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How to get into the fashion industry: My Story

Coat & Flares– All ASOS

HAPPY SUNDAY y’all! Hope you’ve all had a wonderful weekend!
Today’s post is something a little different than usual and is something I’ve been working on for a while now.
Week in and week out I receive a number of emails from you lovely bunch enquiring about how I got to where I am today and if I can offer any advice for aspiring fashionistas who are wanting to break into the world of fashion and more specifically styling.
So I’ve split this into two posts, to try and explain (not brag) my journey and any tips and advice I can give, so here goes, it’s a long one so grab a cuppa!

Coat, Trousers, Shoes– All ASOS

University;
I studied Fashion Communication and Promotion at university and I can honestly say it was an incredible course that truly equipped me for life as a professional.
Whilst at college I studied Fashion & Textiles, Photography, Media Studies and English Language and knew that I absolutely needed to be in the fashion industry, however, that being said, I had absolutely no idea what part of the very competitive and complex industry was for me. For that reason, I chose the course Fashion Communication and Promotion at the University of Huddersfield, purely due to the fact that the course offered a wide variety of fashion related topics including, PR, marketing, journalism, photography, styling and trend forecasting, therefore I knew it would provide me with a vast amount of knowledge within a number of fashion realms that would really help me learn which was the right avenue for me.
My course in Huddersfield also offered a Sandwich Course, which means you go off into the big bad world of industry for a year to gain as much experience as possible. For me this was the ultimate selling point, I knew that to succeed and achieve my dreams and the all important graduate job, I needed to leave university with as much experience as possible. Which nicely leads me on to my second point…

Coat– ASOS, Playsuit- Paul & Joe (sold out), Boots- c/o Daniel Footwear

Interning;
For me, this is the one piece of advice that I think is absolutely 100% pivotal to break into the fashion industry. I left university with 5 internships under my belt and I truly believe that they were what allowed me to bag my dream job before I’d even finished my final major project.

During my placement year I interned at House of Holland as the Sales & Buying assistant, a great insight into one of my all time favourite brands but it just wasn’t the one for me. Sales & Buying was way too numerical, something that was never my strong point, so House of Holland was a real eye opener as to what I didn’t want to do, which in itself is a great learning curve; as much as interning is about learning what you want to do, it’s also great to rule out something that just isn’t right for you.

From House of Holland I moved on to a styling role at ASOS Magazine; one of my absolute fave internships! I learnt so much through assisting on a number of incredible photoshoots which allowed me to build up a pretty super portfolio. I left knowing that styling was 100% for me; I even said to my mum that I’d only ever return to London for ASOS; strange how things work out isn’t it.

Following my month with ASOS, I moved to Alexander McQueen as their Accessories Press Intern; a fantastic role and something I absolutely loved. The team I worked with banished all of my typical fashion stereotypes and were just an absolute dream to work with. It was a high impact and demanding internship, with down right ridiculous hours but I completely and utterly loved it!

After three months interning in London, I had well and truly ran out of money so had no other choice than to head back up to Manchester. As disappointing as this was, I returned to Manchester and bagged my first paid internship with JD Sports. Not the most glamorous of companies but the most amazing role, team and experience was gained there. I worked as the Creative Projects Assistant which meant I produced photoshoots for all of the JD facias including Blacks, Size?, Bank Fashion and of course JD Sports themselves. Producing photoshoots, model scouting and styling; it was pretty much the dream internship which allowed me to build up the most incredible portfolio of work. I even got to travel to Portugal to assist on a high summer campaign for JD Sports, it was just fantastic!
As a part of the JD sports group, Bank Fashion then pulled me over to their team to assist with Marketing & PR, which, again was a really great insight into another avenue of fashion. Dealing with publications, shopping centres and bloggers it really allowed me to gain a number of key contacts of which I still deal with today.

Blogging;
Throughout my placement year I kept an online diary of my day to day fashion adventures and fashion woes to present to my tutors on my return to uni. That’s where PagesbyMegan (then WhatsNewPussyCatt) came from, which is another HUGE factor of how I got to where I am today. Showing how I style and present myself on a day to day basis is a great way of showing potential employers and clients my ability as a stylist. My blog also shows my dedication to the industry and offers an insight into my life that employers just don’t get from 2 pages of a CV.

Coat (sold out), Shirt, Jeans, Boots– All ASOS

Now;
After my year of interning, I returned to university and worked my little bum off completing a full magazine project, a dissertation and final major project. Literally the toughest year of my life, which I seriously didn’t think I’d be able to finish, but of course, I did.
I left university with a 2:1 in Fashion Communication & Promotion and more importantly, a job.

One afternoon I was slogging it in the library with my pal Nikki, when I received an email from ASOS, explaining how I’d been put forward for a new role. A lot of screaming was involved between Nikki and I, before I replied saying YES YES YES!
I headed down to London 2 weeks later to take part in the toughest day of my entire life! An assessment centre jam packed with activities, tests and interviews to determine who was right for the role, and thankfully, I was!

Now I’m in London, working and blogging full time, it’s an absolutely mental thing to be doing but being completely engulfed in fashion is something that I truly believe got me to where I am today. I studied fashion, wrote about fashion here, on my blog, and now I finally work within the industry, my life is consumed by fashion and I simply couldn’t be happier!

So thats it, thats me and my story and how I got to being a Personal Stylist at ASOS. It is honestly my dream job and something I have worked very hard for! A lot of people ask me how I got my job; as if it was just handed to me, just like that; but I know how hard I’ve worked and I am honestly so very proud of myself.

