Sorry if you missed NZ Fashion Week, it was awesome!
I started out my journey just as a volunteer. They gave us three roles to chose from; Dresser, Usher or Front Desk. I chose to be an Usher but during the interview I mentioned that I'd previously worked for 30 Days of Fashion and Beauty on their social media. She then emailed me asking if I'd like to help out at the office beforehand with their website so I said yes.
There's my first piece of advice - put your hands up for things, say yes for volunteer work and other opportunities.
Then for the two/three weeks leading up to Fashion Week I went in a few times a week to help out. I did heaps, from uploading their sponsors logos, to writing up tickets to shows, to cutting ribbon. I sometimes felt like free labour, but it was so cool being there in the office.
Do anything they ask of you when you're volunteering. Sometimes it feels menial and pointless, but it shows your character and they will realise they can count on you and will call on you when they need help with the big stuff.
Then Fashion Week came around. I was a little uncertain about what they wanted me to do, but it soon became clear. They had organised this service where the images from the show were uploaded instantly to their website. They had promised so much and were raving about it to the media, but hadn't checked if it was going to work or who was going to upload these images instantly.
There were many stressful moments trying to get this thing to work, many angry calls to the website company, but by mid-week it was up and running.
In the mean time, I was going to some amazing fashion shows and enjoying what Fashion Week had to offer.
I seized every opportunity I had to reap the rewards of my hard work. I went to 18 shows, 3 parties and 2 seminars over the course of the week and weekend, and came away with a decent amount of goodie bags, not to mention access to the Designer Garage Sale and free drinks at the parties. But there were a couple of times when I went to shows and came back to find people waiting for me with images to upload. Yikes!
Enjoy the perks, but make sure you're allowed to first!
By the end of it I was on first name basis with all the women in the office. I love mentioning that Dame Pieter Stewart, founder and head honcho, knows my name! I was pleasantly surprised by the people running the event. Though some got stressed and others were stress-inducing, they were very friendly and approachable, nobody treated my like I was a nameless nobody, as you might expect in the office of New Zealand's biggest event.
What was particularly inspiring was the amount of women in the office and running the event who had babies/kids/were pregnant. There was one who was doing her powerful job with a baby on her back and another who I think was the head of a PR company, heavily pregnant and having to lie down on her yoga mat all the time, but no big fuss was made at all.
Women - we can have our cake and eat it too now! Having a good career doesn't mean you can't have kids too.
Overall it was such a great time, I saw some of New Zealand's top designer's new ranges, got lots of free stuff, bought a cute new dress from the DGS, met some amazing and inspiring people and made a few new friends.
My favourite show was Trelise Cooper's, but my favourite line was Twenty-Seven Names.
Oh and how could I forget, I got to attend my very first same sex wedding! Both brides looked beautiful in Annah Stretton and the ceremony was lovely!
See you round :)
I started out my journey just as a volunteer. They gave us three roles to chose from; Dresser, Usher or Front Desk. I chose to be an Usher but during the interview I mentioned that I'd previously worked for 30 Days of Fashion and Beauty on their social media. She then emailed me asking if I'd like to help out at the office beforehand with their website so I said yes.
 |
| This is the volunteer T-shirt that I never wore :D |
There's my first piece of advice - put your hands up for things, say yes for volunteer work and other opportunities.
Then for the two/three weeks leading up to Fashion Week I went in a few times a week to help out. I did heaps, from uploading their sponsors logos, to writing up tickets to shows, to cutting ribbon. I sometimes felt like free labour, but it was so cool being there in the office.
Do anything they ask of you when you're volunteering. Sometimes it feels menial and pointless, but it shows your character and they will realise they can count on you and will call on you when they need help with the big stuff.
Then Fashion Week came around. I was a little uncertain about what they wanted me to do, but it soon became clear. They had organised this service where the images from the show were uploaded instantly to their website. They had promised so much and were raving about it to the media, but hadn't checked if it was going to work or who was going to upload these images instantly.
There were many stressful moments trying to get this thing to work, many angry calls to the website company, but by mid-week it was up and running.
In the mean time, I was going to some amazing fashion shows and enjoying what Fashion Week had to offer.
I seized every opportunity I had to reap the rewards of my hard work. I went to 18 shows, 3 parties and 2 seminars over the course of the week and weekend, and came away with a decent amount of goodie bags, not to mention access to the Designer Garage Sale and free drinks at the parties. But there were a couple of times when I went to shows and came back to find people waiting for me with images to upload. Yikes!
Enjoy the perks, but make sure you're allowed to first!
By the end of it I was on first name basis with all the women in the office. I love mentioning that Dame Pieter Stewart, founder and head honcho, knows my name! I was pleasantly surprised by the people running the event. Though some got stressed and others were stress-inducing, they were very friendly and approachable, nobody treated my like I was a nameless nobody, as you might expect in the office of New Zealand's biggest event.
What was particularly inspiring was the amount of women in the office and running the event who had babies/kids/were pregnant. There was one who was doing her powerful job with a baby on her back and another who I think was the head of a PR company, heavily pregnant and having to lie down on her yoga mat all the time, but no big fuss was made at all.
Women - we can have our cake and eat it too now! Having a good career doesn't mean you can't have kids too.
Overall it was such a great time, I saw some of New Zealand's top designer's new ranges, got lots of free stuff, bought a cute new dress from the DGS, met some amazing and inspiring people and made a few new friends.
My favourite show was Trelise Cooper's, but my favourite line was Twenty-Seven Names.
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| Twenty-Seven Names, image by Michael Ng |
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| Me with my Delegate Pass |
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| Trelise Cooper, image by Michael Ng |
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| Annah Stretton's "Come on Oz, say I do!" same-sex wedding |
See you round :)
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