If you follow Allison Arnold or Madison DeChellis on Instagram, you’ll instantly be intrigued by their fashion forward pictures. These girls know how to pull off an outfit and how to leave someone asking themselves “Where did she get that?” It’s likely they got it from Express. Allison and Madison are Express Campus Ambassadors at Ohio University. They work to promote a brand of clothing that has mainly been associated with business clothes, but with one look at their pictures it becomes clear that it’s a store that has something for every style.
Tell me a little bit about what you do as an Express Ambassador
Allison: As an ambassador we represent the Express brand across Ohio University’s campus. We start off by making a marketing plan to host events and then we host events and different promotions during the semester to spread the word about Express and everything it has to offer for any occasion – from going out to fitness to going to class.
What’s your favorite part of your internship?
Madison: I love the events we put on. We had a denim event last Wednesday and the first 25 girls got free jeans and then we did a denim DIY event. We had really cute polaroid cameras and we had a really good turnout.
Allison: The events are really fun because you can see the students react and they’re always really excited to see what you’re doing.
How did you discover this opportunity and what interested you about it?
A: Last year I decided that I wanted to go into fashion and I saw that they had a Victoria’s Secret Campus Ambassador program. I joined that team last semester and through that my boss recommended me to the Express Ambassador Program.
M: A girl [Allison} that did it last semester is one of my good friends. I came to all of her events and loved what she did. Shortly after I applied I found out that Allison, our other partner Mimi and I were chosen for it. It’s really exciting. We started right when we got back. We started posting on social media so it was really cool to introduce ourselves as ambassadors. A part of the job is posting on each social media each week. We have photo shoots every Wednesday. It’s really cool.
What’s something you’ve learned?
M: I’ve learned how to market myself through social media because I’ve always used social media for my own self but never for a brand. We’ve learned how to take certain pictures for Express and we’ve learned what kind of content they’re looking for. I know Allison has been featured on the Express Instagram before and I was just featured on there. I woke up and was like “I think this is a dream”!
A: You get to learn a brand’s voice. I think that’s the biggest things I’ve learned is how the brand’s voice works across multiple platforms and how to express that through your own personal style as well.
Where do you find your style inspiration?
A: I follow a lot of bloggers. WeWoreWhat is big and The Blonde Salad.
M: I follow so many of them. I’m obsessed with Lauren Conrad. I also copy stuff from the Express Instagram account to get ideas.
A: We post #ExpressPartner as a hashtag that not only the ambassador program uses but also all of their bloggers and partnerships. So when we look at that we can see inspiration from other people that they’ve partnered with.
What is your dream job?
M: My dream job is to work in a big city doing PR or social media for a fashion company. I would love to write or do social media for Cosmo or Seventeen or Marie Claire.
A: My dream job would be to be the CMO of a big retailer.
Follow them on Instagram @allison_arnold and @madisondechellis to see how they style trendy pieces. To stay up to date with the program, be sure to follow Express on Instagram (@Express) and check out #ExpressU to see what’s going on at the 21 other campuses.
(Photos courtesy of Allison Arnold and Madison DeChellis)