Although Megan Brady only graduated from Marist last spring, she has already both established herself as an entrepreneur and broken into the fashion industry. Fortunately, she is used to preforming a balancing act.
While at Marist, Megan was a fashion design major and fashion merchandising minor while competing for the Division I cross country and track teams. “I always had a very busy schedule but the combination of fashion and running really balanced each other out,” she says. Megan credits Marist with preparing her well for expectations in the real world and comments that the fashion program helped her learn how to critique herself, accept criticism and push her limits.
In particular, her favorite fashion class at Marist was senior thesis collection. She explains that her professor, Jenny Belton, encouraged her students to push the boundaries of their creativity. “She constantly had us constructively critiquing ourselves and our peers, which I think helped me the most when preparing for the real world,” Megan says, “I am able to take criticism in a positive way because of that course, and that is so important in my industry.”
Megan’s preparation helped land her a job as an assistant apparel designer for C. Wonder, a division of XCEL Brands located in New York City. She explains that working for a mass market brand is a huge contrast to having full reign over her senior collection but she loves the learning experience. Megan says that her favorite part of working for the brand is the supportive office environment. “Everyone is really great to one another which I found refreshing in the fashion industry.”
When she isn’t working at the C. Wonder office in Midtown West, Megan is spending her time designing and selling her own line of handmade jewelry on Etsy. She says that she came up with the idea while she was applying for jobs after graduation. “I missed being creative, and started making earrings one day when I was bored at home. I figured it was a great way to stay creative and make a little money!” Her inspiration usually comes from putting a twist on design she discovers on Pinterest.
“Make as many connections as you can and be diligent about constantly communicating with recruiters,” Megan advises Marist students hoping to break into the fashion industry after graduation. These are valuable words from a recent graduate who has managed to find both a traditional design job and self-starter opportunity in less than a year. We can’t wait to see where your creativity and multi-tasking take you next, Megan!
Check out Meg’s jewelry line here: Meraki.