Welcome to The Director’s Cut, an interactive column featuring fashion, beauty and career advice from RGNN Director and Founder, @isabelevabohrer.
Playing dress-up begins at age five and never truly ends.”
– Kate Spade
I am probably one of those people Kate Spade was talking about. At this point, I can’t really remember when I was not dressing up. Working in fashion thus came as a natural career path.
However, pursuing a career in the fashion industry is so much more than just dressing up. Even if you didn’t start at age five, don’t despair, it’s never too late to start educating yourself. In fact, some of our experts at RGNN Academy, such as Helena Montes, started out with a degree in law, only to realize that what she really loved was fashion, and so it was that she went on to work for Carolina Herrera and design a skirt that was sported by Sarah Jessica Parker. You can read the full career advice interview here. But let’s get on to you, and how you, too, can make it in the fashion world.
Soak it all up
I remember soaking up anything and everything I could about fashion, even in high school. @glamobserver on IG, for example, is a great resource, Giada Graziano posts a lot of career tips as well as facts about the history of the fashion industry. Kristina Michelle Ang is another great person to follow; she has been posting about her journey in the fashion industry for several years in a variety of formats, from her podcast “Life of a Fashion Student” (now ex-fashion student; she is currently the Social Video Coordinator and Writer at Harper’s Bazaar), to her Instagram (follow her stories for reposts and links to LinkedIn ads for jobs), to her YouTube channel, which has a great video on how to get a job in fashion with no experience.
Leverage your extracurriculars
Both in college and even in high school, take advantage of relevant extracurricular activities. Want to go into content creation? I remember joining a film club and now that’s coming in handy. Look beyond the obvious. For example, any and all public speaking experience will be so useful when you are networking or interviewing later on. So don’t overlook activities such as Speech and Debate clubs.
College is the time to go all in
I studied Comparative Literature at Columbia University in New York City. Honing my writing skills has been essential to going into journalism (one of my first articles was published in The Wall Street Journal!). If you are interested in fashion design, consider a fashion school. New York City is a perfect option, but you can still make it in fashion if you don’t study in a fashion capital.
You don’t have to be in a fashion capital
It’s all about looking around you and making the most of the opportunities that are available. In fact, the competition is fierce in the big four, Paris, Milan, London, and NYC, so making a name for yourself in a smaller city can be easier at times. Take fashion weeks, for example – it is easier to get invited to, say, Amsterdam Fashion Week, than Paris Fashion Week.
Fancy fashion journalism? Go for the campus newspaper
The first time I ever attended New York Fashion Week was to cover the Betsey Johnson show for my campus newspaper. Getting invited to fashion week as a college writer is competitive, but not impossible. I have an entire guide on how to get invited to fashion week if you are still in college, you can have a read here.
Internships, internships, internships
Two of my first internships were at Vogue and W magazine. I have a separate video on that, you can find more info in my TikTok “working in fashion” playlist. Also, don’t overlook opportunities that aren’t directly in the fashion industry. I completed two further internships at The Museum of Modern Art and the Guggenheim Museum, both of which have been essential to all the fashion museums I am invited to now. Take Art Basel, for example – if you want to attend as a content creator, here are some tips to apply.
Start your portfolio now
Again, I have a separate video on that in my TikTok “working in fashion” playlist. Wanna work in fashion journalism? Our news agency, RGNN.org, accepts student journalists, head on over to apply here.
Network like you mean it
I started out with no contacts in the industry. So I got comfortable with going to events, even if I didn’t have a plus one. Talk to people in person, and DM them online. If you are DMing them, follow them and interact with their content before you reach out so your profile photo already looks familiar.
Never give up on your dreams
I went from Vogue intern to running my own fashion news agency. Was it hard? Yes. Did I have to work weekends? Yes. But keep putting one foot in front of the other and it will all be worth it.
Questions or comments? Follow me on IG @isabelevabohrer or TikTok and say hi! See you soon!
