New York City, digital cameras, and a marketing girl's dream...
There are many things that can go right or wrong as a 20-year-old in New York City. Add the element of 15-hour work days, cross-country friendships, and a full blowout at 7am and you have New York Fashion Week.
For four seasons, I have been a part of the Runway 7 team at New York Fashion Week. Every six months, I drop everything and move from California to New York for two weeks. I leave behind school and its attached responsibilities, work, family, relationships, and a majority of my life. If everything comes with a sacrifice and I am willing to do it over and over again, what has me hooked? What is it feeding?
my creative soul
Fashion marketing can be incredibly stimulating. At Runway 7's unique platform, I cover looks from global brands like Grace Chen, Diana Morlan, and 150 emerging brands. To have creative freedom is a gift I cannot wait to unwrap every season. Christmas comes early when the racks roll in.
When I begin fashion week, there are nearly zero creative borders. I take several approaches when creating content for a brand, sponsor, special guest, or team. I treat each element as if it was my own work, shed it in a positive light, and celebrate its meaning. That's what makes impacting, appealing, and lasting content. When you feed the creative soul with meaningful work, you enjoy what you do. My creative soul starves until then.
the "I'm just a girl" narrative
Silk robes at hair and makeup, crushed sparkly beads on the floor from a 9pm designer, and lipstick touchups in the bathroom in between shows. Every molecule of the fashion week chemistry explodes in the air and its the only air you breathe. The "I'm just a girl" narrative is about embracing excitement over the little things, romanticizing chaos, and using pretty things to blur the lines between escapism and reality. It is hard to escape that fashion week bliss.
Pictured to the right: model in hair and makeup at Sicily Osteria New York, NY
far from home
Time to get vulnerable. 2,743 miles of separation between my home and New York means more than battling distance. Being first-generation and raised by undocumented immigrant parents comes with intense survivors guilt each time I travel. I can see a family vacation happening before me on the way to shows and wonder why I only experience cities to work in and not enjoy with my family. The truth is, when you were raised this way, you have to train yourself to enjoy your experiences without thinking "my mom could never do this" or "I wish my parents were here." If my Hispanic dad calls from the car shop and wonders why I haven't called in three days, I over explain myself but never my job. Being 2,743 miles from home and 2,743 emotions deep builds thick fabric you can't strip. Only steam, stitch, tailor and repair until it is easier to slip on.
bonded
When most college students go to fashion week, it becomes a one-time experience. It takes a special drive to sleep three to five hours, eat once a day, and work under high pressure and stress, but it takes a more special drive to keep someone going back.
The bonds I have established through my work translate into all four seasons. The lessons I have absorbed through the friendship and mentorship of Diane Vara, Director of Marketing and PR , Christina Kovacs, Director of Brand and Sponsorships, and CEO/Founder, Anthony Rosa has translated into personal and professional life. One lesson echoes the importance of sustaining an impactful social responsibility. This season's dedication to donating $25,000 to Mount Sinai's multiple sclerosis research inspired gratitude and grounding to be present and act in what matters.
I get to work with talented and driven individuals who work at Puma, the NBA, raise children, study law, own small businesses, make differences in their communities, and teach me something new every time. I met my best friend who lives across the country and is my content partner in crime. So when I get asked why I continue to go back, I will share this same story.
The reality of NYFW as a marketing student is that I can only share mine. I encourage you to find something worth sharing.
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