olivia meyer.

Olivia Meyer. A senior fashion merchandising student with minors in fashion media and business at Kent State who has had an impressive amount of success at a young age. She has not even graduated college yet and possesses an endless amount of connections in the fashion industry. Meyer has worked fiercely to earn the position she holds now and in the past.

Recently, I reached out to Olivia on LinkedIn to try to learn more about how she got her foot in the industry and see what her life consists of between classes and her internship in New York City. Right now, she is an inventory planning intern for Valentino, but she has also worked with a motorcycle gear company in LA, Fashion Talks in Cleveland, Nordstrom, UNESCO, and did a Women in Dior mentorship.

With so much experience at such a young age, you start to understand what works and what doesn’t in the vast world of fashion. As a fashion student who wants to start putting myself out there, I reached out to her to learn more about standing out in an ocean full of the same fish.

Personally, I have had countless amount of people who have told me to start getting myself out there so that once I graduate, I have some experience and real-world knowledge about the fashion industry. But how exactly do I get there? This was one of my main questions for Olivia, how can I start in the industry while still in college and make connections that could lead to opportunities?

LinkedIn was a very common topic of conversation. “[. . .] just extending yourself to people and letting them know that you're interested in either what they're doing or how you can, you know, become not like necessarily like them, but, you know, learn from them,” Meyer said. With LinkedIn, it is immensely important to just start requesting connections. Being able to extend yourself to new people and take the leap to make connections is what will make you stand out from others, which we all know is important in the fashion industry.

Something else that Olivia stressed a lot is persistence. The real world is not going to be easy or smooth, and that is exactly when you must keep going. There is a 99.99% chance that you will be told no by at least one person, but that doesn’t mean that you give up or stop trying. When someone tells you no, make it a mission for them to regret their decision.

For on-campus immersion, NRFSA gave her so many connections and people to work with who have a similar mindset. It is filled with people who are searching for their future careers and are hoping to help each other get there. During her junior year, she became an NRFSA president and was able to create those connections for others like the club did for herself in her starting year of college.

In order to understand and get to know your personal passion for this industry, ask yourself why. Why do you like it? Why do you want to learn more? Why are you invested in your future? When I heard Olivia say this, I started to ask this myself and it can really open up your mind to the reasons you are in this industry, trying to get your foot in the door, or even just the reason you chose this creative major in the first place.

This was such a great experience for me to learn more and understand the big wide world of fashion more. So, thank you, Olivia.

k…now rage