Proving that style and substance aren’t mutually exclusive

Today, Net-A-­Porter’s The NET SET app turns one (think of it as the perfect mix of Instagram and a shoppable version of Cher from Clueless’s virtual wardrobe, where stylish women from around the world upload fashion inspiration). To celebrate they’ve enlisted four new women as leaders of the app’s ‘style tribes’, and while they may all be repping different gangs, they have one thing in common – their independence.

ELIZABETH JANE BISHOP – DOUBLE DENIM

Not interested in much apart from hanging out in the art classrooms, Elizabeth Jane Bishop didn’t really fit in at school in her Midlands hometown. Like many teens today, she turned to Tumblr for a “creative outlet”, curating an online moodboard of her tastes – but unlike the vast majority of her peers, hers ended up becoming a stratospheric internet hit. Now with an Instagram following approaching 700,000 and a modelling contract with Elite, Bishop has an ever­growing audience for her digital moodboards – and she’s currently studying to put them to use for a career in creative direction. Remarkably grounded for someone who has scores of people watching her every selfie, Bishop champions the virtues of disconnecting every once in a while. “You gotta get out there and enjoy the real world!”

YOYO CAO – WOMAN IN RED

“I’m an independent girl. I tend to be very opinionated, and sometimes I have very, very strong mind.” So says Yoyo Cao, the fashion entrepreneur behind Exhibit, the boutique turned womenswear label she founded six years ago in her native Singapore. Despite having studied business rather than design (“To be honest, I didn’t use what they taught me in school,” she admits) Cao found unexpected fame thanks to her own sense of personal style, becoming one of the country’s most respected fashion insiders. Now an authority, she’s keen to stress the importance of doing things your own way – “I think it is very important for women to have the right mindset, to set up their own businesses and never be dependent on other people,” she shares.

QUENTIN JONES – MINIMALIST

Filmmaker, photographer and collage artist Quentin Jones didn’t set out to become an image­maker, having originally studied philosophy before switching to art school. “At first, I really felt really embarrassed that I was so lacking the skills everyone else had – I was trying to do what everyone else was doing but not doing it well,” she recalls of her first year at Central Saint Martins. She caught up quickly, though – soon developing a signature style which has since been put to use for brands including Louis Vuitton and Chanel. “An important lesson to learn is not to look at what other people are doing,” Jones asserts. “Look outside the genre you’re working in. I always look at painters when making a film instead of looking at other filmmakers because it’s not going to help.”

POPPY OKOTCHA – PARTY GIRL

She’s walked for brands including Vivienne Westwood and Jacquemus, but London-­based model Poppy Okotcha has a refreshingly relaxed take on fashion. “I was scouted a few times when I was in school, but I was totally not interested,” she explains, having opted for the runways when plans to go to university didn’t work out. Still, whether wearing her beaten up trainers or a pair of towering Miu Miu platforms, she’s not immune to the power of clothing as a way to project your personality to the world. “Style does have a huge part in expression, but it’s not the only route you can take – it’s very controlled,” she quips. “Although I kind of like doing things that people don’t like – like wearing skirts that are way too short or having nipples showing in public!”

All clothes available at Net-A-Porter unless otherwise specified. Find out more about The NET SET here.

Photography Amy Gwatkin; fashion Tara Greville; hair Yumi Nakada; make-up Holly Silius (using Nars); photography assistant Jack Symes; fashion assistant Charlton Henty; Hair Assistant Fabio Petri; Make-Up Assistant Max Blatt