The fashion industry is a tough business to work in because many people think it is glamorous and striking. However, it is not all about the glamour and the luxurious life that may come with it. There is a business behind the billion-dollar industry and enormous detail that goes into it.

Anyone who wants to work in this fast-paced industry needs to be proactive and dedicated. Every opportunity counts and time is crucial.

I have learned from the short time I’ve worked in the industry that timing is everything. I have read “Teen Vogue” for years and most of my time is occupied by trying to stay up to date with the latest news about the fashion industry. I attempt to keep abreast about what is going on in the industry because researching past collections, designers and artists can help with assignments at an internship or work with for archive purposes.

In October 2013, I had the opportunity to go to the Teen Vogue Fashion University Seminar in New York City. It was a weekend-long event that I learned about from the magazine. I always wanted to go but living in Southern California placed a great amount of distance between the opportunity and myself. Once I knew I wanted to pursue my dreams of a career in public relations in the fashion industry, I applied to Iona.

When I got accepted to Iona College, I re-applied to the seminar and I was accepted.

I met many from people around the country and world. Each class was different and was taught by designers, public relations practitioners, bloggers, editors and other professionals in their respective fields related to fashion. Each professional gave me a different perspective about the fashion industry and what it takes to work in it.

I even taught myself how to navigate the city with the help with some of my classmates who were native to New York, and I was able to network along the way.

In one of my classes American jewelry designer Eddie Borgo introduced Bianca Harris to the class. Harris used to be an intern at the company, worked her way up and became the studio manager.

After Borgo’s class, no one went up to Harris and I wondered why no one went up to her. My mom taught me that talking to the right person could open the door to a new opportunity. I took her advice with a leap of faith and introduced myself. We chatted for a bit and I asked her for her business card.

I landed my first internship at Eddie Borgo/Outhouse LLC because I was brave enough to initiate a conversation with Harris.

I asked her if the company needed volunteers and she told me about the internship program. I applied for the press internship and did my research on the company. A week later, I had a Skype interview and two weeks later I was hired. To this day, I always thank Harris.

Without attending the fashion seminar, I would not have met Harris or have obtained my first internship that spanned two semesters.

Now I have the opportunity to go to the seminar for a second time as a member of the Class of 2015 in mid-March. I hope this new experience will lead me to new knowledge related to public relations and the fashion industry as well as new connections.

Applying to events like the Teen Vogue Fashion University Seminar can definitely help you land an internship or an important networking contact that could help you in the future. You never know what may result from a conversation – it could be the start of a very successful career.

To contact the Ionian’s Kim Mulder, e-mail her at [email protected]