Susan Bender

Name: Susan Bender Whitfield

Instagram: @kitty_su

Susan Bender is a creative director, editor and freelance stylist, who collaborated with the women's wear label Issa London for over 12 years initially as a stylist and subsequently as the brands Creative Consultant and Design Director. She played an integral part in the designs worn by the likes of Madonna, HRH Duchess of Cambridge, Scarlett Johannsen and a host of celebrities worldwide. Susan is a luxury brand specialist utilising her skills in marketing, business development, leadership and organisational management to build strategic partnerships with many brands. Specifically building and creating the digital voice of a brand, maintaining their presence in the digital world. The expertise she provides her clients are compromised of concept creation, planning, production and styling digital/social media content, films and campaigns. Her clients to date include: British Vogue, Metier, Huntsman, Asquith, Beazie, Yolke, Monreal. She has worked extensively in the fashion industry styling editorial shoots for publications including, British Vogue, Vanity Fair, GQ, Interview US, British Grazia, Sunday Times Style, D magazine, Jalouse, Exit and Russian HarpersBazaar.

What is your idea of perfect happiness?: Unconditional love from my husband, family, best friends and a lifetime supply of fresh coconuts.

Which living person do you most admire?: My Mother, I wouldn't be who I am today without her influence. Anyone that commits a selfless act to benefit another human being.

What is your greatest extravagance?: Clothes, shoes, bags, accessories, my obsession with Chanel. Outside my industry I'm starting to invest in art so that's my new extravagance plus my wedding last year, I've never spent so much money in the space of a couple of months.

What is your current state of mind?: Hopeful; for the future of humaity and the planet.

What do you consider the most overrated virtue?: Charity for the sake of your own ego.

Which words or phrases do you most overuse?: 'Yay' and my constant mantra 'Will it matter in 5 secs, 5 minutes, 5 hours, 5 days, 5 months, 5 years?' when I'm about to lose the plot, throw a tantrum or have an argument with my husband.

Which talent would you most like to have?: To be able to write music like the great composers.

If you could change one thing about yourself, what would it be?: To be honest I wouldn't want to change anything about myself, I would like to add things to make me better. I supposed if pushed to answer I would say my clumsiness.

What do you consider your greatest achievement?: Every goal I set myself to achieve is my greatest. I wouldn't want to limit it to just one thing, I'm constantly evolving and setting myself new things to achieve.

If you were to die and come back as a person or a thing, what would it be?: I'm going to live forever so that's not possible.Joking apart, I would like to come back as myself but the 12.0 version.

Where would you most like to live?: My own private island which is 100% self-sufficient, solar powered and eco, otherwise one of the Nash Townhouses opposite Regents Park.

What is your most treasured possession?: My most treasured possession is my cat Kitty Suki and my sense of humour.

What is your favorite occupation?: An occupation where you save lives.

What is your most marked characteristic?: Loyalty.

What do you most value in your friends?: Honestly, loyalty, sense of fun, love of dancing and music.

Which historical figure do you most identify with?: Elizabeth I or Cleopatra.

What is it that you most dislike?: Watermelon, any kind of melon and runny eggs. Yuk!