7 Tools to Make it to Paris Fashion Week
Last September was my first time, as a content creator, to receive an invite to Paris Fashion Week. When I got the invitation from Fashion Week Studios, fashion week was 1 week away, I booked my ticket, and headed to the city of love for an unforgettable and inspirational experience of a lifetime. We went to several fashion shows, saw amazing designs, and I was so grateful for the chance to attend. This year, I wanted more. I wanted to push myself and I didn’t want fashion week to just happen to me, I wanted to be apart of fashion week.
My first fashion week, I was a back row joe, and honestly the invite was just a free handout that I was lucky enough to get in email one morning. Did I still have an amazing experience? Absolutely, it was once in a lifetime, but I wanted more. I wanted to be apart of the magic. I learned a lot of lessons that took me from from back row, to front row and then to working with designers.
Networking:
There was some really great advice that was given to me not to long ago and in one sentence, this is what it is, “If you are not talking to at least 10 people a day about your business, then it’s a hobby.” If you are an entrepreneur of any kind, if you are not networking, if you are not going out of your way everyday to meet people, then get a day job! Treat your business like a business and share it with the world. A quote that I LOVE is, “You never know who has the keys to YOUR success.” and you never will unless you open your mouth! Who knows, maybe the person next to you in the Starbucks line is the actual key to your future, who can open the door for your singing career/ your acting/ your blog/ give you your ticket to fashion week/ be your first customer/ give you an opportunity that you never thought would be possible. Open your mouth and let the connections roll in, you never know who could change your life, or who needs YOU to be that key in their life. Make connections and get some business cards to make your introductions a little more powerful!
Confidence:
Confidence is a funny thing. Somedays, I jump out of the shower and think, “Who do I need to contact to get in touch with the President of the United States?” Other days I think, “Please no one look at me..” when I walk into Walmart with my oversized dad shirt and chacos. Are my Walmart days going to get me to fashion week? Are they going to get me onto a stage in front of thousands of people? No. Sometimes we have to push passed the embarrassed, us and create a confident us. Confidence is like a muscle. Some of you do 3 a days at the gym when it comes to confidence and others, myself included are more of a once in a blue moon type. The more you exercise confidence, then stronger you will become. The more you put yourself out there, the easier it becomes. If you stepped outside with no make up and a messy bun, then get comfortable just like that, because you never know who you could meet today.
Genuinely Care About People:
If you genuinely care about people you CANNOT fail. If your love for people motivates you, then you will find success. How powerful can you be when you have love moving you forward. How much more likely are you to make a genuine connection? Now roles reversed, how likely are you to help someone who loves you? Go out of your way to to make someones day. If you love someones jacket, tell them. If you loved someone’s performance, design, or outfit tell them. That is how Britt and I met Johana Hernandez, the Designer of Glaudi. Last September we were blown away by what she had created and spoke with her after the show was finished. We didn’t have any intention other than to congratulate her on the amazing work that she had done, but because we went out of our way to care, so did she.
Keep In Touch:
This leads me to my next point, keep in touch. Follow up! With Johana, we stayed connected on instagram. I continued to support her and her designs, her handwork, and her creativity. When Fashion Week Feb. 2019 rolled around, she wanted me to wear her designs throughout fashion week and I can’t even begin to express how honored I felt. You never know what business contacts, connections, and friends can be made because you decided to put effort into a relationship.
Be the Person You Want to Attract:
A year ago, I remember coming home from Bali and complaining to a friend of mine that I was surrounded by closed minded people. A few months later, I heard this piece of advice, “Be the person you want to attract.” I took this straight to heart and decided, rather than changing the people around me, I would change myself, so that when I met “my dream friend”, I would match them in every way! I wanted to be successful, passionate, motivated, and hardworking, I wanted friends who wouldn’t gossip or only talk about boys. I had to change my own personal actions in order to meet these kinds of people. I have been working on this for almost a year now and I can’t even begin to tell you how many “dream friends” have come into my life. When I was with Johana trying on some of her designs, we were talking about this concept and about how we were attracted into each others lives. It was solidified to me then, that I had started to become the person that I was attracting. When we work on ourselves, we find those who are working just as hard and ones that can point us in the right direction.
Have an Attitude of “What Can I Give”:
As human beings, it is sad how self serving we can be. It is sad that before we even make a genuine connection with someone, we expect and take and use. I believe if we change our mindset, and we have the attitude of “What Can I Give” we will get so so many more opportunities back at us! I whole heartedly believe in God, if you don’t then you can interchange Him with the universe. Why wouldn’t God give you opportunities, or experiences if He knew that you would be using them to help his other children? That is the thing, I believe if your first intention is to help people, then God will open the opportunity doors for you and you will be amazed by the success that you will find.
Work Hard:
Fashion week was stressful, there were a lot of demands on us, and sometimes I think I promised more than I could deliver, but we worked HARD. I believe that you can have it all if you are ready and willing to work for it. Success overnight is not a thing, there is research, effort, networking, and WORK that needs to get done. If you are willing to put in the effort, email the person, find your “in”, then you will. If you want to go to fashion week, send the emails, if you want to start a business, find the contacts. If you put yourself out there and put the work in, you can accomplish exactly what you are trying to do.
Fashion week was an amazing experience this year. We were able to meet amazing people, sit front row, and be inspired by the amazing designers in the shows. I couldn’t be more grateful to Fashion Week Studios for being willing to take a chance on me and let me experience their amazing event. They held an incredible event at the beautiful RITZ Carlton in Paris. Throughout this blogpost are amazing designs that I fell in love with and amazing designers that have worked, so hard. I can’t wait to see what Fashion Week 2020 will look like with Fashion Week Studios. Until then, if I am that connection that you are looking for, please reach out to me and let me help you in any way that I can!
xoxo
Bri Elise
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Designers Mentioned in this Post:
Fashion Week by Fashion Week Studios
Photos by Meg and Her Camera