The Rise of the Stronger Woman
Tamara Ecclestone Rutland was born with that rare combination of beauty, brains and, of course, money.
The daughter of multi-billionaire Bernie Ecclestone of Formula One fame, and Slavica, his Slovakian model wife, Tamara was born in Milan in 1984 and speaks fluent Italian and Croatian. She freely admits that being Bernieβs daughter has been a major influence in her life.
βMy father was obviously a huge inspiration to us. He was self-made, and worked from a very young age. Iβve definitely grasped some of his business knowledge and the way he worked so hard to provide for his family. Everything I do now with the businesses is about making sure my own daughter, Fifi, is provided for when she grows up.β
It would be easy to simply enjoy the life of a wealthy celebrity, but Tamara is not only wife to businessman Jay Rutland, and mother of their daughter, sheβs also a successful businesswoman.
Any tips for managing stress?
βLifeβs too short to be stressed all the time,β Tamara replies. βI definitely take time out for beauty treatments, and have a massage if Iβm feeling that life is getting on top of me. But I would encourage anyone to remember that business is business β itβs just a job and you can only do your best; always remember that we are only human.β
As well as her own brands, SHOW DRY and SHOW BEAUTY, which were launched in this country in Harvey Nichols, Harrods and Selfridges, Tamara has also developed a range of products for her daughter.
βThey say when you start a business you need to stick to what you know and it wonβt go wrong β and having good hair and looking after my four-year-old daughter are things I know a lot about. βFifi and Friendsβ was born purely because, when I had a baby, I wanted to use products that didnβt contain βnastiesβ β so we started from there.
βI wasnβt confident in putting any other brand on my daughterβs skin, so I developed my own. Both brands have been a labour of love. Iβm just pleased that SHOW is being used across the hairdressing industry and is known for being such a strong brand now, while Fifi and Friends has really taken off. Itβs so exciting to see.β
But is Sophia β Fifi for short β too young to understand whatβs been created for her? βSophia is quite a character and, to be honest, every aspect of the range was tried and tested with her, from the design of the packaging to the testing of the products, before they went out on the shelves and were available online. She doesnβt hold back and her opinion is the most important thing to me.β
Fifi has just started school, which can be a traumatic time for both parent and child. Tamara, like any other young mum, is relieved it was a relatively easy transition. βSheβs loving it! Weβve had a few tricky days but sheβs settling in really well and I couldnβt be prouder of her. I feel that being at school is only going to enhance her life β especially as sheβs our only child for the moment.β
You may have seen the recent headlines about Tamara breastfeeding her four-year-old daughter and you may also have seen her defending her case on television.
βThings like Loose Women are a great platform for getting your point across. I do feel as if Iβve become the spokesperson for breastfeeding, and thatβs slightly strange to me. I never even thought Iβd be the type to breastfeed. I think overall you need to go with becoming a mother β and see what happens. Planning whatβs going to happen goes instantly out of the window. Breastfeeding your child is the most natural thing in the world β and we canβt judge any other mother on how they choose to be a parent.β
Now Tamara has more time to concentrate on her business: with global brands and the London market doing well, her brands are also available in Manchester at Harvey Nicholsβ so why here?
βThat was an easy decision β Manchester is just as cosmopolitan a city as London is and, just because Iβm not based there, it doesnβt mean I canβt have the brand there. Itβs been a great success and Iβm so happy everybody loves it as much as the London customers have, so far.β
It must be a constant irritant that because of your glamorous looks, some may question your abilities as a businesswoman; how do you deal with that?
βWomen will always face a tougher challenge when it comes to business, but Iβd like to think that, in 2018, times are changing and we donβt face too much of an uphill battle. Most of the people behind my brands are strong women, so I feel right at home in all our meetings.β
The former model is constantly in the public eye, but we could all do with some of her beauty tips. βFirstly, if Iβm at home and not working, then you wonβt find me with a scrap of makeup on. Any chance I can get to stay in my PJs, I take. Iβd say take any opportunity you can to be make-up free, for sure. My SHOW Beauty Dry Shampoo is a godsend if you have a busy life, and I also use our SHOW Beauty Sublime Repair Mask every week as an intensive treatment to keep my hair looking and feeling healthy. Other brands I love include Charlotte Tilbury, Nars and Dr Perricone, No Foundation Foundation β which is fantastic if youβre on the move.
With Tamaraβs Instagram account registering 424.1k followers and the ever-present online bullying, how does she deal with it and does she ever wish she could switch off social media completely?
βIβve developed a very thick skin when it comes to trolls, to be honest. They rarely get to me; they annoy Jay more. Social media are fantastic in so many ways but theyβre very addictive. Iβd definitely suggest taking time out on Instagram as much as you can during the day. Saying that, Iβm constantly on it.β
Your charity work is less well known. βIβm a massive fundraiser for Great Ormond Street Hospital and do whatever I can for them. Each Christmas we visit the wards with presents for the children, and the work they do is amazing. I also sell a lot of my clothes via eBay and all proceeds go directly to them. Right now Iβm supporting my sister Petraβs foundation, and sheβs opening up a centre supporting children on the autistic spectrum in Fulham. Itβs called Petraβs Place and you can find out more at www.petrasplace.co.uk.β
Perhaps critics will now know a bit more about Tamara who is a strong supporter of women. Indeed she has an inspiring mantra on her Instagram:
Hereβs to strong womenβMay we know themβMay we be themβMay we raise them.