Over 3,400 miles, an 8 hour flight and a movie or three later and I found myself in the place that I had always dreamed of visiting, living and working…and now I’m doing all three. How lucky am I?!
My name is Michelle and I am an International Marketing Masters student from London who has managed to score an Event Marketing internship at TEEN VOGUE. Now you can imagine how excited I was when I heard the news: 1) I’m going to New York, 2) I’m interning at TEEN VOGUE and 3) I’m interning at TEEN VOGUE!!! Even in London, I would read the magazine and visit the website to get the latest news on fashion, trends and the celebrities of the moment, so this is such a great opportunity to see what goes on behind the scenes.
Where did it all begin? I have always surrounded myself with fashion one way or another from reading magazines and blogs, designing my own clothes and having them made to attending the many fashion events that London is so popular for. My first taste of actually working in fashion was when I volunteered at a magazine during my first year of college and reported on the Clothes Show Live. This is a major annual fashion event held in the UK where there are six days of fashion shows, music performances and presentations by beauty brands and emerging designers. I absolutely loved working in such an artistic environment and knew that the creative industry was where I wanted to be.
Since then, I have worked in marketing roles in a variety of areas such as television, radio and even the public sector! I know what you’re thinking, how does working with government clients help when working at TEEN VOGUE? I even asked myself that question and the answer is two words: transferable skills. Marketing involves being creative, coming up with new and fresh ideas, keeping the brand consistent and interacting with consumers. Having knowledge and skills in these areas means that you can be useful whatever the sector you’re in and I am happy that I have been able to transfer them to the field of fashion, something that I am passionate about. So my advice to you is that if you’ve started down a particular career path but you really want to work in fashion, it’s not too late; it’s NEVER too late. Think about the skills that you possess and how they could work in another field. Maybe it’s even activities and interests you pursue in your spare time. A key message at this year’s Fashion University program was that there is never just one route to a fashion career, everybody’s journey is different. Also, fashion is not only about designers and models; Fashion U. illustrated the variety of possible careers available, you just have to do a little investigating to see where you fit in.
That’s it for now, but I promise to keep you all updated with my time in New York and especially at TEEN VOGUE. If you have any questions, please post them on the TEEN VOGUE Fashion U. Facebook fan page and we’ll be sure to answer them!
