Austen bags top job at The Body Shop

The Body Shop International’s new creative director Nikki Austen is set to bring her retail and beauty experience to bear when she starts her new job next month.

Austen (pictured) has worked in-house at fashion retailers Ted Baker and Red or Dead. In the past four years at Fold 7 as creative director, she has also designed for beauty brands Molton Brown and L’Oréal.

Currently responsible for a team of ten designers, Austen will have to adjust to overseeing a much larger team of 50 at The Body Shop’s London headquarters.

Austen began her career at Red or Dead in 1995 as a design assistant, working on window displays, promotional materials and catwalk concepting. She graduated in the same year from Surrey Institute of Art & Design, with a BA in graphic design and communication.

A stint at Ted Baker as graphic designer was followed by some time at retail communications agency Yellowdoor as senior art director. Austen then moved on to Interbrand, where she was senior designer for four years.

There followed three years of freelancing as an art director in London, Amsterdam and New York, where she did some work for Bath & Body Works.

Austen is stepping into the shoes of Franco Bonadio, who handed in his notice at the beauty retailer in November last year, after landing the top job at branding consultancy Identica.