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]
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.
Career
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]
Fashion career
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]
