A few months ago, my best friend and I were fortunate enough to attend the NE1 'Fashion Futures' event at the Baltic Centre in Newcastle. Having handed in our final essay submissions, we headed straight to the event with promise of hearing local business entrepreneurs, Henry Holland, Laura Weir and Alexandra Shulman, discuss their success. Yep, Alexandra Shulman. The real Alexandra Shulman.
As an aspiring journalist, a lifelong obsessor of fashion (and Vogue, because of course the two go hand-in-hand), the prospect of listening to various success stories on entering the industry was an opportunity I could not humour missing out on. Wearing my navy polo neck jumper and wide leg trousers, I sweated my way down to the Baltic and endured the heat of the room itself with the jumper encasing my neck: if Alexandra Shulman spotted me in the crowd, I was determined to impress in my attire. Perhaps the beads of sweat caressing my face would prove a distraction.
The event itself was filled with prosperous fashion students, designers, and various people in the industry waiting to absorb the advice of those who have 'made it'.
First up; Michelle Taylor, Charis Younger, Kate Ablett and Darren Spurling. Or, to do justice to my excitement at this talk; the founder of Tallulah Love luxury lingerie, designer at All Saints, designer at Berghaus and Managing Director of Terry De Havilland international shoe brand. I was third row back, uncomfortably warm, but very excited. With my pen and paper at the ready, I scribbled down notes on how to make it from a North East town to the big city, or find success in your hometown. The key advice emerging from all four speakers was to "be resilient", and maintain your passion, even if it appears rejected by those around you.
Each of the speakers were confident, humorous and oozed with exactly the aforementioned passion encouraged in their audience. After hearing a 'Day in the Life' of each individual, the speakers provided advice on seeking internships, and being recognised in the industry; heavily stressing the importance of networking and developing contacts. A note for those seeking internships in the industry, from journalism to marketing, was to continue pushing via email and physical letters until you receive recognition from someone within the business to which you're applying. It is not within my nature to be forceful but that resilience must emerge somewhere. The talk was interesting, humorous and helpful, though with less interest in the design aspect of fashion, it was the succeeding talks I was most excited for.
Laura Weir entered the stage with Henry Holland. Henry was hilarious, easy going and comfortable on stage. His advice was relatable as a young student trying to find their path in the big, wide world and his stories captivated the audience for the entirety of the chat. Though his entry to the fashion designing world appeared as a stroke of good luck, he emphasised the necessity of "a visual DNA that transcended [the] slogan" of his original t-shirt line. The quirky slogan shirts may have thrust his work into the fashion limelight, but his sharp wit, determination and knowledge of how fashion works has proved his worth in the industry. Laura Weir, an acquaintance of the designer, was chatty and approachable, exactly the type of fashion journalist I strive to embody: less so the 'interviewer' and, more so, the friend.
Of course, the reason for my attendance, my excitement and my slight anxiety was for the arrival of one woman: Alexandra Shulman, OBE. Following a brief interval, which included scoffing a posh M&S sausage roll (couldn't let Shulman catch me with a Greggs), I rolled up my now alarmingly warm sleeves and slipped my professional-looking glasses on. With a round of applause, and my nervous eye twitch, Shulman graced the stage.
Her speech was as effortless and classic as the magazine to which she aligns her autograph. A chronological timeline of her life was provided, with tips, tricks and a couple of fortunate coincidences that have built this career woman into the success story she now is. Shulman was calm, and somewhat soothing to an audience of fans and fashionistas. Her story was modest and her advice was credible. My favourite points taken from the chat were to appreciate the process of working up the ladder, and to be proud of your voice. During question-time I could not resist the necessity to interact with such an inspiring woman. I queried the best advice for entering the fashion industry as an intern more than willing to be on tea-making duty all day, so long as I could network with creatives and chat about why handbags are important via our well-made cuppa and cheeky biscuit. Her advice was as expected, to show passion and not give up.
It becomes hard to hear the same message on repeat that trying and trying again will eventually take you to where you wish to be, but perhaps hearing it from the fashion aficionado herself was enough to finally persuade me. I hope to not have to settle in my quest for a career within fashion and writing. The beauty of freelance writing is certainly allowing me to pursue applications for incredible jobs in-between sips of coffee and spell-checking (though seated in my pink fully dressing gown with 3 day unwashed hair is not the life of glamour I strive for).
I knew this post would be a long'un because the talk required a justifiably decent review for how brilliant it was. I may not have blagged a job out of it, but I spoke to an icon, was inspired by locals and beyond, and managed to keep my polo neck jumper on for the entirety of the chat. So should you ever spot this post Alexandra Shulman (ha if only), I was the nervous ginger on the third row, slightly tacky with sweat to stay stylish in your honour, and frantically making notes on how to become Ms Shulman 2.0.
