IN THE KNOW: 5 things I wish I knew earlier in my fashion career

We are in the beginning of a new year and like most people, this is a time for reflection. I look back at the mistakes and the progress I've made along the way and boy, have I grown. 



When I was starting out, I didn't have a blueprint to follow. I just went out on a naive limb of following my passion. I am now fortunate enough to have a growing network of friends and colleagues that I can lean on for support and guidance. Through the years, I've gotten some fashion career advice and below I am sharing 5 things I wish I knew earlier in my fashion career. 

1- TRY DIFFERENT ROLES

I was unfortunately myopic when I was starting out. I was a fan of Project Runway and didn't think outside of a fashion design career. While I can sketch and sew, sketching and sewing does not a fashion designer make. When I got my first job as a design assistant, I quickly realized that the creative process was not my strong suit. I am much more analytical and mathematical than a fashion design career would allow me to be. 

I encourage students and young professionals to try different specialties in the fashion industry. In order to produce a single line, there is an expert at every step of the production process. I mentioned a couple of books that spell out the different specialties in the fashion industry here. I encourage young professionals to thumb through these books. You may find a role that is a better fit for you than you initially thought!

2- BE AN INTERN FOR AS LONG AS POSSIBLE

Being an intern is a sweet spot on the fashion career road. The intern phase is that magical place where no question is silly, you have everything to gain from making mistakes and you get to meet people that would otherwise be shut out to you. You will never again in your fashion career have the opportunity of these benefits. Sure, you will spend a lot of time filing and doing repetitive menial tasks no one else wants to do, but stay open to learn and absorb everything that's going on around you while you can. This experience will turn out to be more valuable than your 4 year degree. 

3- BUILD RELATIONSHIPS

Along the way, you will hopefully be able to have a number of volunteer opportunities, internships and jobs under your belt. I'd encourage you to keep in touch with the people you come in contact with. Staying in contact can be as simple as connecting  via LinkedIn. That way you can keep tabs on each other's professional lives. Set your settings to 'Notify My Network' so that every time you update your profile with a new position, your contacts will know. 

Another way to stay in contact with your connections is to stay social. I'm not the best at this, so "becoming more social' is one of my resolutions for this year. Go to industry events, panels and even working on projects with others outside of your normal job is a good way to stay in the circuit. 

4 - YOU ARE NOT GOING TO BUILD RELATIONSHIPS WITH EVERYONE

While I have made conscious efforts to build relationships with my colleagues, 9 out of 10 of them have fallen through the cracks. A wise person told me to stop looking for a mentor, "the mentor will chose you". A true mentor will see something in you and will give you what you need when you need it. Trust me on this. The ones that did gravitate toward me have given me valuable advice, gotten me jobs or pointed me in the right direction. This industry can be inclusive at times, so if you're fortunate enough to find someone to lend their ear and hand to you, stick by them. And return the favor once you can!


5- IF POSSIBLE, BE AN APPRENTICE

I'd like to preface this next point with the fact that the failure rate in the fashion industry is higher than the base rate. There are a lot of people foreign to this industry that come in undermining this industry's complexity and think they can just set up shop. No, fashion is not brain surgery; But if everyone could do it, everyone would. 

It takes years to get to know the ebbs and flows of this industry. And even with years of knowledge, every case study will not fit every business. I've been working in this industry for some time and I still learn something new every single day. Although this wasn't the path I took, I would encourage a person with a strong work ethic and interest in a trade to look up an apprenticeship. An apprenticeship will give you a lifetime of knowledge, shaving time off your learning curve. That alone is invaluable. 

Do you have any advice to share? Please leave it in the comment box below!