I’d like to say I’m pretty passionate about the fashion industry. But was it always my dream?
The answer to the above question is no.
I didn’t always want to be in the fashion industry. Actually, to be honest, I don’t think I knew what I wanted to do when I was growing up.
You always hear those stories about people who love fashion and grew up dressing with their mom’s clothing or reading magazines all day long. Well, that wasn’t me. It never was. I didn’t have that typical “I want to be in the fashion industry” dream. Yet somehow, I ended up here.
Growing up, my thing was sports.
I was always playing basketball, softball, volleyball or golf. In high school, I made the decision to quit basketball (which was probably my first love), and became a runner (probably the best decision of my life). Between practices, track meets, and school work…I didn’t have time for much else. So when it came time to start thinking about colleges and majors…I kind of drew a blank.
Luckily, there was my sister.
My sister is six and a half years older than me, so by the time I was in high school, she was already in college at the Fashion Institute of Technology. And that’s kind of when I decided
I was going to be in the fashion industry
. If we’re being totally honest, I’m kind of a follower. Not in everything I do, but in certain aspects. So in this instance, I was just following my sister: from wearing her clothes and shoes to wanting to do exactly what she did.
I didn’t truly hit me that I knew it’s what I wanted to do until I was in college.
My sister had already started her career in the fashion industry (she was in sales for Juicy Couture). I didn’t know exactly what a buyer or a merchandiser did…but I wanted to be part of it. My sister would send me WWD articles every morning to my inbox, so I could get to learn more about what is happening in the industry.
So if you were expecting me to have some cute little story about how I used to dress up my dolls, or flip through magazines instead of studying…sorry not sorry.