STAMFORD, Conn. — W Hotels Worldwide has named supermodel Joan Smalls as its first-ever global fashion innovator — a newly created position in which Smalls will help create, shape and innovate W’s global fashion platform.
“I am thrilled to be named the first ever global fashion innovator of W Hotels,” says Smalls. “It is a dream job of mine to be able to combine two of the things I love the most: travel and fashion. W Hotels — and their incredible line up of hotels around the world — is the perfect partner for such a collaboration. I’m excited to share my passions, tips and personal style with W guests.”
Smalls quietly joined the W Hotels team in August. Since then, she has been working intimately with the brand on a series of initiatives that will roll out in 2017, including her insider guide to Goa. In addition to a product collaboration and several appearances at W Hotels around the world, Smalls will also have a regular presence on The Angle, W’s lifestyle-focused digital platform.
“We are excited to have someone with such a stylish, global point of view help shape our fashion story,” says Anthony Ingham, global brand leader, W Hotels Worldwide. “Be it our longstanding partnership with the [Council of Fashion Designers of America] Fashion Incubator or our recent W Hotels Style Lab pop-up shop curated by Sarah Easley, W has a long history of celebrating fashion. Now, with Joan as our first-ever global fashion innovator, we are excited to work with someone whose personal passions for travel and fashion mirror our own.”
