Fashion Week has always been a highlight for fashion students in NYC. Having the opportunity to volunteer at shows was a dream come true for me when I was a freshman.
This year, being in London for my co-op with the company THEN & NOW, I had the opportunity to attend London Fashion Week. I knew that someday in my career I would have the opportunity to sit at New York Fashion Week as a guest, but never did I think that I would be able to sit front row at London Fashion Week!
It is pretty rare that an intern gets the opportunity to attend big events in the fashion industry. THEN & NOW is rather small so I got the chance to go to the shows. It was so much fun getting dressed up and walking into the shows and presentations. (Not to mention the free goodie bags you get!) It was a whirlwind of a weekend running between shows but it something I will never forget!
I even got to sit in the front row at a few shows. (My company definitely had some nice perks!) As a buyer I watched the shows and decided on the brands that I think would do well on our site.
I picked out my favorite key pieces from the collections and then followed up with the brands the next day to connect. I also created trend reports for my companies blog, which you can see here: Women's London Fashion Week AW16 and Men's Fashion Week AW16.
Note to all younger LIM students: Hard work definitely pays off in this industry. Seeing myself grow over the past four years in the fashion world has been incredibly rewarding. Try to work as many internships as you can. You will learn and see so many new and exciting things. In the end you will see yourself achieving those dreams you had when you started out. It is crazy to think that I was volunteering at shows just four years ago as a freshman and now I am sitting front row as a senior! The college years go by fast (too fast) so make the most of it!