My Fashion Journey
On social media, I talk a lot about my internships and lifestyle- making everything look like a piece of cake. Cute outfits, penthouses on the Upper East Side, Met Gala designers, and a very climactic dating life. However, I don’t address how much hard work, time, and dedication it took to get to where I am today. This post is dedicated to giving you a closer look into the flip side of things.
(skip down to ‘The Beginning of a New Thing’, if you want to skip and read about my college studies)
(skip down to ‘Devil Wears Prada Type Beat’, if you want to skip and read only about fashion stuff)
(and just keep reading, and don’t skip, if you wanna hear the whole story- it’s long but worth it)
My path to get where I am today is untraditional to say the least. Exactly two years ago, I would’ve given an arm and a leg to be where I am today. Never in my wildest dreams would I have believed that I’d be in New York. Not just living in here, but also: working two internships, making new friends, and finally having a perfectly curated closet. To be completely honest, I have really no official on paper qualifications that make me a good fit for the fashion industry. But at the same time, I believe I have the ability to pave my path- and the first step in trying anything new is believing in yourself.
Sometimes I think “manifestation” is just a nice way of saying “fake it till you make it.” Say anything out loud enough times, and you'll start to believe it too. Once you’ve convinced your mind that you’re capable of making something happen, you’ve already won half the battle.
Now let’s do a lil skip and a hop back 15 years. As a little girl, I kept a purple notebook where I would line up 9 sketches of dresses on a page and call it my “collection”- I was sure that I would become a fashion designer and I was incredibly enthusiastic about the idea. Most kids spent their childhood Sundays at Kumon or church. However, I spent my childhood Sundays on the 4th floor of the Bloomingdales at 900 Michigan Avenue in Chicago. On my family’s yearly trips to India, my mom would drag me along for hours to embroiderers, tailors, and silk shops. A lot of one’s personality is solely shaped by the people they’re surrounded by. Therefore, the fashion side of my early life was very much shaped by my parents.
Over time, my intended fashion design career slowly dissipated (as childhood dreams do), and I started to dabble in the idea of going a different path. I hopped from lawyer to plastic surgeon to “businesswoman”(whatever that means). But every time I would watch a show I would rule out another profession. Watching Grey’s Anatomy ruled out any inclination towards plastic surgery- even though McSteamy made it look fun. Watching Suits made me want to date a lawyer, but not necessarily become a lawyer. After all that, the only option left was “businesswoman,” and I stuck with it.
By the time I hit high school, I didn’t have a lot of time to think about my future career possibilities. High school was some the hardest years of my life. When I look back, my mind skips to remember the highlight reel- and my brain has very effectively stuffed all the long nights, tears, and stress about college- which I’ve buried deep down in my trauma box. Frankly, I’m not sure if this is the case for every high school overachiever, but I almost spent every waking moment worrying about college. And on top of that, going to school on the West Coast was a non-negotiable for me. Palm trees, beaches, and no seasonal depression was the lifestyle that motivated me. My dream schools were any of the 4 big California schools: Stanford, Berkeley, University of Southern California, or UCLA. I used every birthday candle, fallen eyelash, and 11:11 to wish that I could, one day, move to California.
And before I knew it, on March 29, 2018- I received my acceptance email to Berkeley. And once I did, I stopped giving a single shit. The weightlessness that you feel knowing that you won’t ever have to face anyone from high school again after 3 more months, is the most insane feeling. I lived out my last year of high school by two shitty but amazing mottos: YOSO (you’re only a senior once) and “shooters shoot”.
Around April of my senior year, I took part in an annual community fundraising fashion show which raises money to build homes in Guatemala. I had been part of the shows in the past- but in light of my new fundamental mottos, I decided that I better go hard or go home. My good friend (hi Ana) and I teamed up, went to Goodwill, and bought old tablecloths. Then I proceeded to then teach myself how to sew off YouTube, borrowed a friends sewing machine, and created a whole ass dress out of those Goodwill tablecloths. As a finishing touch, Ana and I painted scenes from Guatemala all over the tablecloth dress. As expected, the dress was a massive hit. And it also inspired a ton of people in the following years of the fashion show to think out of the box. So, if I were to put a very clear starting line to my actual journey- that would be it.
