During the weekend of October 21st, both Lindsay Shoemake (pictured left) and Brooke Kamenoff (pictured right) had to pleasure of attending Teen Vogue Fashion University (TVFU). For starters, TVFU is an amazing event put on by the staff at Teen Vogue to help those interested in the fashion industry gain crucial knowledge about what exactly they’re getting into careerwise. The days are filled with seminars and panels to allow eager students to pick the brains of those who have worked their way up the ranks. Both Lindsay and Brooke attended a large range of seminars so, to give Her Campus readers an inside look, they have written a short blurb about each speaker they went to. To make it a bit easier to read, they have noted at the beginning of each section who attended and wrote about each event.
Friday Night: H&M Kick-off Party
Lindsay:
Upon arriving in New York City for Teen Vogue’s annual Fashion University, I was both eager and nervous to attend the amazing seminars that I had signed up for months in advance upon receiving my acceptance into the program.
The fashion-filled weekend was kicked off by an exclusive, invite-only H&M party, complete with male models serving delicious hors d’oeuvres (the models were quite delicious-looking as well!), a vivacious DJ and a performance by up-and-coming band, Viva Brother. Although the store was packed, I enjoyed moseying around and mingling with the guests while nabbing free swag and taking in my stylish surroundings. H&M offered its patrons free hair feathering and a red carpet photo shoot, which I made sure to take full advantage of! After the event was over, I made the five block trek back to my hotel in attempts to sleep for the next day’s exciting sessions.
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Saturday Morning 9:45am-10:45am
Opening Address: Michael Kors
Brooke:
Settling into my seat, I wasn’t really sure what to expect. Personally, I’m not interested in designing and, of course, Michael Kors is one of the most well-known designers. I realized, however, that as soon as he started talking, I was in for a treat. Kors gave the audience a quick run-down of how he got to where he was (complete with a Lucky Charms commercial from when he was younger) peppering his speech with little quips that only he could get away with. If you’ve seen Kors judge on Project Runway, you know what I’m talking about… Following the usual Teen Vogue Fashion University format, Kors participated in a Q&A after his talk. Here are a few pieces of advice I took away from what he had to say:
1. Read everything! There is so much information available now that you have no excuse not to be informed.
2. Stick to your voice and do what pleases you. If you do that, at least one person will like what you’re doing (you!).
3. Be flexible. Fashion is unexpected and ever-changing so you have to be able to go with the flow.
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Saturday Morning 11:05am-12:05pm
The Fashion Bloggers
Lindsay:
After entering the legendary Conde Nast building and zooming up to the fourth floor on a spacious elevator, my first stop for the day was a session on fashion blogging. An avid blogger myself, I was extremely excited for this session and was eager to learn all of what the best in the industry had to say about blogging. IntoTheGloss.com’s own Emily Weiss was the key speaker at this event, where she described to listeners how she maintains, promotes and comes up with interesting content for her popular fashion blog.
Weiss encouraged fellow fashion bloggers to stay active and gain readership by interacting with other bloggers and utilizing all that social media has to offer. “As bloggers, we must brand ourselves,” Weiss said. “Original content is key, but we must also use all forms of social media to generate traffic and connect to others.” Weiss also recommends that bloggers use Google Analytics on their blogs to track their most popular posts and most read stories. Feeling informed and motivated to amp up my blog upon returning home, I left the class in chipper spirits.
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Saturday Afternoon 12:25pm-1:25pm
The Dynamic Duo: Proenza Schouler
Lindsay:
After returning to the lush seating area of the Hudson Theatre, I found a seat in the back of the auditorium and anticipated designing dream team Proenza Schouler to join Teen Vogue editor-in-chief Amy Astley on stage. Upon taking the stage, designers Jack McCollough and Lazaro Hernadez were met by enthusiastic applause and catcalls from the predominately female audience. Yes, the two men are insanely attractive, but they are also artistically talented in numerous ways. After giving a short synopsis of their brand, the creative forces behind Proenza Schouler began doling out invaluable bits of advice to aspiring designers in the crowd. “Take internships, network and meet people,” Hernandez said. “When designing clothing, you will want as much experience as you can get.”
