The working wardrobe: Liv Little

Over the past five years, Liv Little has been instrumental in re-shaping the British media landscape. It was in 2015, while she was studying at the University of Bristol, that Little launched gal-dem, a publication comprised of voices typically sidelined by the mainstream media, specifically women of color and non-binary people of color. “I was frustrated by the lack of representation that I saw on the reading list, but also in the classroom and politics. I wanted to connect with people,” she says. It’s clear from the stratospheric success of gal-dem’s print and digital content that she created something meaningful for an audience who were at last being addressed.

Little’s glittering resumé belies her years; at just 26 years old, she’s directed gal-dem takeovers of The Guardian newspaper and London’s Victoria & Albert Museum and appeared in Forbes’ 30 Under 30 media and marketing list. There’s also a satisfying sense of circularity to the fact that, in gal-dem’s early days, Little juggled running the business with a role on Channel 4’s production trainee scheme – as, in 2019, she spearheaded a partnership between gal-dem and the broadcasting powerhouse, executive-producing six short films in celebration of Black History Month. However, Little maintains that it’s more often the prosaic moments that strike her as career highlights. “It’s not always the big shiny accomplishments; sometimes, it’s the small things. Being in our office, for example, and seeing a newsroom that I wish had existed when I was starting out, makes me feel really proud of what we’ve achieved,” she says.

Last month, Little revealed to her 42,000-strong Instagram following that she would be stepping down as gal-dem CEO and moving into a new role within the company, as president of the board. A natural polymath, Little is relishing a return to academia, and, in case she wasn’t busy enough, has embarked on writing her first novel and is working on ideas for TV. Read on to discover Little’s career and styling secrets and what inspired her to take on a new role…

“After five incredible but non-stop years as the CEO of gal-dem, it felt like a natural progression for me to move into a new role. As president of the board, I’ll be less involved in the day-to-day running, but I’ll be helping to shape, support and grow the business – with the phenomenal Mariel Richards at the helm. Lockdown gave me the time and space to consider my next move, and it might have sped the process up a bit, but it was always going to happen. When people found [a business], it can be difficult to know when it’s time to have a fresh perspective. I’m really excited to see what Mariel’s vision for the organization will look like over the next couple of years. Of course, there were moments when I wondered if I was doing the right thing, but I think it’s really important for me, and gal-dem, that I take some time to nourish myself through study. I’ve just started an MA in Black British Writing at Goldsmiths, University of London. It’s such a privilege to be able to study the plays, prose and poetry that have shaped the literary canon for Black people in Britain.”

“I’ve just published my first piece of fiction as part of a collection called Hag. It’s a series of folk tales, reimagined through a feminist lens. I struggled with imposter syndrome when I first sat down to write my piece, as the other authors involved are incredible and fiction is a whole new world for me; now I’m working on a novel. I’ve written various beginnings to books but, this time, I’ve hit upon an idea that I can see clearly and I’m really excited by. I don’t necessarily feel like I had more time in lockdown – in many ways I was busier than ever – but I actively carved out more time and gave myself the headspace to take this idea to another level.”