The Beginning of a New Thing
Fast-forward to a few months later at Berkeley. While going through sorority rush freshman year, I would explain my intended “business” major to the girls interviewing me, and I would receive an unenthusiastic look from them. That’s when I pulled the BS out of my back pocket and started adding “but I want to work in fashion one day” and almost immediately the girls would look 100x more intrigued. By my outfits, demeanor and knowledge, you wouldn’t second guess it. So, to keep the momentum going, I continued to use the line all through my freshman year of college. At some point, people started to identify me as specifically “the girl who wants to work fashion”- and slowly I started to believe it as well. It had a certain ring to it, that just a plain “businesswoman” didn’t really have. (Again, fake it till you make it, kids.)
I went into college anticipating to be a Business major, and upon being declined by the business school- I turned into an Economics major. However, I strongly believe that everything happens for a reason- and I was so right. If I was accepted into the business school, it would’ve been impossible for me to take a semester off school at the time that I did- and I would have never come to New York.
In addition, along the way, I somehow added on a Data Science minor. Then- I decided that being a girl who codes is a hot flex. So, I turned that minor into a major. After working my ass off through the most insane coding, math, and statistics classes, I finally declared this past summer- making me officially and extra hot girl who codes.
Finally, sometime in between all of this, I texted my mom on a whim to tell her how I loved learning about Operations Research. And just like that, without overthinking it, I hopped right into studying Industrial Engineering & Operations Research. It was the last thing I added into the mix, the hardest thing that I added, but it’s the subject I’m most in love with. It’s also almost exactly what my dad does. Coincidence? I think not.
So yeah, that’s how I ended up where I am- studying Economics, Data Science, and Industrial Engineering & Operations Research. And believe it or not, but each of those three areas are monumentally important in the positions that I’m currently working. Yes, the positions in the fashion industry!
Devil Wears Prada Type Beat: A Mini Crash Course
To be completely honest, I can’t give you very good insight about New York fashion school, going into fashion PR or merchandising, or even about stepping into the fashion industry from that sphere- mostly, because I didn’t do it that way and I don’t work in that area. But, what I can explain is how I got to where I am (honestly, not very far. don’t forget I’m just an intern). And then you can pick and choose what good advice applies to you. Deal or no deal?
Post that senior year philanthropy fashion show, I continued to go with the flow and taught myself how to sketch, design, and sew really well. Upon going to college, I started to design for a club called FAST(Fashion and Student Trends)- for which I designed my first 4 piece mini collection that walked their bi-annual show. I loved every aspect of designing. And even though I wasn’t professionally trained, I knew that I had to be surrounded by that exciting process in my future career. It’s what would keep me pumped to go into work everyday and experience something new.
Last summer, I fully sent the whole “fashion” thing, and worked at a wholesale prom dress company called Mac Duggal in Chicago. It was a perfect starting point for me. There, I did everything from account management to literally making boxes in the back of the warehouse. Honestly, in the moment, I didn’t think I was learning a lot. However, in retrospect, there are so many things that I learned while working there, which have put me miles ahead in this new job in New York. And I’m so incredibly grateful for the opportunity. Now, I even know how to make a perfectly symmetric box in record time.
Finally, to the actual explanation of how I ended up in New York.
I started applying for summer internships in January of 2020. Between January and July, I applied for over 400 internship opportunities all over the country and world. These were positions that I found through LinkedIn, Handshake, Indeed, company websites, etc. I also reached out to every individual that had mentioned having connections in fashion. Once corona hit, all of those Summer 2020 interviews and positions were quickly cancelled. And if they weren’t cancelled, I was rejected from them.
I was stuck at home, and my chances of going back to in-person school for Junior year fall were getting worse. In addition, by the end of second semester sophomore year, my brain was wrung out by the amount of coding and math I had to study through. Between all of that, the idea of taking a gap semester just lined up pretty perfectly.
Time off, in exchange for real world experience would be a great opportunity to get a better perspective on my future career. Then, I could accordingly recalibrate my education from there on out. If I’m about to go deep into debt for college, might as well make it worth every single penny. At the end of the day, any excuse to take some time off school- is a good enough excuse for me.
I went back to applying for jobs and internships in an incredibly systematic manner. I had a massive spreadsheet, and for every applicable job posting I found, I would record: the opportunity title, company, link to the application, due date for myself, and most importantly I would research three at least three people from the company to cold message. Showing your interest in a personal way- outside of submitting an application- goes a long way (I got to know from my boss that this why I stood out to her and got an initial interview for my sustainable fashion internship). Within these messages, I would ask for a quick call to learn more about the position and the individual’s experience at the company so far. Through this process, I got casual calls with people at SMCP(Sandro, Maje & Claude Pierlot), Kering, Acne Studios, S&P(Standard & Poor’s) corporate, Tesla, and a few more. After every single call, the person I was talking to would personally offer to send my resume and cover letter to the hiring manager. And to get your resume to stand out to a hiring manager like that is incredibly important.
