Admittedly, this is a bit of a different post today. But I guess having my own corner on the big wide web means I'm entitled to use my own space how I like so I feel like I need to let off some steam. I'm feeling a bit frustrated with others' opinions on what I do and what I'm like just because I work within a creative sector. Before I start I would like to just say I know this isn't everyones thoughts- plenty think the exact same as me and don't agree with the things mentioned- and I am thankful for anyone who is in agreement! Anyway, let me explain... Fashion in terms of stereoypes,
has always had a bit of a bad rep. Maybe this was because the 'Devil Wears Prada' tainted some assumptions or people have always thought we just gossip amongst
ourselves and walk around in high heels all day. At times, even at university when I was
asked what degree I was doing, I could see people think ‘oh god, not
another one’ when I told them I was working within Fashion. Alongside reading
some highly irritating articles online about stereotypical fashion employees,
I’ve decided to bring some clarity about how we’re actually the polar opposite
of what people think we are.
‘People
who work in Fashion are so bitchy’
I
think this is the main point that frustrates me. Within Fashion, or any
position whatsoever, that just doesn’t go. A key ingredient for surviving
within a creative industry is all about networking. Realistically,
if I was an absolute horror to work with by being rude or unhelpful, you can
bet I won’t be asked to work with that company or individual again. I’ve
had the pleasure of working with a few companies so far and there was not a
single person who was an absolute dragon and was there to make my life hell.
They want the best out of you, and you want to give it to them, so
communication and relationships are important. The Fashion community is full of
amazing inspirational people and 99.9% of the time they’re lovely and just want
to get the job done.
‘So,
do you want to work at Vogue or something?’
Success
is not measured by whether you work at Conde Nast or not. What about all the
illustrators, stylists, photographers, graphic designers, social media experts,
co-ordinators, visual merchandisers, marketing specialists, editors, merchandisers, fashion
writers, allocators, copy writers, personal assistants… Do you think they’re
not successful because they don’t work at Vogue? Please. Just because someone
doesn’t work at one of the worlds most commercial fashion magazines it does not
mean that their title or job description is not any less worthy. It’s like me
saying if you work within sport why you aren’t a premiere league footballer-
there are so many alternative routes and avenues to be successful. If anything,
those who work within the fashion industry are in a better position as they can
fall into so many different occupation categories including E-Commerce, Finance, Buying, Production, Design, PR and Marketing to name a few.
‘Aren’t
people in Fashion, like, really stupid?’
Clearly
by getting into university (most
universities seek a high level of UCAS points to get in in the first place)
plus having both an imaginative creative and business mind-set makes us stupid.
Even if you don’t go to university (many don’t) you have to have the drive,
determination and the brain power to get where you want to go. Do you think
Phil Knight (co-founder of Nike) was stupid because took an interest in
sneakers and originally sold them out the boot of his car? Oh wait, the Nike
Empire took $20.9billion in 2011. I dare those of you who think we are stupid,
to say that to Anna Wintour or the badass Phil Knight.
‘Don’t
you just look at clothes all day?’
Garments
are the products that we design, promote, market and sell. So yes, the chances
are I will occasionally look at clothes… But only about 5% of the time. I also
look at excel spread sheets, graphs, large quantities of data, word documents,
books, reports and analytics to name a few. To say that we only look at
clothing is purely a stupidly uneducated assumption.
‘If
you work in Fashion you must obsessed with the scales and think food is
overrated’
Oh,
if only this were true. I'd be a lot trimmer that's for sure. My addiction to salt and vinegar crisps and strawberry
laces hasn’t subsided yet, so I think that ends that argument pretty pronto. And
hey, doesn’t everyone have days where they stand on the scale and think ‘oh
blimey, I’d better do something about that’? To say we’re obsessed with scales
and aren’t bothered about food is daft. If anything, we come armed with avocado and qunioa salads for lunch but end up having a
large brownie with a cuppa in the afternoon. Yes, models seen on the
catwalk are thin (I wont even attempt to argue this point, thats a whole other blog post!) but just like any
other employee in any other business, we’ve also got our secret sugar stash in
our desk.
Other stereotypical ideas are apparent but for now, my rant is
over. At the end of the day within every industry, every company or every small
business there will always be the one person who you think doesn’t pull their weight
or they have the tendency to be the work gossip. But just because I work in fashion
or someone you know creates a beautiful fashion blog etc, does not mean we have a smaller size
brain or live off half a cucumber everyday. The chances are that those
who think that we do, don’t know what they’re talking about. I guess it’s not our fault
we know how to dress better...!? #TeamSassy
Have you had any of
these sort of assumptions made about you before? Or know anyone that did? I
hope I’m not the only one!
A x
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