On April 24, the NYU Stern Luxury & Retail Association hosted three Vogue and Condé Nast executives for a panel in the Kaufman Management Center. The panel was one of five events the club held for its showcase week, which consisted of four days of guest speaker events and a Friday gala. These events, featuring vice presidents and directors from the likes of Tom Ford, Tiffany & Co. and Jo Malone, served to bridge the gap between aspiring fashion students and the industry.
“LARA is about fashion business, but we’re exploring more facets of the industry, namely publications, fashion journalism as well as wealth management,” CAS sophomore and LARA Zine Director Franklin Dong said. “You watch these movies about Anne Hathaway trying to lug a big-ass suitcase around for Meryl Streep, but like, these people are real people who are working in industries that we’re actually passionate about.”
The event featured Vogue Art Director Ingu Chen, Condé Nast Senior Manager of Content Strategy and Growth Jody Jones and Vogue Associate Director of Global Brand Marketing Katie Knoll. The Q&A focused on the panelists’ professional journeys, their day-to-day tasks and the challenges they face in their positions.
“I always love speaking with students,” said Jones. “I wish that I had the opportunity to really learn more about the industry. I wasn’t really thinking of media when I was at school, but if I had taken advantage of panels like this I would’ve been like ‘Yeah, let’s do this!’”
Though the event was not exclusive to LARA members, the presence of roughly thirty attendees provided a more intimate, seminar-style atmosphere. NYU’s lack of an undergraduate fashion degree program makes a specific, career-oriented club like LARA influential and valuable to students. The club not only gives prospective business students a look into a field they would otherwise have very limited access to, but also allows members to build connections with some of the most prominent figures in the industry.
Knoll, for example, has worked within top marketing positions in Vogue for about five years, and noted her favorite aspect of her career is how dynamic her position can be.
“I really like how every day is really different, whether it’s working with different advertisers and so there’s a different goal, or even just a different project,” Knoll said. “I constantly have to put myself in different shoes, different mindsets and work with different personalities.”
After about 40 minutes of mediated questioning, the floor opened to attendees for any additional questions. The three panelists expressed a common goal of spreading their wisdom and instead of consolation, sympathizing with the struggle students face in discovering their passions and finding the right fit. When asked for their best tips for navigating the job market and breaking into fashion, the panelists agreed on one thing: don’t just network, make friends. In essence, the key to success lies within one’s ability to not only have connections, but to have strong relationships with people who you trust and who, in turn, have confidence in your abilities and talent.
As a French and History major in college, Jones also emphasized that there is no set path one has to take to find their dream career.
“I hope that the information that I was able to provide and the information that Katie and Ingu gave was not only reassuring, but informative,” Jones said. “If you are passionate and willing to do the work and really think about what you want out of it, it is possible.”
Contact Logan O’Connor at [email protected].
