Recently, I spent my Saturday and Sunday at Teen Vogue Fashion University, a program which Teen Vogue runs every fall for a lucky 500 chosen applicants between the ages of 16 through 24 who aspire to have a career in fashion. Rushing between the Hudson Theatre and Condé Nast building in not-so-comfortable heels was totally worth it to listen to seminars by some of the most successful people at the top of the fashion industry. Not a bad way to spend the weekend, right?
After attending Teen Vogue Fashion University, I left with more insight on the fashion and magazine business than I could have ever imagined gathering on my own. It would be a bit selfish of me to keep this advice to myself, so why not share it?
Here’s a little bit of what I learned about making it in the industry….
1)Internships matter…. big time. Do them. Tons of them.
Nearly every key speaker stressed the importance of interning while in college. Entertainment editor of Teen Vogue, Dana Matthews, had a particularly strong opinion about this.
“Going to school in New York really puts you ahead of the game,” she explained, as an alum of Fordham.
She spilled that one day she emailed someone in Vogue, and out of the blue landed an internship there. It’s all about trying, and as an NYU student, you have no reason not to intern in New York City!
Although Condé Nast has recently announced the end of their internship program (with teary eyes we wave goodbye to the chance to intern at Vogue, Teen Vogue, or Glamour), there are plenty of other opportunities in the city, including a variety of fashion publications and designer headquarters. So look around – you’re bound to find something that suits you well.
http://www.teenvogue.com/careers/fashion-careers/2013-10/teen-vogue-fashion-university-editor-panel
2)Your major doesn’t have to be “fashion” related.
Contemplated internally transferring to Gallatin so you could find a way to sneak fashion into your degree? Don’t fret yet – CAS and Steinhardt degrees have been proven to be just as valuable.
The majority of the executives at TVFU had obtained a liberal arts degree, and held to the promise that they provided a well-rounded education – something designers and magazine professionals appreciate when they look at your resume.
Teen Vogue style features director and NYU alum, Andrew Bevan, ambitiously double majored in Journalism and Film while attending here. Bevan knew that Journalism was the more relevant part of his degree, but he felt that studying cinema and film had given him the artistic experience he needed to work at a magazine.
“I often had to interpret visual stimuli, and observe things from an artistic perspective,” he stated in justification of his second major.
On the other hand, Teen Vogue accessories assistant, Kirby Marzec, studied Media, Culture, and Communications under Steinhardt while at NYU. This is definitely a beneficial major if you’re interested in public relations, because PR skills can apply to both fashion houses and publications.
More art orientated instead? Into the Gloss founder, Emily Weiss, another NYU alum, studied Studio Art in Steinhardt.
Two totally unrelated majors, but yet here they have ended up in the same playing field.
That being said, take advantage of the variety of degrees that NYU offers, and study what you want to! You don’t have to be at the Fashion Institute of Technology to succeed in the business. Leaving TVFU, I had already found myself reconsidering my own major after realizing I had more options (typical freshman move, I know).
But lastly, the golden rule….
3)Be yourself
With the glamour that comes from pursuing a career in the fashion industry, it’s extremely easy to let yourself become obsessed over superficial matters. While personal style is a great attribute, make sure it retains the meaning of the word personal.
As Teen Vogue editor in chief, Amy Astley, put it: “Personal style isn’t about wearing expensive clothes. It’s about expressing yourself – whether your clothes come from thrift or your favorite designer, you should stay true to yourself.”
It should never be about glitz and glamour, or looking the part. Be nice, work hard, and wear clothing that reflects your own quirks and charisma, and people will notice you.
As a popular British model and known for her “effortless” sense of style, Alexa Chung often mocks being called an “It girl” – a title which the media is so quick to label her with (which, ironically enough, is what she decided to title her new autobiography- in a sarcastic way, of course). She knows her style is idiosyncratic and trend setting, but she doesn’t particularly want to be a style icon, either.
“I’d hate it if the whole world dressed like me – it would be a bit boring,” she explained in her seminar. “I’m glad people can come up with their own concoctions. Even if someone is wearing a bright, obnoxious, orange shirt that I would never wear, I look at them and think – ‘hey, good for you.’”
As cliché as it sounds, don’t try to be someone you’re not when it comes to your career. Pressure to dress and act “high fashion” will always come with this industry, but that doesn’t mean you have to give into it.
Fashion warrants a creative license. It offers a flexibility to wear what you want because there are no rules. If you like designer inspired clothes, good for you! Embrace it. But if you don’t, that’s totally fine too.