TALK’s fifth episode with Anthropologie’s Creative Director, Bobby Whigham.

We learn the trajectory of Bobby’s career on this episode, and we started to sense somewhat of a theme with our creative guests -- this world of creatives that shape so much of fashion, culture, and style often somewhat fall into their path or find that it finds them in some unpredicted way. Essentially, you can’t always plan these things. Bobby discusses some of the work he’s doing now, how he kept busy during quarantine, and offers some great advice for fellow freelancers and creatives.

Our episode begins with a look at Bobby’s initial career interests and how he ended up working retail and fully moving and growing through the ranks at Urban Outfitters from Buyer, Stylist Manager, Trend and Concept Design to lead Editorial Photographer all the way to Creative Director of Men’s and Women’s Brand Imagery.

After initially being rejected by the store associates at his local Urban Outfitters, he had a chance encounter with one of those same associates which ended up taking a chance on him and making him a dressing room attendant. Having always had the need to create, Bobby took it upon himself to shoot his friends and capture trending looks in New York City proving his passion and innate talent getting him promoted. For the next decade, Bobby grew with Urban Outfitters which we all know has always been right on the pulse of trends and culture amongst teens and young adults in North America. Currently, Bobby serves as Creative Director for Anthropologie continuing to expand on his vision for the company.

Bobby has consistently dipped his toes in other creative roles and mediums such as photography, making his own t-shirts for birthday parties, and collaborating with his long-time friend @rxmance on @Cowboy.Surf (inspired by what he could creatively take away from Orange County). Keeping busy with different projects probably has a lot to do with how he’s continued to stay fresh and imaginative for other companies aside from Urban, such as Pacific Sunwear and Ralph Lauren. He’s also been able to leverage his talent for spotting upcoming trends into a wardrobe role where he was able to bring a certain aesthetic that he understands so well to characters on Teen Nick and Netflix shows.

Why TALK loves Bobby -- Bobby is willing to try so many mediums and really keeps his creativity alive almost 24/7, it’s part of his ethos. We loved hearing how he acted as a multi-faceted asset to a brand so many of us are familiar with. Knowing that he has played a big part in this company also shows us that he understands his consumers and their desire for that cool and effortless look and feel so many of us strive for. Lastly, we love that he’s been able to expand on this talent and dive into his own passion projects with fashion, and even bringing his work onto the screen. We can’t wait to see what other projects come from this brilliant mind.

FOLLOW BOBBY: INSTAGRAM