High Fashion

The people behind the luxury brands we love may just be down-to-earth, stylish, strategic thinkers worth knowing! Get to know Paige Gilliland, children’s designer at Ralph Lauren and Tony Vincente, founder of Rossario George. We know that luxury brands can be expensive, but Rossario George is making major moves in the fashion industry to help more people dress luxuriously! Meanwhile, Kristopher Fraser (from the For the Culture Episode) joined us again on Style Me Up Nat to share even more ways to find high fashion at a low price! 

A special thanks to our Stiletto Award Nominee – Oggy Nikolova, founder of Fashion Super Intern and The Agency De La Mode! She works hard every day to help interested young professions break into the fashion industry, and yes, some do end up at luxury brands! 

 
For a full transcript, visit https://www.buzzsprout.com/1149473/5095720 

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Transcript

Natalie Trevonne & Llissa Lo  0:00  

I'm Natalie Trevonne. And I'm Lissa Lo. And this is fashionably tardy.

Natalie  0:17  

We're the podcast that bridges the gap between the disability community and the fashion industry by telling the amazing stories of some dope fashion creatives who are  killing it in the game today. And we're getting fancy today on fashionably tardy. Yes, we have expensive tastes because today we're talking about all those luxury brands that we all love and the people who make them happen on an episode we're calling high fashion.

Natalie  0:54  

And this episode's nominee for the stiletto award is Oggy Nikolova

Lissa  1:03  

The stiletto awards is our way of honoring those who show up and show out for their community using fashion to transform lives. Our guest today Oggy owns a consulting business called the agency Delamode And she also owns a career readiness program called Fashion Super Intern. Since this episode is all about high fashion Oggy fits right in. She used to be a headhunter for luxury brands, recruiting executives from across the world. She's like us, she loves a good story. When she interacted with these executives, she realized that they had some amazing experiences that also helped her gain the success that she has today. So, it's only fitting that she now has a program where she gives all that knowledge back to other students.

Natalie  1:51  

Oggy was only able to create Fashion Super Intern because of all the experiences that she had. She's from Bulgaria, where she thought a career In fashion could only mean becoming a designer. But after she found out all the possibilities that the fashion industry has to offer, she moved to the UK where she studied fashion management and marketing. She had big dreams with endless opportunities. But when she graduated from college, reality smacked her in the face. And she wasn't able to find a job for eight months. And I think a lot of us can relate to that struggle. Now. She works with her students to help them avoid the same experience that she had. Here's Oggy to give all the details about fashion super intern.

Oggy  2:44  

In March 2019, I launched my first course. So, Fashion Super Intern, the course, which is now in digital form on my website, which you can take digitally was a course that I launched in Southampton and I kind of kept it in a small group. So, I had the course in London and in South Hampton and it was a maximum of 10 people. So in the small group and I was coaching students exactly that how to do their CV, how to do that cover letter, how to do that portfolio, how to find the managers in the industry, how to find emails and email directly, how to search job opportunities and how to interview successfully. And so that's kind of the core of fashion Super Intern the course. In August of 2019, I left my full time employment and I focused on Fashion Super Intern and da Agency Delamode solely so this is why what I do at the moment, I focus on my business and just trying to develop it and really help students out. So, there are a couple of different programs available. So apart from Fashion Super Intern the course, which as I mentioned, can be taken digitally. So, you can buy it once and take it anytime. So, it doesn't have a validity. You can watch it as many times as possible if you want. And a I really teach exactly that how to be successful in your application, in your interview, and how to achieve success with the job hunting. I also launched last month, a masterclass portal. So, it's a collective. It's a membership where I teach a lot of diverse skills. So, for example, if you want to work in the luxury industry, I have a master class dedicated for that. If you know, want to know about personal branding, there's a  master class for that. If you want to know about visual merchandising, you want to work as a visual merchandiser, there’s a  specific master class for that. So, I'm just teaching a lot of different skills through this master class platform. And alongside that, I do a lot of free events. So, I did a couple of free events during the quarantine and in my private Fashion Super Intern group on Facebook, there is free coaching occasionally. In June, I did three days consecutive coaching which was absolutely for free. There was live coaching in the group for all the members of the group and you don't have to pay to become a member. It’s just a private group on Facebook. And there's also small services such as, you know, CV structure or personal coaching, or you know, LinkedIn development, or cover letters, or interviews, or all these different like small services. So, Fashion Super Intern is what I like to call it. It's kind of the inspiration room for students to basically get coaching to become successful in entering the fashion industry.

Lissa  5:21  

Okay, so I love how her program started. She realized that students kept asking her about the executives that she worked with as a headhunter. And she started to compile a list of tips. She decided to put on a presentation at her college. And because she figured no one would show up. She was like, Hey, friends, come help me. And little did she know, students were itching to know what she had to say. And the room was packed far beyond capacity. So many students had great questions, and Oggy wanted to answer every single one of them

Natalie  5:56  

and she's still like that today. If you want to jump into the fashion industry but need more guidance, reach out to Oggy she would love to help.

