Áslaug Magnúsdóttir | |
---|---|
Born | |
Alma mater |
University of Iceland (
Candidate of Law) Duke University School of Law ( LL.M.) Harvard Business School (MBA) |
Occupation(s) | Founder of Katla, Co-Founder of Moda Operandi, TSM Capital, Tinker Tailor |
Áslaug Magnúsdóttir is an Icelandic [1] businesswoman and entrepreneur. [2] Áslaug is the founder of Katla. [3] She is the co-founder [4] and former [5] chief executive officer of Moda Operandi [6] and a co-founder of TSM Capital. [7] She has been dubbed "fashion's fairy godmother" by Vogue [8] and one of the 100 Most Creative People in Business by Fast Company. [9]
A Fulbright scholar, [10] Áslaug holds an MBA from Harvard Business School, [11] an LL.M from Duke University School of Law [12] and a Candidate of Law degree from the University of Iceland. [10]
Áslaug Magnúsdóttir was born in Reykjavík, Iceland, to parents Magnús Sigurðsson and Rakel Valdimarsdóttir. She has one brother, Sigurður R. Magnússon. Áslaug grew up in Los Angeles and Reykjavík [9] [13] and attended college at the University of Iceland, where she graduated in 1993 with a degree in law. [10] [14] She received a Fulbright scholarship [10] and returned to the U.S. to attend the LL.M program at Duke University. [12] She then earned an MBA from Harvard Business School in 2000, [11] [13] the first Icelandic woman to do so. [9]
From 1993–2000, Áslaug was married to Gunnar Thoroddsen, a lawyer and former CEO of Landsbanki bank in Luxembourg. [15] Gunnar is the grandson of Iceland's former Prime Minister Gunnar Thoroddsen, and the great grandson of Iceland's second President, Ásgeir Ásgeirsson. Together they have a son, Gunnar A. Thoroddsen, [14] [9] guitar player of Great Grief. From 2005-2015, Áslaug was married to nightclub owner [16] Gabriel Levy. In 2022, she married tech entrepreneur Sacha Tueni. Their son is Ocean Thor Tueni.
Áslaug began her career in Iceland, where as a student she headed a modeling agency and was chairman of the National Ballet Company of Iceland, [13] and then became a corporate and tax attorney at Deloitte. [10] After completing her graduate studies, she moved to London, where she was an Engagement Manager at McKinsey & Company. [10]
Áslaug first became involved in the fashion industry while helping to run a modeling agency during college. [9] She started her professional career in fashion at Baugur Group, an investment company focused on the fashion and retail sectors. [17] During her time at Baugur, Aslaug spearheaded a number of investments in early-stage fashion brands. [17]
In 2006, Áslaug relocated from London to New York and joined Marvin Traub Associates as a Vice President. [17] In 2007, she partnered with Traub, the former CEO of Bloomingdale's, to form an investment company, TSM Capital, [14] which invested in designer brands such as Rachel Roy [18] and Matthew Williamson. [7] She later worked with actor and jewelry designer Waris Ahluwalia as President of his label, House of Waris Fine Jewelry. [6] In 2009, Áslaug joined Gilt Groupe to head merchandising for Gilt Noir. [19]
In 2009, Áslaug came up with the idea for Moda Operandi, [19] a " pre-tailer" that lets consumers pre-order items directly from the runway. [20] She shared the concept with Lauren Santo Domingo, and, together, they co-founded the company. [21]
Áslaug left Moda Operandi in May 2013 after raising $36 million in a Series C round of funding from venture capital firms. [5] With Matthew Pavelle, Gabriel Levy and Cleo Davis-Urman, [22] she co-founded Tinker Tailor, a business that let consumers customize designer clothing or design their own. [13] [23] Tinker Tailor ceased operations in 2015. [24]
In 2020, Áslaug launched Katla, a business focused on sustainable practices in the fashion industry. [3] In 2022, Áslaug was named Goodwill Ambassador for Fashion 4 Development, [25] an organization established to support the United Nations Millennium Development Goals in cooperation with the office of the Secretary-General of the United Nations, Ban Ki-moon [26]
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