Mojeh Izadpanah: Do you remember the moment you fell in love with fashion?
Tiffany Hsu: Yes, it was when I was in middle school. It was when I saw a John Galliano collection – maybe ’97 or ’98 – in UK Vogue and I was like ‘This is so amazing.’ I always knew I wanted to go to art school, but I never knew I wanted to do fashion. I liked fashion, but I never thought that it was what I wanted to do for the rest of my life. When I saw Galliano’s collection I thought ‘This is the most beautiful thing I’ve ever seen,’ so I started researching him and I knew that he went to Central St. Martins, and I went home and told my dad that I was going to go there and study fashion. I was very naïve, but very focused. I guess that would be the moment.
Mojeh: What was your first job in the fashion industry and what did it teach you?
Tiffany: I thought being a shop assistant in a luxury store was a great foundation because the most important thing in retail or fashion is understanding your customers. If you don't understand your customers, you can't offer them a service, and you don't know what to sell them. Being able to identify a customer and what they love is very important.
Mojeh: What was your first big fashion purchase?
Tiffany: I wouldn't call it big, but it's definitely my first fashion purchase. It was a pair of Miu Miu shoes. They were probably £200 and that was a lot of money. I remember I was a student and I sold my saxophone to buy that pair of shoes.
Mojeh: You sold your saxophone to buy a pair of Miu Miu shoes? How did your parents feel about that?
Tiffany: They didn't know! I played it in middle school and then moved to London when I went to Central St Martins, so the saxophone was just sitting there.
Mojeh: As a fashion person, I agree with buying a pair of Miu Miu shoes over a saxophone.
Tiffany: Exactly! I didn't need a saxophone anymore.
Mojeh: How did they make you feel, that pair of shoes?
Tiffany: Honestly, it felt so good. I was like, ‘This is like the best thing I have ever owned.’ They were kitten heels, though. But I was very, very happy. And until today, it's still one of my favourite brands. It's a beautiful brand. So, I'm happy I stayed loyal.
Mojeh: Do you still have this pair of shoes?
Tiffany: Sadly, no. I shouldn't have got rid of them. I should have kept it for sentimental value. There's a lot of things I should have kept for sentimental value. But, you know, you can only keep so much. And then our wardrobes grow quickly. And at the time I was like, ‘Oh, kitten heels. Who wants to wear kitten heels?’ Little did I know.
Mojeh: Can you tell me a little bit about your journey to becoming Mytheresa's Chief Buying Officer?
Tiffany: My journey started as a shopping assistant. A long time ago, I was looking for Matches to work as a shop assistant. I got lost and found a store that had Rick Owens in the window and they were hiring, so I asked if they needed anyone. I’m still good friends with the owners, even though the store doesn’t exist anymore. They retired. They kind of started my fashion journey and hired me on the spot because the owner liked my smile.
I never studied buying; I only studied fashion design at St. Martins. Then I became the store manager, and upon finishing school, they asked if I wanted to join them in buying. I wasn’t trained in buying, so I learned on the job. I moved to Hong Kong to work for Lynn Crawford and worked in Selfridges, eventually ending up at Mytheresa. When I joined Mytheresa, I was a buying manager looking after the design department, and it grew from there. I was hired for the expansion of the business.
Mojeh: What do you think are the key differences and similarities between buying for e-commerce versus brick-and-mortar stores?
Tiffany: First of all, people are way more price-conscious when they shop online because it's much easier to compare. And then you have a lot less of an emotional purchase. In a store you see something and you touch something - it's something we don't have online. So that's something we always consider when someone says, 'Oh, but look at the stitching.' I said, 'No one can see the stitching online.' It's always about the silhouette, the shape, and the colour that must translate online.
When you're scrolling through hundreds and hundreds of photos, it's quite hard to feel emotional. It's always a little bit numbing. So sometimes we have to consider what can attract someone's attention in those ten seconds. The item needs to be engaging and the perceived value has to be correct, so to speak. Because there's no one in the store online - in the store, there's someone who explains to you.
We can offer a more streamlined service online. I don't have to worry about someone forgetting to steam a top or not hanging the correct size out.
Mojeh: As one of the busiest women in the industry, what does a day in your life look like? How do you manage it all?
Tiffany: I just came back from maternity leave after four weeks. We're just getting by. You know, he goes to nursery. But my day-to-day is really going to meetings, sitting in front of the computer, reading reports, analysing things, and looking for opportunities. And because we're a buying team, we're kind of like the connecting point to a lot of different departments because we have to purchase the stock. We have to make sure it comes into the business. We need to make sure it goes to the right place, is promoted at the right time, and how we want to communicate everything. So, we spend a lot of time working with different functions within the business because we're the first touch point of brands and products.
Fashion week is a crazy one because I have to do all the shows and appointments at the same time. And then we must do multiple cities. If press does three weeks, we're doing five weeks. I think a lot of people think that we are just going to the shows and lunch, but no! There is no such thing as lunch.
After the shows, there are appointments, buying, reviews, and meetings. Then you have the dinners. It's really consuming. You have to spend time talking to people, present yourself, change into makeup, and look good while pretending you're not tired. Everyone is so tired, and in the end, you just don’t want to chat with everyone. If the fashion is not very exciting, at the end, you’re just bored, and you can't say it.
