It’s no secret that landing a career in the fashion industry is competitive and requires a persistent attitude in order to land you a full time position. The 2006 film, The Devil Wears Prada, almost acted as a warning to derail us from perusing such a career. Aside from a lucky handful, many fashion graduates begin the challenging list of: (often unpaid) internships, unanswered emails and relocating.
Meet Sally Ball, a 24 year old Fashion Communications graduate, who now works for online fashion brand Dancing Leopard. Her ambition to work in the industry meant leaving her hometown Sunderland behind to settle in Manchester.
“I first started working at Dancing Leopard last year as a freelancer. To begin with I worked 2 days a week, after a few months I was offered a full time position!”
Despite working full time for Dancing Leopard at home Sallie confesses that she spends her spare time and weekends shooting and editing content for her Instagram page: Styled with Sallie.
“My Instagram has created so many opportunities for me! I’ve been lucky enough to work on campaigns with brands such as; Topshop, Barbour and Accessorize. It’s such a great feeling being recognised by these big brands as I’m still a micro influencer!”
In 2020 the idea of someone in the fashion industry not having a ‘side hustle’ and various social media platforms is almost unheard of. These accounts not only provide a creative outlet, but can lead to exciting opportunities. Alongside various collaborations Sallie tells us that:
“Working with Accessorize was probably one of my favourite collaborations yet! I was invited down to their Head Office in London to shoot; it was my first ‘real’ influencer campaign.”
Our advice: Even if you haven’t landed that dream career, keep pushing! Persistence pays off.
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