The Best Fashion Career Advice We've Ever Heard

Fashionista is all about the future of fashion: the people, trends and industry shifts we believe will go on to define it. Fashionista is also a place where future leaders begin their careers — in an industry that’s not easy to break into. The Fashionista Future Self series is dedicated to those of us still working to achieve our goals.

In some exciting news, it will culminate in the launch of our first-ever, limited-edition product collaboration with Bluboho: two pieces of jewelry you’ll be able to wear forever, that will serve as a tangible link to your future self. Coming Oct. 22.

For anyone who is just starting out on their career path, one of the most difficult things to cultivate is perspective. That inability to know what’s on the other side of all our hard work is one of the biggest challenges we face. That’s why listening to someone who’s already pushed through and climbed their way to success can be so reassuring — and inspiring.

When talking to designers, stylists, editors and other fashion professionals who’ve “made it” about their career journeys, we always ask what advice they would give someone following in their footsteps, or what they wish they knew when they were just starting out.

Below, find the best, most resonant answers we’ve gotten over the years from some of the most prominent designers, stylists and editors in the industry. As you look towards the future and crystallize your goals, they could be the exact words of wisdom or encouragement you needed.

Designers

Priya Ahluwalia, designer and founder of Ahluwalia

“There are a lot of designers, a lot of brands and a lot of noise out there — if you don’t have a unique point of view, it’s difficult to stand out. Hone your craft, get a unique point of view and also think about the people you want to collaborate with, whether that’s stylists, photographers, casting people or set designers. Having a creative community that you can lean on and support one another with is invaluable.

“Times are quite hard at the moment globally, and it’s difficult in creative jobs to not let it get you down and disillusioned. My advice for other people is, even though sometimes it feels really horrible and hard, the best and most innovative ideas come out of times of hardship. So, keep going and be kind to yourself.”

Nikki Campbell and Sophie Coote, designers and co-founders of Sir 

“Don’t give up and don’t go too hard on yourself, because there are always going to be days where it feels like everything goes wrong, but if you believe in [what you do] and you’re doing your best, it will get there. We had so many moments where we were like, ‘Surely something else can’t go wrong’ and it would, but we got through it. You always end up better for it.” —Nikki Campbell

“I feel like when you start a brand, you’re just rushing to get it out there. My biggest advice would be to take your time, get the branding and product perfect and really plan your strategy to market.” —Sophie Coote

Rachel Antonoff, designer and founder

“The times that I’ve been the most in my own way have been when I’m obsessing about what other people want, as opposed to just listening. I do think there’s so many voices out there. If you’re going to join the chorus, make sure that you have something to say that feels even just a little different.”

Diarra Bousso, designer and founder of Diarrablu 

“Do what you love. Forget about money and success and title and all of it: Find something you love enough that you’d do it for free, then find a way to be really good at it and become an expert. If you’re doing what you love, you’ve won.”

Ann Sofie Johansson, designer and creative advisor at H&M

“Don’t rush things. You learn things on the way, so don’t move too fast. Be a little bit patient. Take time for creativity and to explore your own creativity. And be on time for meetings.”

Sami Miro, designer and founder of Sami Miro Vintage

“Taking that leap into the unknown is one of the most frightening things that you can do. Everybody might think you’re crazy, but for me, if I hadn’t done that very risky thing, I would’ve regretted it for the rest of my life.”

Danielle Guizio, designer and founder 

“Ask questions. Be alert. Be self-aware. Stand up for yourself. Be strong and hold your ground — especially when you’re working with vendors and factories. [The fashion industry] isn’t a place for someone naive. You really have to be quick and sharp, all the while being a good person and nourishing all your relationships. Be a good person, work hard and be extremely consistent. That’s really the recipe: consistency.”

Patricia Bonaldi, designer and founder of Patbo 

“A career in fashion is not only about beautiful clothes. I think that when people dream about working in fashion, they don’t always have an idea of what’s behind it, the responsibility you need to have as a leader within your community. You need to be prepared for everything, not just for the fame or money. Enjoy the process, because there will never be a perfect moment.”

Christian Siriano, designer and founder

“Focus on what you can be great at. If you’re a denim brand, be the best denim brand you can possibly be. If you do eveningwear, be the best you can possibly be. In the beginning, it doesn’t make sense to try all these different avenues and show all these different things, because you’re just going to compete with yourself and you’re just going to compete with every other big brand that’s going to devour you… You have to focus on that one great thing.”