I do hope you’ve enjoyed this post and please know that this is not me bragging, rather offering some insight into my life and journey as prompted by you lot. Feel free to take a peek back through my archives, to the very beginning as thats where this blog came from, it began as a diary of my internships, so if you fancy a laugh then do have a nosey.

Stay tuned for my next post all about my top tips for breaking into the industry.

Lotsa Love

x M

Comments

  2. catherine sprunt says

    Love this post! Reading about your experiences is so inspiring. Well done! I was working at ASOS when they introduced the first test run of stylists and it's so cool to see how far it's come – I love your style and I agree, you have every right to be proud of yourself! x

    Reply

  3. Holl JC says

    This post is amazing Megan, it's so interesting to see/hear about your journey! You have the most incredible job and it's fab to hear your hints and tips, especially coming from an FCP uni background! x

    holljc.blogspot.co.uk

    Reply

  7. ambergeorgina.com says

    This has been such an inspirational piece to read! So nice to see how hard work paid off for you, can't wait to read your next post with top tips – I could definitely do with the help! Xxx

    Reply

  9. Hannindrome says

    I've been meaning to ask you about this for ages as asos jobs seem so elusive and understandably difficult to bag. I wish I'd know before uni that I wanted to do something in fashion and not just study English. When I graduated I did a year slogging in a kitchen job, then got a proper job and moved out. My parents have moved away so internships are impossible for me as they're usually unpaid and I'm completely supporting myself. I just hope my lack of intern experience won't count against me because I always feared that's the key. I can see how hard you work on your blogging alone. You post so regularly and I find that so hard with a 9-5. You're very inspirational and such a decent blogger who I really admire. Great post, Hannah xx

    Reply

  12. Abbie says

    Mate you deffo should be mega proud, totally deserve it all – go you 🙂 loved this post Ive got a similar one lined up sadly not as exciting as your fashion whirlwind 😉 lovely to see u last night! See youuuu soon! Xx

    Reply

  17. anna // styleskittle says

    this such a great post – was so excited to read it as i've actually applied for that course at huddersfield this year and i knew you studied there but it's so great to read what you thought and how you got to where you are! the placements sound incredible and were actually the reason i applied for that course! your job at asos looks amazing, so inspiring to read everything you've done 🙂 living the dream!

    anna at styleskittle.com xx

    Reply

  18. Adele Miner says

    Great post, definitely I think in this industry experience is the most important thing, unfortunately I live in Ireland where internships, university courses and everything are few and far between x
    graciousghost.blogspot.com

    Reply

  19. Hannah Layford says

    brilliant post and a true testament to the fact that hard work pays off! I spent a year interning before landing my role in branding. It was a tough slog, and a little demotivating when I watched all my friends find their way into full time jobs, but the waiting paid off when I found a position that was right for me!

    Hannah xx
    Raspberry Kitsch | UK Fashion & Lifestyle Blog

    Reply

  22. Bryony Firth-Bernard says

    Really enjoyed reading this Megan. You deserve everything you have as you obviously worked your ass off which I really admire, stories like yours are so much more valuable when someone has actually worked hard rather than it being handed to them on a plate. Very inspirational. I can't wait to see more posts in the future on how well your doing xxx

    Reply

  24. Nadia H says

    This was so interesting to read and very insightful about the importance of internships! Congratulations of everything you've worked so hard to get

    thisischichi.co.uk

    Reply

  27. Zandra May says

    Hi Megan! I found this a really interesting read 🙂 I also went to Hudderfield Uni (yonks ago now!) but did the Fashion Design and Textiles course!
    You've done so well, such a dream job but you're brilliant at it! I always love reading the asos stylist sections on the asos website 🙂

    Zandra // AZTEC DOLL Fashion & Beauty Blog

    Reply

  29. Carmen Chapell Elkin says

    Thank you for this post – super insightful, if a bit daunting!

    I don't study Fashion at uni (I do Chinese – crazy huh) and also haven't done any internships… Cue: better get a move on.

    Thanks so much for making the time to do this!

    I would love it if you could check out my blog, now based in Shanghai!
    Piece by Piece Style

    Reply

  31. Bhavna says

    I've been interning for the past 3 years trying to get something in the media industry with no luck. I've got at least 10 internships under my belt but I think it's all about being at the right place at the right time. Great little read x

    Reply

  32. Robyn Caitlin says

    Absolutely loved reading this, you've had such an amazing journey! I pretty much did the exact same course with the same name but in Southampton, and I really wish I had chosen a course with a sandwich year because that is so so important and I didn't really realise that until after I'd been to uni. I would deffo recommend to do a sandwich course like you to anyone looking to go to uni because it is completely the experience that counts. Looking gorge in the photos too missus! xx

    RobynCaitlin.com

    Reply

  33. Laura Rose says

    sounds like you've worked really hard, and it's definitely paid off! I know I need to do a few more internship before I'll even be considered for a job but working for free and paying rent is impossible! great post though 🙂

    Rose and Weston x

    Reply

  34. tadanabanana.com says

    Loved reading this and I love that you're breaking down you're journey! I've read similar post where they literally go from I interned to dream job but I love that you've broken it down and showed the realistic journey you have to take and what's involved 🙂 xx

    Reply

  39. Kea Bose says

    Really enjoyed this post, incredibly inspiring. You have worked so hard, it must feel great to look back and share your experience and it surely makes your current position much more satisfying. Thanks for sharing!

    keabose.blogspot.co.uk

    Reply

  44. Laura Jayne Hanson says

    This was so inspirational to read! You fully deserve your position after working so hard. I adore your styling and thanks to you, I am seriously considering trying to find some internships after I finish Uni 🙂 xx

    Laura // notsoplainjayne9595.blogspot.com

    Reply

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