No Experience, No Problem: How a Jumpsuit and Prayers Helped Me Land a Job in Fashion

When I first began documenting my journey in the fashion and entertainment industry, I found myself struggling to share the real, unfiltered version of my story. I’ve been accustomed to giving my polished, neatly wrapped in a bow version, for the sake of simplicity. But, that isn’t an accurate reflection of who I am or what I want my blog to stand for. Some crazy events and situations went down that, at the time, felt like random coincidences, but in hindsight, were ultimately part of a much bigger plan. I believe it’s important to acknowledge the challenges along with the amazing moments, as they both have shaped me into the person I am. So, to anyone who asks me how I landed a job in fashion without any previous experience here is my unedited journey. I hope this can serve as a source of inspiration and motivation for others!

Life is always full of surprises. One chance encounter, one casual conversation, can completely change the trajectory of your life. I experienced one of those unexpected moments during a casual summer day at the beach in June of 2017. I was with my cousin and younger brother when we ran into our mutual friend’s dad. We started chatting, catching up on life, and I had mentioned our plans to visit family in Long Island the following week. I explained that I wanted to take advantage of our time up there by setting up various job interviews in Manhattan. He asked me what I wanted to do – I said “something in fashion” clearly not having a clue. He said he didn’t have any connections in fashion, but that he could reach out to his friend who just so happened to be the President of Miss Universe. I mean come on… way to drop a bombshell!!! I never thought in a million years I’d have the opportunity to be connected to someone so high up. Before I left for my trip, I sought out to find the ~perfect~ interview outfit. As a broke college girl working in food and bev, I had to make the most out of my limited resources and remember feeling so lucky to find a dark navy jumpsuit that was 40% off at Ann Taylor! I also purchased a white blazer to pair with the jumpsuit to look super “profess”. Little did I know, that jumpsuit would become a staple in my journey.

Before I knew it, I was on a Jitney on the way into the city, nervously preparing for my meeting with the President of Miss Universe. To add to the string of coincidences, the only day that she could meet before leaving for her vacation, coincided with another interview I had already scheduled in the city later that afternoon. I thought that was just luck! My meeting with her was so incredible. She was super supportive and listened to me talk about my interests and aspirations, and ended up recommending me to IMG Models’ Human Resources department. And just like that, I was on my way.

Almost immediately, I received an email from them, inviting me to come in for a preliminary interview. I had only packed the one interview outfit and sadly, the white blazer after carrying around my cheap black purse all day, had black stains on both shoulders. My aunt had no luck getting the stains out, so I decided I’d make a quick pitstop at H&M before my interview. Another Jitney ride in, I scored another cheap blazer and quickly hailed a cab. I remember feeling like a true New Yorker hailing that cab with confidence. I told the driver the address with such authority like I had been living in the city my entire life. Well, my naive confidence quickly faded the minute I realized we were going in the complete opposite direction. SHOOOT - we were now 30 minutes in the opposite direction and I was panicking. For those that know, the city cab system is not for the faint of heart. I quickly called the HR representative and explained the situation. She was initially reluctant to still meet with me that day, but it wasn’t until I explained that I had taken a two-hour Jitney to get to the city, that she agreed to still meet. Thank goodness my lateness didn’t ruin my chances.

A month went by, when I received an unexpected email from IMG’s HR, asking if I’d be interested in interviewing for a “fashion floater” position. They had a couple spots left and explained that I could be doing anything from working on set with models, to working with directors, and just learning everything about the fashion industry. It was a yearlong entry level job but this would help me pinpoint exactly what I wanted to do in fashion. I put my dang heart and soul into that interview.. and even got a blowout (lol), but didn’t end up getting the job. It was a super competitive role and other contenders were way more qualified. It was disappointing, and I felt stuck in Charleston without a clear path forward. I still didn’t lose hope and believed opportunities would present themselves.

In November, I remember feeling beyond ready to take the leap of faith and just make the move. One night, I prayed to God so hard and asked him to give me some sort of sign that I was ready. The VERY next day, no joke, I received an email from IMG’s HR asking if I’ve relocated to New York City and would like to interview for assistant opportunities across IMG Models’. I MEAN IF THAT WASN’T A PRAYER ANSWERED…

I can still remember those nervous butterflies going into that first interview over zoom. My boss at the time, interview prepped with me, which looking back was really sweet as she was also begging and hoping I would stay working for her. I put on the same Ann Taylor jumpsuit and met with four different ‘Managers’. This was my first real “big girl” job interview, I was terrified they’d eat me up and spit me out, but it was quite the opposite. The conversations were flowing and at the end of the interview, I was like wait.. I think they liked me. I knew right then and there it was time to make my move to New York City.

PART TWO - TO BE CONTINUED

But while we get ready for the next chapter, why not take a quick detour and sneak a peek at my interview outfit and some priceless text exchanges with my dearest pals!!