Roger Wade: Mentor
Roger Wade is the founder and ex-chief executive of U.K. street fashion brand, Boxfresh.
After graduating from university, Roger started Boxfresh in 1989. He grew the brand from a market stall to an international brand selling in over 12 different countries. Boxfresh were renowned pioneers of the British street scene and were the first to import labels like Carhartt, G-Star and Penfield into the UK.
In 2005, Roger sold the Boxfresh to Pentland Brands and formed his own brand consultancy, Brands Incorporated, specialising in the development, financing and licensing of UK Fashion Brands. In 2010, Roger founded and built the world's first pop-up mall, Boxpark Shoreditch, and in 2016 created Boxpark Croydon.
Roger was a regular columnist for Drapers, spoke at various conferences including World Retail Congress, Futuretail, Imagine 2014, Digital Shoreditch, Drapers Fashion Summit, to name a few.
He also was an associate lecturer at London College of Fashion, and a member of the Cool Brands Council. He is currently a judge on CNBC Pop Up Start Up program and featured on BBC2's "Robert Peston Goes Shopping" on the future of retail. He has sat on the eBay Enterprise Exec Advisory Board and currently sits on REVO Advisory Board.
Roger is a creative entrepreneur. He believes that all brands should be special by identifying special brands and projects and adds value to them. He is passionate about independent brands, the future of retail, and thinking outside the box.