a man and through my children I’m still learning every day, it doesn’t stop. But to answer your question, the value of patience. SKQ issue 10 | 7