Super agency The Independents has been on a news tear lately; since December 2023, it has acquired eight different communication and entertainment agencies, including Lucien Pagès Communication and creative technology company Bureau Béatrice. Established in 2017 by Isabelle Chouvet and her husband, Olivier, the communications collective now includes 20 agencies in 16 countries.
Joining them today is talent incubator The Outsiders Perspective, which was founded in 2022 in London by former Roksanda CEO Jamie Gill with the mission of placing top-tier diverse professionals into roles at leading brands. The Outsiders Perspective will be the second participant of the Independents L’Incubateur programme, set up in March 2025 by Alexandre de Betak (whose famous production company is also part of the group) to provide participants with a minority investment, mentorship and access to their exclusive but wide-reaching network.
It s a terrible time for diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) initiatives, so partnerships like this one, which aim at amplifying the message that a skilled, diverse workforce is good for business, feel particularly important. I spoke to Jamie Gill about what this all means for his company and the fashion industry in general.
Vogue: How did this partnership come about?
Jamie Gill: Karla Otto, who is part of the Independents, is also a founding partner of The Outsiders perspective. Arne [Eggers, Karla Otto managing director] was one of the first people I went to when I was just starting, and he was incredibly supportive from the beginning. Karla Otto hired from The Outsiders Perspective as well, and Isabelle knew of us through that. We got to speaking and the group were keen to support.
Vogue: Thinking from the perspective of someone who may also want to apply for L’Incubateur. What was the process like for you?
It was all really quite organic, but of course, when it came down to it, we needed a business plan. We needed a proposal. We needed to show our intention in terms of what we want to do and what the opportunities would be to collaborate with a group. Why it could work for both sides.
Vogue: What is the intention, and what are the opportunities?
The intention is to have our small business join this ecosystem of 20 global agencies, servicing the global fashion industry. It’s a great kickstart for me to be on the radar as a complementary service with talent; to fit in and be introduced to more clients through the group.
Vogue: And how does it work in practice?
We get a small investment, of course, but more importantly, we are now, in essence, a preferred talent supplier for the group. And we also get support with production, creative content communications, that kind of thing. It’s really exciting.
Vogue: The opportunities to amplify your message regarding diverse hiring seem limitless now.
Yes. I don’t think there’s a talent partner in the industry that does what we do. You know, headhunters are traditionally on the periphery. It’s not often that you get a former chief exec, who’s in the industry, who understands the real reality of scaling creativity to headhunt for you.
Vogue: Is The Outsiders Perspective a headhunting company?
In my head, I call us a talent partner. We launched with our Accelerator Programme, which is about transitioning diverse professionals from alternate industries into luxury sector-agnostic roles. And now we are about to launch Executive Search, which is another way to deliver the mission.
We want to be known to be also delivering on executive search. And we also want to be working stronger with our existing and new partners, who want to make a difference and understand the industry’s challenges right now, and that skilled, diverse talent in operational roles could really benefit it commercially. How can we double down on that whilst increasing representation? We’ve got a great accelerator programme, but my ambition is to do more bespoke talent programmes of that nature.
Vogue: Where do you see The Outsiders Perspective in five years?
I’m in Dubai right now, and there is a massive appetite for what we’re doing. I am having conversations about India and the Middle East and how these are markets where things are happening and where you can find the next generation of talent. We’ve got Paris, we’ve got New York, London and Milan, but I think if we can be known as that partner who’s giving you the best talent for and from all those emerging markets… that’s the dream.
Vogue: DEI has, in recent years, become polemic. How do we move forward?
I think the messaging around DEI initiatives post the Black Lives Matter 2020 movement has created a false perception that people are being given leading roles just because they are underrepresented. This is not true. A business should be looking at the best talent the market has to offer, and that means looking wider than “conventional” talent pools. There is vast talent to be found in the global market. An increase in skilled representation can drive growth for all.
Comments, questions or feedback? Email us at feedback@voguebusiness.com.
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