Growing up I always knew I wanted to conquer the world and follow my passion. As a kid, I did not know what I wanted to be or what my passions were. I realized that fashion was, not just my dream, but also my daily basis, my life, and my everyday inspiration when I was in middle school. After debating between fashion school, journalism, and fashion business (because I had no idea which one of these fields I wanted to be in), I decided to go to fashion design school. And Journalism. And International relations.
In Brazil education happens a little different than in the US. I believe I already mentioned this in a previous post, but in Brazil, we usually finish high school and we go straight to college. Four to five years bachelor's degree. An Associates' degree is not an actual thing in Brazil. You finish high school with your career already decided. That is why therapy and anxiety are a thing in Brazil (lol, but for real). A lot of kids change majors after a while. Me, well… I did not change it. I did it all. Together. In between becoming a fashion journalist, having my brand, and working as a designer for other brands, I decided to give a shot to all of these options. That is how I decided to start fashion design.
My first shot was as a visual merchandiser for Calvin Klein. Love the brand. Did not want that job forever. After working for Calvin Klein I opened my mind about having a franchise (back in the day when brands used to survive mainly from retail stores). Either a Calvin Klein store, a Starbucks (which in Brazil is a fancy thing), or a fabric distributor. My parents own a farm and we work in the front line of the most important part of any industry: the primary sector of making food. If you think about it, no brand makes their product without fabrics. So you know… an essential part of the industry plus the market in the south of Brazil were just too good to ignore. That was when I decided to start International Relations aside from fashion design school. If I was going to import shit, I had to know how to do it, right? Well, I started International Relations school and never looked back on the fabric distributor business.
Back in those days, I used to think that my dream job would be working at Vogue. Live the daily hustle of The Devil Wears Prada. Now I know that my goals and dreams are bigger than Vogue, but that was the pivot for me to start Journalism as well. I decided to give it a shot and started working as a fashion writer for different blogs. I was collaborating with fashion blogs, was writing about fashion and sports, was covering reports for trade shows, and writing for different fashion brands. That was when I was studying 3 different majors. Even though I liked what I was doing, I overloaded myself… I was not keeping up with work and was partying too hard. So I decided to stop working and focus on school only - according to my parents, that was the right thing to do. I know they had the best intention, but I honestly think that if I had focused on something since then, stopped partying, and had an actual job, I would be in a better position now. But again, no complaints at all! I mean… who would not love to travel and party during college years?
Even though I always knew I wanted to be in the fashion industry, I never knew what exactly I wanted to do. That is the main reason why I decided to embrace any opportunity life gave. Well, that and the fact that my parents pushed me to pursue any career but fashion… lol, but for real!
When I decided to take classes of all these majors together and gave up on working, I also decided to do a specialization in entrepreneurship. Just because! Not sure if you guys noticed, but I actually like studying, lol. My parents, as entrepreneurs who have been handling a family business which passed through generations, obviously supported me with that decision - but mainly because they were trying to get me away from my fashion career, lol (BUT FOR REAL). That was when I realized that I was not prepared and had SO much to learn, but would, one day, help to inspire and guide people who would like to be in the fashion industry as well.
Building a career in fashion was always my goal. The field of fashion is the question I was trying to answer while applying for 3 different college majors, starting a specialization, and embracing any opportunities and challenges life put in my way. I always had the incentive to open a fashion blog, but doing “look of the day” and talking about trends, even though it is fun and necessary in this industry, is not exactly what always caught my attention. The business side of this industry is what I love - that is why I studied business management when I moved to NYC, lol (but for real…).
I found my passion for helping people to understand the fashion business, inspiring immigrants who want to build a life in the US, and always showing the behind-the-scenes of living in a different country and a career in the fashion industry. None of these would have happened if I did not take the first step. I already admitted that I used to be a lazy ass and would be in a better position now if I have taken initiative before. But honestly, even being the kind of person who needs to be poked to start moving, I am also the kind of person who embraces whatever is in front of me. That is how we learn what we like and what can easily make us want to punch somebody in the face…
The most important fact is that God always puts the right people in your life. You just need to know what your goals are and surround yourself with people who inspire you. Legit! When I first started college (the fashion design one, lol) I have seen classmates hating each other. Half of the fashion major kids did not make friends with each other until the last year of college. On my first job at Calvin Klein I had coworkers who use to take advantage of me (because I was stupid). When I first started writing for fashion blogs most of the people I met during fashion events just got close to me because they wanted something. I grew up with a family who helps the community and the farmers in my city all help each other. They do not see it as a competition, they see it as market growth. The same when I moved to NYC and started at V.Mora. I always had the right guidance to explore and grow the market, to act ethically, and not try to hide other people's light… Obviously, when you are an immigrant, people just take advantage of you in any possible way and any kind of job - it goes to the next level of bs.
The market is big enough for everybody and each one of us has different qualities. I learned that my passion was in the fashion business and I want to help people. Embracing all opportunities is what helped me become successful and the amazing (humble AF, lol) professional I am today. You will never know what exactly you want to do for your career if you do not give it a shot to all possibilities you see in front of you. You will also not make it in any industry if you just want to step on people’s toes. What you put in the universe always comes back to you (as cheesy as it sounds). Becoming a badass and being successful at what you do means you are on the right path, not that you are better than anyone else. Taking the first step and signing up for any new opportunities life is giving you is the first step! The right step to take!
Commentaires