The designers commented on their use of neon color schemes in an industry inundated with black and monochrome, saying that they drew inspiration for the color risk while on a trip to South America. Proenza Schouler is also looking into joining the fashion sustainability movement by incorporating organic fabrics into their line, although this change may increase the price of their pieces. So, what is next for this dynamic duo? The sky seems to be the limit, when it comes to women’s clothing at least. “We have no future plans for designing menswear,” Hernandez said. “But if we did, we would definitely create a casual, basic line.”
Shoe Queen: Tamara Mellon
Brooke:
While the name Tamara Mellon might not automatically ring a bell, maybe the name Jimmy Choo does. Mellon is the co-founder of the luxury lifestyle brand and was interviewed by Shiona Turini, Teen Vogue’s Accessories Director. The two spoke candidly about how Mellon found Mr. Choo (she was British Vogue’s Accessories Editor at the time and he provided shoes for various magazine shoots), collaborations between the Jimmy Choo brand and other companies (such as Uggs, Hunter boots, and H&M), as well as where Mellon gets inspiration from (anywhere and everywhere). During the Q&A, I was able to ask Mellon about marketing efforts by Jimmy Choo in the digital age, a question which I felt she politely skirted over by naming the typical ‘we’re involved on Facebook and Twitter’ answer. If there was anything I took away from Teen Vogue Fashion University, it was that the fashion industry is constantly evolving due to the ubiquity of the web (whether the brand decides to evolve slowly or rapidly is up to them).
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Saturday Afternoon 1:25pm-2:25pm
Building a Billion-Dollar Brand: Jessica Simpson Showroom
Brooke:
After a busy morning of classes, it was now time for a one hour lunch break though, for a select few of us, this did not mean free time to roam Times Square. Instead, lunch was graciously provided for about twenty of us heading over to the Jessica Simpson Showroom. When we arrived, we were able to walk around the showroom and observe the current line as well as the line for Summer 2012. Once we were all seated, four members of the showroom (two PR girls, one designer, and one girl involved in marketing/sales) chatted with us about what it’s like being involved in such a popular brand, how much behind-the-scenes effort goes into each piece, and how they keep up buzz about the company. It really had something for everyone. True to TVFU style, a Q&A followed and we were able to mingle with the showroom girls following the talk.
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Saturday Afternoon 2:35pm-3:35pm
The Ultimate It Girl: Whitney Port
Lindsay:
Funny how Teen Vogue Fashion University brings the intangible to life in one single day. As I return to the Conde Nast building for the second time of the day and venture down the hall to the awaiting classroom, I hear a second pair of high heels begin clacking down the hall behind me. Naturally, I turn around, to be faced by none other than Whitney Port herself. I utter a casual hello, trying to downplay my blatant case of being starstruck, and take a front row seat for her speaking session. Port opens her session by describing her internship period with Teen Vogue, how she worked her way through the concrete jungle of the fashion industry and her future plans for her clothing line, “Whitney Eve.” “Go the extra mile when interning,” Port said. “Also, be sure to remember that success doesn’t come overnight.” Although Port has risen to stardom through MTV’s “The Hills” and “The City,” she remains humble. Throughout her Q&A session Port gave audience members thoughtful and considerate bits of advice, continually attributing her success in the industry to her learning experience at Teen Vogue. After listening to Port’s session, all of the audience members file out of the room behind the starlet, snapping photos are saying goodbye to one of the most promising style icons of the decade.
Teen Vogue Editorial Floor Tour
Brooke:
Following lunch was the Teen Vogue Editorial Floor tour led by Fashion Assistants Ade Samuels and Sarah Pillai. On the tour, we got to peek into various editors’ offices and see the little quirks and mementos that made each office unique. We even got a chance to see into Amy Astley’s beautiful office (while she was working!). Continuing on, we got to glimpse at upcoming Teen Vogue issues and the art/photo department before going into… the fashion closet. How do I even begin to explain the fashion closet? Essentially, there were racks upon racks of clothes and pretty much any shoe/accessory imaginable. Doc Martens? Check. American Apparel basics? Check. Cambridge Satchel? Check. The list could go on.
