Behind the Studio – Flossie Malster
Behind the Studio, where we look closer to home and find out more about the people behind Nomad, this time with Flossie Malster, Junior Strategist at Nomad.
What’s your journey in the industry so far?
I would say I’ve had a pretty unconventional journey so far, but I’m pretty sure everyone says that – especially in strategy.
Throughout school, I always felt torn between my love of art and maths. In the end, maths won – I decided to do an Economics degree at the University of Bath and graduated in the doomed year of 2020, completing my finals from my childhood bedroom back in London.
It was around this time that I got in touch with Katee Hui (strategist and founder of Hackney Laces) and started working as Laces’ first full-time member of staff. We clicked instantly and she became my mentor for strategy and well, most things. In my first week on the job I presented a creative brief for the launch of our new kit sponsored by Nomad, and afterwards, she dropped in ‘have you ever thought about strategy?’... I hadn’t, but it was a bit of a lightbulb moment when I realised I could apply my logical way of thinking to solving creative problems.
In and out of lockdown, we were very kindly allowed to use the Nomad studio as our makeshift Laces office and I got to know Terry and Stu. I loved the vibe of the studio and I wanted to see if strategy was for me, so I asked for an internship here which became a full-time position.
What’s the best piece of advice you’ve ever heard?
‘It is what it is.’
Simple, but it’s my dad’s most used phrase so it’s pretty much drilled into me at this point! He’s always said I’m a ‘big thinker’ (which is a pretty useful tool when you’re a strategist) so this is just a reminder to not get caught up on things out of your control, move forward and focus on the things that are.
What’s your obsession?
I don’t think it would be my Behind the Studio without mentioning football.
I love to play it (Hackney Laces), watch it (Chelsea FC) and talk about it (to anybody who will listen).
Growing up I wasn’t really a girly-girl, but I think even my Chelsea-loving dad was a bit surprised when I wanted a kit for my fifth birthday. It became my obsession and it’s probably grown even more through adulthood, as the lines between football and culture have continued to blur. I used to be a bit embarrassed talking about it, but football is very much a part of my identity now and it’s a really exciting time to be a woman in football. I’m enjoying giving my perspective as a female football fan and player to my work here at Nomad.
What was the latest thing that blew your mind?
This moment, when I was at the Women’s Euros Final in July.
You just couldn’t write it. Chloe Kelly, sidelined for a year with an ACL injury, coming on to score a last-minute winner at Wembley only a few miles from where she grew up. Drink it in. Things like that just don’t happen to England, do they? Bonus points for this image where her name is perfectly lined up on the back of her shirt. Iconic.
What does being creative mean to you?
To me, being creative is finding simple solutions to the most complex problems. I’ve never really been comfortable with the notion that creativity is reserved for the ‘artsy’. Whether you’re Steve Jobs or Joe Bloggs, this definition works for everyone. It’s that moment of clarity and direction when the answer just becomes glaringly obvious. This usually happens to me when I’m running, which is one of the main reasons why I’m running a lot.
Words: Flossie Malster
Header Photography: Kieran Perry
Editor: Craig Berry
