People say “time is money,” and sophomore Erin Fox wastes none of it. Every move she makes, class she enrolls in, and job she applies for is carefully selected to get her one step closer to her dream job: the editor-in-chief of Vogue magazine. Erin, a communications major, is part of Shei magazine, has amazing fashion internships awaiting her arrival, and has a closet full of trendy clothes that she struts the streets of Ann Arbor in, each aspect of her life adding to her fashionable personality. Erin is goal-oriented, driven, persistent, and strong, prepared to enter the fashion industry and welcome it with open arms.
HC: Tell me about your dream job.
EF: My dream is to be the editor-in-chief of Vogue. I’ve wanted to do this since the beginning of high school. I’ve been totally obsessed with fashion magazines since elementary school. I want to be able to dictate what is fashionable in society and fashion magazines are definitely the easiest and most prevalent way to do that. Actually, when I was shopping for my prom dress during my senior year of high school, I became so frustrated because I couldn’t stand the obnoxiously bright colored prom dresses that filled the stores that I entered. I thought to myself, “If this is what all of the teenagers in society are wearing, I want to be a part of who decides what is fashionable. I want to have a say.”
HC: What are you involved with on campus that’s going to help you achieve your goal?
EF: I am involved in Shei, the fashion magazine on the University of Michigan campus. It helps me practice tasks related to my dream job. For example, we do photo shoots, I contribute to articles, and fashion shows. It requires all of the work that goes into putting a publication together, just like my job would be.
HC: Do you have any summer internships that will get you closer to being involved with fashion?
EF: Right now, I have an internship through Renaissance, Ann Arbor, which is a high end men and women’s clothing store. I get to learn a lot through observing them. It’s cool to see seasons change and deal with high-end clientele. For the summer, I have an internship with Lori Goldstein Studios, who is a fashion stylist for the ad campaigns for Versace, Gap, Nine West, and a bunch of other amazing things. She’s also a fashion editor for W magazine. The internship would be in New York! I also have an interview with Nylon Magazine, which could also be a great possibility. I have so many great opportunities that can get me exactly where I want to be.
HC: How do you balance Shei with school?
EF: Shei definitely isn’t too time consuming. There are meetings once a week and there are shoots almost every weekend for the magazine. You can volunteer to assist on one shoot. As the semester ends, SheiFest is our biggest deal and everybody comes together and puts a large amount of time into the project. We’re allowed to propose topics for shoot concepts and because mine was chosen, Shei was much more time consuming this semester because I got to see the concept of the photo shoot executed from start to finish. You get to pick the models, the clothing, the location, and anything else that can contribute to the concept of the photo shoot coming to life. So, this semester I had a lot more to do than last semester. It’s definitely manageable, though. I’m really used to being busy and running around so it wasn’t difficult for me at all.
HC: If somebody told you they had the same dream job as you, what advice would you give them?
EF: I definitely would tell him or her to be passionate about being successful. In this type of industry, the only way you’re going to get there is by putting your all into everything you do. Every move you make needs to go into building your resume and gaining the experience so that you have the necessary skills when you apply for internships, build contacts, and enter the industry. Everything can contribute to gaining those skills as far as being involved with anything artistic or creative goes. From magazines to working at stores, so many things are related to retail and fashion. The industry is so huge that anybody can do something that they enjoy and are passionate about and it can help for their future. You also need to be able to take criticism and failure. Not everything is going to work out on the first try so you need to be able to deal with being shot down once or twice and be able to get back up again. Perseverance is key.