Jacquie Aiche, jewelry designer and founder

“Patience pays and never let the small stuff affect you.

“Inspiration will always be highly regarded, but duplicates are never welcomed in this industry. Once you decide on the career path that is going to showcase you and your abilities, give it your all. There will be stumbling blocks, but don’t let others get in your way of success, and never, ever lose confidence in yourself.”

Aurora James, designer and founder of Brother Vellies and 15 Percent Pledge

“I truly believe that Black people, Black women specifically, have to work twice as hard for half as many opportunities. But my advice is to always ask for what you want and be confident in your worth. If you don’t ask for it, there is no way someone is going to give it to you. And above all else, never be afraid to build your own table.”

Victor Glemaud, designer and founder

“First of all, do not follow my footsteps. It’s important to be unique and create your own path. Having a good lawyer and an accountant you trust are equally invaluable.”

Christopher John Rogers, designer and founder

“Listen to your gut instinct, and lead with your heart. Allow for the places that you pull inspiration and references from to be as expansive and full as you would like them to be, and don’t feel a pressure to represent anyone other than yourself. Keep your blinders on and focus on what brings you fulfillment, singularly.”

Other Founders

Recho Omondi, host of The Cutting Room Floor podcast 

“The first thing is: Do you want a job or do you want a career? Then I would say: Do you want to run a business, or do you want to work for somebody else?

“If you do want to work in fashion, I would spend your 20s exploring all the different areas, if you can. Every single job, no matter if you hate it, has something to offer you. You have something to learn there. That’s your right as an employee.

“It doesn’t have to happen right away. One mistake I made was thinking I should have arrived by 26. I’m realizing you have to give yourself patience to grow into your dreams.”

Trino Verkade, CEO of Alexander “Lee” McQueen’s foundation, Sarabande 

“Lee would try something, and then he wouldn’t be afraid of changing his mind. There was no ego as in, ‘I’ve done it, so it must be good.’ Sometimes, you could spend ages doing something, and then it didn’t work… or it did work, but the concept of failure was only in not trying. It’s a well-used phrase, but it really is true.

“Not taking shortcuts and doing something that you truly believe in is really important. Not rushing something. Not expecting things to happen in a certain timeframe. Allowing time to learn and to do things. Time is one of your best friends.”

Felita Harris, co-founder of Raisefashion 

“Prioritize self-love. It’s the foundation upon which all of our actions are built. It really shapes how we interact with others and the contributions we make to their lives.

“When I can’t change something or I come up against obstacles, I practice A-C-T: A, I accept what I cannot change; C, I continue to engage in activities that nourish my spirit, which are definitely my faith, family and friends; T is for teach, I learn from the experience and ask myself if there’s an opportunity for growth. It keeps me in a state of self-love, self-expression and not staying immobile.”

Brandice Daniel, founder and CEO of Harlem’s Fashion Row 

“Go for the big dream. So often we limit ourselves to what we think is possible… I don’t believe in limiting yourself. Go for the thing that actually seems impossible and give it all you’ve got. Time is short, and so much of what we achieve in this life is based on what we actually think we can have.”

Stylists

Ugo Mozie, celebrity stylist 

“As a top stylist, what sets you apart, like any other artist, is your individualism, your uniqueness, what you bring to the table. And the only way of understanding what you bring to the table is by understanding yourself.

“The only things that I regret in my life or I feel like I could have done differently are times when I didn’t speak up or where I didn’t go for it. I sometimes allow fear or shyness to stop me from reaching out to that client or saying how I felt or making that move… if I could have changed anything, it would be to be bolder in my actions.”

Kollin Carter, celebrity stylist 

“It was at one of my worst moments when I got my biggest opportunity. Had I given up or left the city before then, I would’ve never been able to take on those opportunities. So push through, believe in your vision, but also make sure that you are nurturing relationships and you’re moving correctly morally. And also make sure that you’re perfecting your craft. You’re never too great or too good to stop learning.”

Jared Ellner, celebrity stylist 

“I think it’s important to put yourself out there as much as possible. If you really want to be a stylist, there’s a lot of information and systems and ways of working that are very non-traditional to know, that you just need hands-on experience to learn. Getting on as many sets as you possibly can is the most important thing, because you really never know what set is going to lead to the next big thing.”

Jason Rembert, celebrity stylist

“Work hard. Humble yourself. Intern. Assist. Do test shoots. Work with anyone and everyone. Build relationships that are true. As a stylist, figure out who you are and what inspires you. And once you figure it out, go after it.”

