Inside NET-A-PORTER’s Incredible Women Conversation With Adwoa Aboah
Last night, Adwoa Aboah joined NET-A-PORTER’s Alice Casely-Hayford for a candid conversation about resilience, risk-taking, new motherhood, and the changes she wants to see in the fashion industry. Guests gathered at The Twenty Two hotel and members’ club in London to listen – and to celebrate the launch of the Incredible Women podcast season 10: Supernovas
“In all facets of life, I think where women are the majority, we have been pitted against each other in a kind of competitive environment, in order to keep us separate, and that really comes into play in fashion,” Adwoa Aboah told content director Alice Casely-Hayford as they sat down for an intimate discussion in The Red Room at The Twenty Two. The model, actor, Gurls Talk founder and entrepreneur confronts this by creating a circle of support and transparency with her friends and fellow models in the industry. “I try to speak to my girls about work environments and clients, [and] about rates – it’s definitely a very uncomfortable thing to talk about. It’s about self-worth at the end of the day. It’s up to us to create an environment where we can share.”
Building community is something Aboah is adept at. Marking 10 years this year since she launched her mental health platform Gurls Talk, she reflected on the journey she’s been on since it started, her hopes for the next decade, and how welcoming her daughter, Shy, has profoundly influenced the issues she wants to address. “I hope Shy always knows she can speak to me about whatever’s going on in her life.”
She talked about returning to work as a new mother: “It’s been interesting having to reestablish myself in an industry that I’ve given years of my life to,” as well as sharing how her move into acting (which included a role in Lena Dunham’s smash-hit show of the summer, Too Much) required her to “really check my ego because I was used to a certain position with modeling and I didn’t have that with acting… [But] I had to reevaluate what brought me joy in my life.”
More joy is what Aboah is manifesting for the year ahead, which on a work front will see her debut her new accessories brand, The Veil. “I find joy in my family; I’m absolutely obsessed with my family. They drive me mad but I love them, and I feel like I can be myself with them. My dad being from Ghana and my mum being, you know, posh and English… It’s this amazing melting pot of culture and opinion. And watching Shy navigate this first year of her life has been so interesting and beautiful to watch. Everything that she’s experiencing makes me feel more excited about the world.”
Guests at the event included model Alva Claire, DJ and broadcaster Clara Amfo, actor Pippa Bennett-Warner, journalist Susie Lau, designer Sophie Ashby, and Google’s managing director Vanessa Kingori. Many wore key styles and exclusive pieces from NET-A-PORTER’s Pre-Fall 2025 drop. Recent PORTER cover star Aboah was dressed in a silver chainmail Rabanne top with Bottega Veneta jeans, while Casely-Hayford wore head-to-toe Alaïa.
The evening celebrated the launch of the Incredible Women podcast season 10: Supernovas. The phenomenal lineup features Hollywood actors Gillian Anderson and America Ferrera; bestselling novelists Rebecca F. Kuang and Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie; fashion podcaster Recho Omondi; and acclaimed chef Ruth Rogers. Listen in every Tuesday as they sit down to share inspiring and eye-opening insights with Casely-Hayford.