Meet the community: A conversation with Julia Sokele

Say hello to Julia Sokele, a social media and community management consultant in the Dweet community. After building up experience within luxury retail and growing her own online community, she decided to establish herself as a full-time freelancer at the start of last year.

As part of our new Meet the Community series, we spoke to Julia about his journey so far, and how she’s adapted and evolved her profile over the years. Here’s what she had to say.

Tell us about your career journey so far.

I have a very creative family, my mum is in the fashion industry and I’ve always been inspired by her work ethic. I graduated with first class honors in fashion design and was approached by Louis Vuitton to join them as a manager in training. I was further promoted to Women’s RTW manager in Harrods. I worked there for 5 years and elevated the store to be 5th worldwide. I gained so much experience in a very diverse role and felt I was ready to work independently. Social media allows me to be creative and be my own boss, while still driving the business and networking. It has opened a lot of doors to exciting opportunities within the fashion and beauty industry for me.

What made you decide to work independently?

Work life balance was definitely a strong factor. I’m also very independent and love being in charge of my own decisions. However, I understood that I wanted to get as much knowledge and experience as possible before taking the leap.

How would a colleague describe you?

They say I am positive, driven and resilient. I set myself a goal and work towards it daily, while always remaining grounded and grateful for every opportunity.

What draws you towards working in fashion & luxury?

My mum has inspired me greatly as a child and I have never seen myself doing anything else. I love the creativity, craftsmanship, lack of routine and how passionate people are about their craft.

What do you look for when picking a new project?

I look for an opportunity to make a difference, be creative, improve the client journey and elevate the brand/client in question. I enjoy working with brands that are open minded and want to have a positive impact on the world.

What’s your biggest learning so far?

Consistency and resilience is key to success. Have a clear goal, adapt and see an opportunity in every situation. Be daring and take risks – you are your own competition!

What’s the one piece of advice you’d give to someone that’s considering working for themselves?

Network! Learn from others and don’t be afraid to ask for help!

Julia is a social media and community management consultant. You can see more of Julia’s work on Instagram, and online.