Real stories. Real careers. Real fashion.
A podcast exploring the journeys behind some of fashion and luxury’s most respected leaders. From the shop floor to the boardroom.
The Runway to Excellence isn’t just another fashion podcast; it’s your backstage pass into the real careers, challenges, and triumphs that shape the global fashion & luxury world.
Hosted by Stephanie Jackson, Co-Founder of SJR London, our podcast brings the runway to you. Where passion meets persistence, and ambition meets lived experience. Whether you’re starting in fashion, leading a boutique brand, steering teams in luxury retail, or obsessed with style and success, this is your inspiration hub.
Watch our most recent episodes
What It Takes to get Hired in Luxury Retail with former Burberry Global Retail Excellence Director -Roisin Hurley
Roisin shares valuable insight into what luxury brands are really looking for when hiring, how to stand out in a competitive market, and the importance of attitude, service excellence, and cultural alignment. The discussion also explores leadership in retail environments, building high-performing teams, and maintaining standards in fast-paced, customer-focused settings.
Building The Handbag Clinic And Changing Luxury Resale Forever - Charlotte Staerck
In this episode, Charlotte explains how she turned handbag repairs into a scalable resale model, why authenticity and data drive valuation, and how luxury handbags became recognised as investment assets. She also details the realities behind growth, including being targeted by organised theft, navigating counterfeit risks, and adapting to shifts in manufacturing quality post Covid.
From Cracked Screens to £1million Phones - Wiji Singh Gorwara
Arriving in the UK in 2002 with no English, no friends, and no certainty. His family had fled Afghanistan, sought asylum and uprooted again to start from nothing in Britain. Today, Wiji runs Phone Surgery across 14 stores and holds the UK and European licence for Vertu, one of the world's most exclusive luxury smartphone brands, with both brands now trading inside Harrods.
How To Get Into Selfridges & What Really Happens On Dragon’s Den UK! - Pavan Ahluwalia Dhanjal BEM
Have you ever wondered what it actually takes to get your brand into Selfridges and whether Dragon’s Den is as intense as it looks on TV?
In this episode of Runway to Excellence, Stephanie Jackson sits down with Pavan Ahluwalia Dhanjal BEM, founder of pioneering henna brand Pavan Beauty.