No one tells you how hard applying for jobs are. Everyone makes it seem like going to a good college just solves all your problems, and job offers will just fall into your lap for you to choose from upon graduation. However, sorry to say, that’s not the case. And in this economy? The process is now ten times harder for anyone that graduates from here on out. No one is going to hire new employees when they can barely afford the trained and experienced ones they currently have. Therefore, you have to throw yourself into any opportunity that presents itself. It’s sure as hell better than nothing at all. And please please please don’t get discouraged with rejections, they’re a part of the process!
At the end of July- I got offered 1 out of the 400 positions. It was at a sustainable fashion startup which ties in nicely with the type of work I’d like to do in the future. That was it. It was enough of a reason for me to move to New York, and I knew I could figure out the rest once I got here. Then while looking for apartments, another opportunity that I applied for at a tech startup offered me a trial position for two weeks before re-evaluating and seeing if I’d like to continue as an intern. I went from having no internships to two- and that was enough rationale for me to take a break from school. I planned to come here, work my ass off at my two internships, and get a job in retail.
However, my plan quickly had a mind of it own, and took me down a very different path I could have never imagined. Once I was finally in the city, with a foot in the door, a friend of mine offered to reach out to a connection of hers who works at a high end fashion company. She forwarded me their text conversation. Within the conversation, he clearly stated that their offices are at limited capacity. However, out of courtesy, obviously, he sent her his email and said I could reach out.
The company’s circle is incredibly tight knit, and taking into account the state of the world at the moment- I completely understand how fitting in another individual could be tricky. However, you miss 100% of the shots you don’t take- so I sent him an email. Within that email, I attached my resume and also complimented the new article he had written for Business of Fashion (remember to be well read if you’re interested in a certain area!!!). After looking at my resume- he was extremely surprised at how educated and experienced I was in the field that he works in. I had a fitting repertoire- my combination of majors and obvious love for fashion was exactly an area which they were looking for help in. He gave me a chance and we scheduled a Zoom call. I prepped, I got my shit together, and I think I impressed him- while also trying my best to make it look natural on my end. Within the first 5 minutes, he interrupted me and said: “Okay, I think I have a pretty good read on you now. You’re not what I expected.”
By the end of the conversation, he had offered me the internship. Wild, huh? I went from having no internships, to three absolutely dope internships in the span of a month. And I’m so very incredibly grateful for all the people that have taken a chance on me through the process- it means the world and more.
Since then, I’ve stepped down from my tech startup position as things were way too hectic with all three. I currently work two internships: one at a sustainable fashion startup (the first internship I received), and another at a high end designer (the newest internship). I wake up in the morning at 6am, and work for 6 hours straight. Then I commute to my sustainable fashion internship where I work another 4 hours or so. Once I’m done there, I stop by at the studio for the other internship and have a few meetings in-person. I, then, go home and have more Zoom meetings for those people I didn’t see in person. Then, I take all the notes from my meetings, and work more until the middle of the night. And in between all of this- I write these blog posts, try my hardest to respond to emails and comments, and make new content. Oh, and somewhere along the way I try and enjoy the fact that I’m in New York.
So, as much as I make my life look this nicely tied up beautiful thing. It’s only that way because of all the effort I put in to keep it organized and give off that effortless feel. And honestly, it’s so incredibly difficult behind the scenes. Yesterday, I spent 15 hours trying to get an inventory report done, only for me to realize it was the wrong one, as I’m still new to their system. Not as pretty and romantic as sketching dresses in my purple notebook, but I’d still say I’ve come a full circle.
I can’t say much about what I do publicly, because I wouldn’t want to be considered unprofessional in any way possible (this is online for the world to see!). However, I work in Operations & Logistics, where I help deal a lot with warehouses, account management, and business analysis at a really darn cool company.
At the end of the day, here I am. Yeah, I may have a strong case of impostor syndrome. But, I work really hard- and then I quickly remember how much it took to get here. And you know what? Yesterday my mom told me she was proud of me- so I guess I’m doing something right.
I’m gonna turn the comments on for this one. But be nice to me, okay?