Once we snapped our photos, all us TVFU students on the tour sat on the floor of the fashion closet and had a Q&A with Ade and Sarah. Both fashion assistants stressed the importance of interning and going about it professionally. We were also able to hear from Mary Kate Steinmiller about the craziest thing someone had done to get an internship at Teen Vogue (pretty much don’t call her from the lobby of the Conde Nast building asking for a job!).
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Saturday Afternoon 3:55pm-4:55pm
The Visual Gatekeeper: Linda Fargo
Brooke:
Going into the final seminar of the day, I already felt like I was going through information overload yet I was excited to hear what the next speaker, Linda Fargo, had to say. Fargo is the Senior Vice President of Bergdorf Goodman, which includes overseeing the Fashion Office and Store Presentation (AKA working on the amazing window displays). Throughout her talk, she mentioned the importance of having a strong vision with a visual language that is consistent, especially for a store like Bergdorf Goodman. For this reason, her job with the store’s presentation is crucial to setting the right mood, tone, and style. When it comes to moving up careerwise, Fargo noted that interns and assistants should step up and make themselves available; the more you prove yourself, the opportunities that will arise. Finally, finding something you’re passionate about is key. If you lack drive and passion, especially in an industry such as fashion, it will show!
The College Fashionista Chronicles
Lindsay:
For my last session of the day, I was lucky enough to be able to be up close and personal with the creator of Collegefashionista.com, Amy Levin. Levin started the popular campus street style site at the end of her college years, not expecting that her love of fashion would turn into a full time, flourishing career. Levin explained her creative vision of the site to audience members, while detailing all of the work that goes into running and maintaining a popular website. Although my own school, Georgia College & State University, is not a featured campus on Collegefashionista.com, Levin promised eager listeners that more colleges will be represented on the site come spring semester 2012. Fingers crossed that I will be able to stylishly represent and report on my school!
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Sunday Morning 9:45am-11:15am
Fashion in the Digital Age
Brooke:
On the last day of TVFU, prior to graduation, we had one more seminar entitled ‘Fashion in the Digital Age’. The panel was moderated by Simone Oliver, the Senior Fashion & Style Web Producer at The New York Times, and consisted of Rich Tong (Tumblr.com Fashion Director), Hillary Kerr and Katherine Power (WhoWhatWear Founders), Aliza Licht (better known as DKNY PR Girl), and finally Susan Koger (ModCloth.com Founder). The panelists discussed how the Internet has impacted the fashion industry and, in turn, led to the success of each brand they were involved with. Some things they touched on were the instant gratification offered by fashion sites, the need to own up to mistakes instead of avoid them, and the importance of being aware of the conversation going on outside of your brand.
They also spoke about the things that make a blog successful nowadays: original content, an angle authentic to the blogger’s personality, and timeliness. During the Q&A section at the end, I was able to ask Hillary and Katherine a question about how they keep a balance between quality content and making a profit. They answered that whenever WhoWhatWear does an advertorial, they always disclose what it is. Hillary and Katherine also mentioned that they do what works for their site’s image; not only will this be more successful for their brand but also for the company that is advertising on their site. Overall, I felt that this seminar was the most relevant to my interests and prospective career path.
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Parting Thoughts
Lindsay:
Being able to attend Teen Vogue Fashion University 2011 was truly a blessing. As an aspiring fashion journalist, I received invaluable inside information directly from the source of the industry I so intently want to be a part of upon graduating college. For any young women interested in fashion design, branding, marketing, or writing, I highly recommend applying for TVFU 2012! Who knows, we might just bump into each other while in the Big Apple.
Brooke:
Although I am not an aspiring journalist, Teen Vogue Fashion University has introduced me to sections of the industry that I might have not known about otherwise. Being able to interact with and ask questions to the top people in fashion made the event truly worthwhile for me. As Lindsay previously stated, anyone interested in the industry should definitely apply for next year’s TVFU! Hopefully, you’ll find it just as beneficial as we have!