June Ambrose, stylist

“Knowing that you’re solely responsible for the outcome of everything, give yourself grace. Pace yourself. Don’t take on too much at once, because every job that you get is going to really reflect back on your integrity, your performance. You want to leave every relationship intact. You want to come into it strong and leave strong. And the only way you can do that is being honest, and transparent, and present, and pay attention to what’s happening in the moment.

“And no one’s going to give you anything. You can’t sit around and assume you’re going to be asked to do something. Sometimes you have to ask for it. And sometimes you’ll get ‘no,’ but it doesn’t mean that you’re not worthy of the opportunity. It just means it’s not your turn. It means continue to fight for what you know that you’re capable of doing.”

Editors

Nicole Chapoteau, fashion director at Vanity Fair

“Ask the question — that was [advice] from Paul Cavaco. You will not know if you do not ask. Do not sit there and wonder and guess and try to hypothesize. Just go ahead and straight-up ask.

“Trust your instincts and trust your eye. Sometimes, I’ll ask them, ‘What do you think? Do you think this looks good?’ and they’re like, ‘Why are you even asking me? You know what looks good. Go for it. What if I didn’t answer the phone or look at this text? You can do it.'”

Mickey Boardman, media veteran and Paper special projects director 

“I always tell people: ‘Do not talk people out of giving you opportunities.’ Our instinct to be like, ‘I can’t do it’ or ‘I’m not worthy…’ Nobody knows what they’re doing. Just fake it until you make it.

“All the clichés your mother told you: Be yourself. Work hard. You might not be rich, you might not be famous, you might not have the right handbag, but none of that matters — you could still be the first one, the hardest worker, the one who gets stuff done very quickly. That sticks out, and that’s when more opportunities come.

“Also be nice to everybody, because people remember. Not that I hold a grudge, but I remember someone who was mean to me on the phone in 1992. You always remember someone who was nice to you, and you always remember someone who was horrible to you.”

Nikki Ogunnaike, editor in chief of Marie Claire

“I thought I was going to be a fashion director by 30. I thought I could climb the ranks, get promoted each year. But, I wish I had known earlier that you can’t really plan for stuff like that in this industry. You can have a loose framework or a jungle gym sort of structure in your mind of how you want to get to where you’re going, but you should be a little more flexible in terms of the kinds of jobs that you take when you’re first getting out of school, because you can really learn anything on a job and you can take that into your next job.”

Vanessa Friedman, New York Times fashion critic 

“Mistakes can be the best thing that ever happen to you, and you need to be open to almost everything these days, because opportunities come from the weirdest places. You just can’t get locked into your idea of what you need to do next or where you need to go next. When I said I was going to freelance in England, someone told me it was the worst mistake of my life and I would never get another job.”

Carine Roitfeld, fashion editor and founder of CR Fashion Book 

“Karl Lagerfeld, he gave me a lot of great advice. He said, ‘Everything you’re doing, [for example] OK, you want to do a perfume, now be the first one to do it. You’re the first editor to make a perfume, go for it. You have to be the first one; you have to surprise people because people are always bored.'”

Lindsay Peoples Wagner, editor in chief of The Cut 

“It’s no secret that a lot of people in the creative industry come from a privileged background, whether it be economic or just having connections, and that can really change the trajectory of your career. For someone like me, when I first moved here, I was working full-time during the day at Teen Vogue. At night, I was changing mannequins at the DKNY store from 10 p.m. to 1 a.m. and then on the weekends, I was working at a Jewish restaurant doing the brunch shift on Saturday and Sunday.

“It was hard, and I wouldn’t recommend that everyone works three jobs to make it work. But I say that to remind people that it has not been easy and it is not always going to be easy. And so for me, I knew there was no timeline. There was no: ‘I can be an assistant for this amount of time and then I’ll be some fabulous editor and then I’m done.’ There’s no blueprint of that and my career has surprised me. I always encourage people to work hard and to push themselves and do something that everybody else isn’t doing.”

Eva Chen, author and director of fashion partnerships at Instagram 

“I literally never expected to go from pre-med to magazines and then have all these surprises along my career path. I wish I’d known that you have to go with the flow and trust in the flow; you just have to see what opportunities come up.

“A lot of the fashion industry is timing-based; through my career, so much of it has been through fortunate timing. You have to create opportunities by working really, really, really hard, but you also have to know that a lot of opportunities come as a byproduct of timing.”

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Source: Fashionista.com