NET-A-PORTER'S 20 Incredible Women On What They Wish They'd Known At 20

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LONDON, June 24, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- In the month that NET-A-PORTER celebrates its 20th anniversary, PORTER asked 20 Incredible Women – the designers, the storytellers, the performers, the founders and the activists – to share the words of wisdom they would give their younger selves.

1. Alison Loehnis, President NET-A-PORTER & MR PORTER: "You are younger than you think. You will never feel like a grown-up. Never underestimate the power of a smile. You will never regret time spent with family and friends. Travel, travel, travel! Grades don't really matter that much, hard work does. Go with your gut – it rarely lets you down. What does not kill you makes you stronger – truly. Your long-standing love of fashion will one day come in handy."
2. Donatella Versace: "I would tell myself that I am going to have an incredible life, full of love, but also with its share of pain... That I am going to be a survivor, and for that reason I will feel a stronger connection to people, especially those who suffer or are being mistreated." 
3. Margaret Atwood: "It's 1960 in Canada, few writers make a living, and everyone knows women writers are bat-shit crazy and doomed to be single.  My advice: times will change and so will attitudes. You can help change them."
4. Jane Fonda: "I would tell myself that NO is a complete sentence. At 20 I was like a colander, I had no boundaries, I desperately wanted to be liked and so whatever anybody wanted I would be compliant."
5. Janet Mock: "Don't let anyone's lack of imagination, low expectations, or distorted projections sway you from your path."
6. Ava DuVernay: "I only learned in the past decade that whatever bad thing you are going through isn't happening to you, it's happening for you."
7. Gillian Anderson: "Don't worry about what anyone else thinks of you. Your opinion is the only one that matters."
8. Emilia Wickstead: "It's easy to get swept up when you're following your heart, but appreciating the present is an important part of the journey."   
9. Charlotte Tilbury: "I received a note from a Beauty Editor saying 'Knock it to them, Charlotte. I know you'll be a star.' It encouraged me to keep following my dreams during tough times and really gave me motivation when I was cold calling for jobs and struggling."
10. Misty Copeland: "Most of all, embrace all that is to come and know that your voice can be used to bring about change far beyond what you'll do on the stage during your career."
11. Zainab Salbi: "Oh, how I wish for my 20-year-old self to know that she is so beautiful. That her beauty comes from her loving heart and radiant soul."
12. Roisin Murphy: "My 20-year-old self was my most instinctive self. I signed my record deal when I was 20, so I would tell myself that following my gut, going with the flow, was the right thing – but take away the anxiety that I didn't deserve it, that I wouldn't be able to handle it."
13. Dr Barbara Sturm: "Don't spend too much time worrying about things you can't change. Just move on and smile, because it doesn't matter in the scheme of things."
14. Bernardine Evaristo: "I'd tell her to consciously develop a positive mental attitude sooner rather than later, because it will get her through the difficult times, which might last many years. It will also help her grow her talent, achieve her goals and make her more compassionate towards her fellow humans, which is important for a writer who needs to understand and be non-judgemental towards their fictional creations."
15. Simone Rocha: "I was in my first year of my masters at CSM. I would say to myself listen, concentrate, and contribute; [and] visit the library more."
16. Gucci Westman: "Never be afraid to push yourself out of your comfort zone. If you don't try, you will never know what that new opportunity could have brought you."
17. Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie: "Looking now (at 41) at photos of myself at 20, I cannot believe how much time I wasted believing that I was not enough just as I was."
18. Maria Balshaw: "It would have been nice if someone had also tipped me off that I would one day run the Tate that I so loved visiting when I was 20. But I wouldn't have believed them."
19. Tata Harper: "This is a time that you will never get back. Put yourself out there and don't let anyone or anything stop you. Most importantly, have fun!"
20. Isabel Marant: "I think your 20s is a period in which you search for yourself and an age where you can play a lot with your look. And that's something you should do, to find yourself and to gain self-confidence."

To see the full feature, read Porter at https://www.net-a-porter.com/porter/article-82c215c35c8ac11f

About NET-A-PORTER
NET-A-PORTER delivers incredible fashion for incredible women. As the world's leading luxury etailer with the most authoritative product edit globally, the site offers the ultimate curation of fashion from the most coveted designer brands, the most exceptional assortment of fine watches and precious jewelry, and more than 200 specialist beauty brands. Our discerning edit places special emphasis on highlighting the creativity and promise of the next generation of fashion talent via the Vanguard, our program for emerging brands. Consideration for environmental and social impact increasingly shapes the product offering, and the launch of the NET SUSTAIN platform, was created to showcase brands that place sustainability at the core of their product.  Uniting content and commerce to deliver an immersive and inspiring customer experience, NET-A-PORTER speaks to a global community and features a dedicated editorial vertical with PORTER, which is renowned for its award-winning content featuring a diverse range of incredible women.

NET-A-PORTER champions unparalleled customer service offering express worldwide shipping to more than 170 countries including same or next-day delivery to the UK, US, Hong Kong, Germany, France, Australia and Singapore, a seamless shopping experience across all devices, luxurious packaging, easy returns and a multi-lingual customer care and personal shopping team that is available 24/7, 365 days a year. A pioneer of personal shopping and client relations services for the digital era in 2000, NET-A-PORTER continues to innovate and strengthen its offering, with virtual styling, invitation only digital exclusives, and a world class suite of specialized offers for EIPs, (Extremely Important People), the brand's most loyal and valuable customers.

NET-A-PORTER is a part of the YOOX NET-A-PORTER Group – the world leader in online luxury and fashion, comprised of multi-brand online stores NET-A-PORTER, MR PORTER, THE OUTNET and YOOX as well as its Online Flagship Stores division that partners with leading luxury brands to power their own e-commerce destinations. The Group has more than 4.3 million high-spending active customers globally. As pioneers in bringing together the realms of technology and luxury, YOOX NET-A-PORTER satisfies the most discerning clientele with expertly curated products from the best luxury brands, personalised end-to-end service, the latest technology and inspiring content, all shaped by nearly 20 years of insights into the modern luxury shopper.

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