Bagging your dream career in fashion doesn’t necessarily mean going down the typical route you might think. Blogger Chelcie Nicole Moore talks us through an alternative.
Having a career in fashion was always something I dreamt of. Staying up late on Pinterest finding street style inspo, having a subscription to vogue at the age of 14, and constantly creating mood boards and scrapbooks full of the latest trends, let’s face it I have always been fashion obsessed. Knowing exactly what I wanted to do in the big bad fashion world was never certain, I just knew it was the fashion route I wanted to go down.
Art was always a subject at school which I excelled at, so it made sense for me to continue my studies further through A levels and University. I am a very creative person and even though I loved the course I knew it wasn’t exactly what I wanted to do going forward. At the time I was working at River Island on my evenings and weekends, and the excitement of seeing the new arrivals merchandised and the fast paced retail environment itself, was something which really caught my eye. I was offered a supervisor role and didn’t go back to University for my 2nd year as I felt gaining work experience was going to be more valuable and rewarding for me at this point.
Working in a major high street retailer and being the face of a brand was great first hand experience of life in the fashion industry. I worked my way up through a lot of hard work, commitment and determination and became a Sales Product Manager within a year. Merchandising new products, creating aesthetically pleasing window displays, running the store and training new staff members were vital in my day-to-day role. A lot of managers in retail may have some business/retail management degree behind them, however it was clear that this wasn’t essential if you’re hard working and willing to go above and beyond on a daily basis.
It was at this point when I created my blog. I did miss being in the art studio at university and even though my job was working doing something I loved, I still needed somewhere to be creative. My blog has grown rapidly within the past year and has given me so many amazing opportunities, just from sharing my love for fashion. It even helped with furthering my career in the fashion industry. I now work within Marketing in a retail head office environment doing something I love. It wouldn’t have been possible without the experience and knowledge I gained from working in retail and all the other steps leading up to that, including the one year I did complete at university.
Jobs in the fashion industry do require a lot of knowledge and fashion related degrees do give you a great start. However, if you’re willing to work hard you will find yourself working in the fashion industry in no time. Remember where one door closes another one opens!
Follow Chelcie on Instagram: @chelcienicolem