I remember this one trip, I think I had been on the road for like 10 days. I just called my husband and started crying just because I was so mentally tired. You just hold yourself together. I also do vitamin shots at the beginning of fashion week. So, always New York. When I land, I'll take a vitamin IV just to keep myself healthy.
Mojeh: What do you predict will be the biggest SS25 womenswear trend?
Tiffany: I don't want to use the word Boho, but I feel like 2025 is the beginning of it all again. I think we've seen a lot of structure for a long time. I mean, don't get me wrong, we still see beautiful statement shoulders and beautiful tailoring from brands like Saint Laurent. So, I think that a lot of trends are continuing, but this whole boho thing is probably the newcomer of SS25.
Mojeh: Do you think these trends reflect any cultural or social shifts we are experiencing?
Tiffany: Well, I guess when the hippie train started, it was all about peace and love. So maybe it's a bit of that or maybe we just need something new.
I think people wanted to be comfortable. People wanted to have the ease - less tired, less structured. Less having to feel like you have to be up, up, up. And maybe girls want to feel feminine and pretty again and airy and relaxed rather than be 'on' all the time. Because I feel like we've been on for a long time. Especially, I think post-pandemic, everyone is very on.
Mojeh: Which piece is currently the most in demand on Mytheresa?
Tiffany: The Row Margaux bag. That's always sold out. It's very hard to get a hold of because there's a bit of a scarcity around the brand, so they don't produce so much of it, so they're like gold dust.
Mojeh: Are there any collaborations or emerging designers you are particularly excited about bringing to Mytheresa?
Mojeh: What else?
Tiffany: We have Louboutin, Victoria Beckham, and Toteme for Spring/Summer. Then we're launching the Loewe Lunar New Year capsule and we do a big capsule for Ramadan and make products that cater to the clientele.
Mojeh: Is there an item you wish you could get your hands on but haven't yet?
Tiffany: I really want a full look from Saint Laurent.
Mojeh: Which one?
Tiffany: Spring/Summer 2025. The suits. I want a full-on suit. I obviously haven't got my hands on it because it hasn't been delivered.
Mojeh: You can get your hands on anything; you're there in the showroom.
Tiffany: More or less, yeah! That's high on my wish list. Since we see everything so ahead of time, we're a bit spoiled. I'm a big fan of Magda Butrym, so there are a few looks with the hot pants and bloomers I really, really want. It’s one of my personal favourites.
Mojeh: They became so big so quickly because it's such a beautiful brand.
Tiffany: Very quickly. It has only been six or seven years. We do a lot of collaborations with them and we might even have one coming up.
Mojeh: If you could only wear one outfit forever, what would it be?
Tiffany: I’ll go for a Saint Laurent suit; I like good tailoring, and it’s very versatile. That kind of suit is very timeless. I like to dress androgynous. So, it's perfect for me, like the shoulder, the structure, the colour. It's on point.
Mojeh: What is your style philosophy?
Tiffany: Don't let the clothes wear you and don't wear anything just because it's on trend. That's not your vibe. I think what makes you feel more comfortable makes you feel good, and that is the most important. I'm happy to try everything but I interpret every trend my own way.
Mojeh: Sustainability is becoming increasingly important in fashion. How do you balance the demand for newness with the growing importance of sustainability in the luxury sector?
Tiffany: I think luxury itself is way more sustainable in comparison to fast fashion because less is being produced. We purchase based on demand, rather than buying and producing before the demand comes. The things we buy and sell are of such good quality that they have longevity and are not things that you throw away. You pass them down or resell them, so they don't go to waste. You might pass it down to your daughter.
We do a lot of work to make sure we are using sustainable materials and brands are becoming more and more conscious - we don't use endangered animal or exotic materials anymore, and brands are more conscious of dye and the process of producing fabric.
Fashion itself is not a sustainable business because we don't really need more things. No one needs another pair of shoes or another scarf or another handbag.
Mojeh: The Middle East is home to some of the world's most discerning luxury consumers. How do you see MyTheresa catering to this region and its unique style sensibilities?
Tiffany: Our Ramadan push has become more and more important for us. There isn't really a market in which we specially create products, and the Middle East is the only one in which we do that. We don't do the North American collection or the Chinese collection; we actually do a Middle East one. They have functional needs, but they also love dressing up and being glamorous. They have the shopping power and the lifestyle. It's very much not only for religious reasons but a lifestyle that we would like to cater for. It's a growing business for us, and we bring more and more products to focus on that sector every year.
Mojeh: Middle Eastern women are not afraid to express their style, dress-up and be glamorous. I really love it; they put effort into it and they express themselves through fashion.
Tiffany: And they are always so chic. I worked with a lot of Middle Eastern clients when I was a shop assistant. I learned a lot. There was a princess from the UAE or the region—she was very chic. She had green hair and was teaching me how to do head wraps. I don't think there are a lot of other regions with clients that are very focused on their styles.
Mojeh: And the purchasing power.
Tiffany: And, we certainly see that. They have that lifestyle. Other countries might have the same purchasing power, but they don’t have the same lifestyle. It’s not about the celebration, the party, and the opulence. People live quite differently. Shop MyTheresa
