From the moment I walked through the revolving doors of the Millennium Broadway Hotel, it was clear that this was no game—this was fashion, baby. Fur-clad, accessory–laden, DIY-crazed girls (and boys, too!) were all anxiously waiting to enter the Hudson Theatre, where every fashionista’s dream awaited her. Make no mistake: along with their platform heels, trendy turbans, and occasional cat ear headband, these students were also armed with notebooks, pens and their thinking caps. This was Teen Vogue Fashion University, after all.
Every year, Teen Vogue selects the best and brightest of the “fashion-focused leaders of tomorrow” through an online application process to attend a weekend-long series of conferences and seminars with some of the most prominent members of the fashion industry. This year kicked off with keynote speaker Grace Coddington, Creative Director of American Vogue and star of the 2009 documentary The September Issue. She spoke about her inspiring journey through the fashion industry; she went from model to stylist to partner with Anna Wintour herself. Coddington set the mood for the weekend when she said, “[Fashion] makes you feel happy, doesn’t it? If you feel good, you can get through the day that much easier.”
Creativity was indeed the international language connecting the diverse students that came to New York City to hear from a wide range of voices in the industry—designers, editors, publicists, entrepreneurs, etc. My first seminar was with Danielle and Jodie Snyder, founders of the boho-chic jewelry line DANNIJO. The sisters talked about the importance of finding the perfect business partner for an “organic” relationship. At the end of the day, their job is as much as about financing and branding as it is creativity. The same strategies for testing local markets, networking and hard work apply. I also attended lectures by Erin Featherston, fashion designer and CFDA/Vogue Fashion Fund finalist, and Kate Phelan, former Fashion Director of British Vogue and current Creative Director for TOPSHOP.
The best part of my day, however, was an exclusive Teen Vogue Editorial Floor Tour—a once-in-a-lifetime experience that involved a complete inside look at the fashion and beauty closets (not to mention Amy Astley’s office, which was just as impeccably decorated as you might imagine). As my fingers grazed the racks of denim and cashmere, labeled with tags like “January 2013” and “Spring Style Shoot,” I realized that I was the only thing standing in the way of my dream job as a magazine editor. Sometimes it takes such a surreal, out-of-this-world experience to remind us that we really are capable of anything that we put our minds to. I never thought that I would be put in the same category as some of the fashion industry’s most stylish and influential forces. I can’t sew, I don’t know how to draw a human figure using more than five lines, and I’m from a small Southern town where Crocs and camo are considered year-round staples. All it takes is hard work and dedication.
“I had so little to show for myself,” Erin Featherston said of her humble beginnings as a normal college student in California, “but I had such a vision of what I wanted to do.”
It’s exactly that strong internal motivation that helped entrepreneurs like Rebecca Minkoff, Nadia Hussain (Polyvore), Danico Lo (StyleBistro), Treena Lombardo (Shopbop) and Huan Nguyen (Lookbook.nu) start their innovative businesses and brands. These speakers gave the last talk of the weekend, which was about “Fashion in the Digital Age” and how even the most personal choices like one’s clothing have been unable to avoid the iron pull of modern technology. Instead of being intimidated by the exponential rise in user-generated content, these “companies have been able to leverage their brands through social media and the like.”
My weekend takeaway? Do what you want and are truly passionate about, and don’t be intimidated by the steps you may have to climb to get there. And for those of you style mavens who eat, sleep and dream couture but can’t work a sewing machine, don’t fret–even if you aren’t the next Miuccia Prada, you can still be involved in the fashion industry.
“[Fashion] shouldn’t get in the way of you doing what you do,” said Jane Keltner de Valle, Senior Fashion News Director for Teen Vogue. Just like you can design your own major at many universities, you can find a way to incorporate your passions into any career you choose to pursue.
Want to be part of Teen Vogue Fashion University 2013? Check Teen Vogue’s website and Facebook page for the application, which usually comes out at the beginning of summer. For more information and highlights from the Class of 2012, browse Fashion U’s website.