Inside Look at a Career in High Fashion
This past week, I had the pleasure of interviewing Michelle Kennedy. She is the Director of Human Resouces at Williams and Sonoma. She has an impressive background in fashion. For my blog, I asked her about her time in the fashion industry. First, I dived into how she began her career. It all started in a small town in Ohio. As a young girl, Kennedy was always fascinated with the fashion industry. She would always read fashion magazines and analyze current trends. She always wanted to travel the world, and to work in fashion allowed her to work globally. When she graduated college, she knew where she needed to go–New York City.
When she arrived in the Big Apple, she knew no one; she began working in an entry-level position at Ann Taylor. She was highly successful at her job and began traveling around the United States, opening stores for the company. She knew she wanted to work closely with a designer in high fashion, so she walked into Ralph Lauren and applied for a job. She was hired in human resources working directly with Ralph Lauren and his family. She began attracting top talent to the company. As her career continued, she was recruited by Christan Dior Couture as the head of human resources for North and South America. Kennedy states that working in New York fashion opened many doors for her. As she traveled the world, she met many notable fashion icons, such as Anna Wintour and John Galliano.
Kennedy stated, “I was lucky to work at Ralph Lauren in NYC –it is an iconic American fashion brand built on a lifestyle promise. Christian Dior Couture, which is the definition of Parisian luxury, is an iconic fashion house and enabled me to travel the world.”Kennedy claims you need to love fashion to become successful in the fashion industry. It is a highly competitive industry, and if you want to succeed, you must stand out. The primary skills necessary to succeed are curiosity, innovation, design thinking, and a critical mindset.
She gave me crucial advice for people wanting to pursue a career in the fashion industry. She said to “never forget your own ‘voice.’” It is essential to be open to collaboration. Kennedy states, “always be open to collaboration–often two minds are better than one.” She says the most critical piece of advice is to bring your “authentic self” to work every day. What makes you unique is what will set you apart.
As a future public relations professional, I needed to learn more about why PR is vital in the fashion industry. When I asked Kennedy this question, she explained that PR guides a two-way conversation between the fashion house and its audience through brand awareness, highlighting the brand’s story and culture, and community building with its audience. PR allows designers and brands to be seen and tell their own stories.
Due to Kennedy’s experiences, I wanted to learn more about sustainability in the high-fashion industry. She stated, “In my opinion, high fashion is just catching up to other industries when it comes to sustainability. Their idea of sustainability kind of wavers from how we interpret it today.” She offered the example of when she worked at Ralph Lauren, expressing that the company focused on products that could be passed down through generations. Ralph Lauren concentrates on three main pillars: Create with Intent, Protect the Environment and Champion Better Lives. Christan Dior also focused on sustainability by protecting natural resources and slowing climate change by reducing greenhouse gas emissions.
To conclude my interview, I wanted to learn about the negative sides of working in the industry. Kennedy explained that the highly competitive landscape of fashion demands long hours. To get promoted, you must make sacrifices to stand out. As a fashion lover, I wanted to know about the most important event of the year: New York Fashion Week. Kennedy stated, “Fashion week is one of the best and worst times of the year. While it’s unimaginable to work behind-the-scenes for a fashion show, the amount of time that goes into perfecting the outfits, runway, and brand awareness can become all-consuming. In the end, all the hours I worked helped me to get where I am today.”
I was lucky to interview an admirable woman with a highly successful career. This interview taught me many things about working in the fashion industry, but most importantly, I learned that to succeed, you need to put time, energy, and confidence into your work.