Oggy  6:05  

I'm always on my phone and I work seven days a week. So, if anyone wants to DM me. A lot of the students get in contact with me either on LinkedIn which on LinkedIn you can find me as Oggy Nikolova. And on Instagram I have a specific Instagram for Fashion Super Intern and it's called exactly that @fashionsuperintern. And I also have the agency Delamode which again, Instagram for that is @theagencydelamode or if not, they can easily find me on my website, which is theagencydelamode.com. Everything is on there. So, Fashion super Intern has its own section. The courses have their own section, the master class portal. So, you can easily see everything and yeah, they can get in contact with me that way.

Lissa  6:56  

It is sometimes difficult for us to realize that the people who Work for or who even own these luxury brands are just people and are very down to earth at that.

Natalie  7:11

 Right, because when we think of the  fashion industry, we always think cutthroat. Because of what we see on tv. But our guests today are actually really cool people that work their way up to get the success they have today.

Lissa  7:24  

Exactly. There's so many layers to these people. The first person that we're going to talk about, has had a love for high fashion since a young age. But the journey to where he is now was filled with so many plot twists. The biggest one being that painting was actually what led him to becoming a designer and eventually owning his own brands. We're about to connect the dots for our first red carpet feature Anthony Williams, who is most often known as Tony Benn sente.

Natalie  7:57  

Tony is the founder of rossario George a two-year-old luxury lifestyle brand recognized as a top emerging brand by Vogue magazine. Rossario George offers a beauty line, ready to wear women's clothing, shoes and home accessories. Don't worry though, the men's line is coming soon. This is how Tony summarizes the brand.

Tony  8:22  

We're classic, wear elegant, where you! It's a brand that people can look at and just go oh my god, I love the patterns. I love the colors. Wow, the shoes are as comfortable as they can be. Oh my God, this beauty is long lasting, and my lips don't feel dry. Those things are what Rossario George is about.

Lissa  8:41  

to best understand this company, we have to first learn about its inspiration.

Tony  8:45  

My partner's father, who has since left this earth. His name is Rossario George Skomachi. And when I looked at his pictures back in the day, he was such a stylish Individual, I was finding myself inspired by the patterns and everything he was using. And I'm like, wait a minute, Rossario George, would be a great name for a great person. In honor of that whole memory of that inspiration, I named my brand after him. And then it also evolved. We also use the initials RG and that's for our beauty lines. And for me, RG stands for realized greatness. So, it's a two-prong way of looking at what his name and his legacy is.

Natalie  9:37  

so, we set this was a luxury brand. And we can think of so many names that fit this category, like Gucci, Louie baton, and Versace. Which is Tony's favorite, by the way. But what do all of these have in common? yes, the huge price tags but Tony approaches luxury differently

Tony  10:00  

I coined the term affordable Lux. And affordable Lux means affordable luxury. I use the same factories as other individuals. I use the same materials and I know what their price points are. And I know what people should be able to afford. And I take pride in knowing that that mind state has helped Rossario George grow and be on tons of people's bodies and shoes and on their lips. I feel like luxury should be afforded to everyone. I want everyone to feel luxurious. I want everyone to have the best life they possibly can. If they are shopping Rossario George.

Lissa  10:39  

Natalie, this part is so cool to me for real. So, in his interview, he shared that he goes to England to get his tuxedos because like they do it so well there. He also gets the shoes Made in Italy for Rossario George and the same people who make these shoes are also the same ones who make shoes for Louie Vuitton. And you would never know any of these things from the price tags. By establishing such a great mission and vision for Rossario George, it's only apparent that it can be backed by such an amazing person. So, to talk about Rossario George is to talk about Tony.

Natalie  11:19  

He is another black designer killing it in the game today. People most often expect him to be white based off his name Tony Vicente, so they're often shocked when they interview him. He combined his first and middle name to get a more luxurious name match for the brand. We love it because he is shaking things up and helping people to know that they could not and should not judge people by their name.

Lissa  11:47  

It is also really important not to judge people by their journeys. And for Tony. His journey was a little bit unique. He could have entered the fashion industry much earlier than he did. But the deeper he got, he started to realize some really ugly, uncomfortable truths about it when he was a model and also when he was experimenting as a fashion buyer, he just didn't like what he saw. Luckily, he chose to step back until recently where he realized the industry is changing, and more importantly, that he can come back and be a major part of its transformation. Tony is now a mentor, the founder of a very reliable brand and an overall change maker. His mission is to give attention and recognition to those who may not otherwise receive it. And ultimately, he hopes that his work helps to make the world a little bit more beautiful. If more designers of color can be recognized and celebrated in these changes. Tony believes that this will be all the more better for the fashion industry and the world as a whole.

Unknown Speaker  12:52  

As we mentioned before, Tony's journey to Rosario George was far from predictable and along the way he Really had his hand in quite a few pots. Here are some just to name a few. So, we already mentioned that Tony was a model and a fashion buyer. But he's also really great at drawing, which helps with his sketches. And he's a really good painter. One day, he decided his painting should be on more home accessories. So, he started his first business Vicente Living, until a larger company called shop bita asked him to become a designer for them. With experience as a marketing manager, it only took Tony a few years to start designing for himself. And that's how Rossario George began.

Lissa  13:45  

Natalie, I got one more to add to this list. I know his resume super long, but Tony also currently serves as a social media manager and he really loves to help people of color, gain the skills that they need to be As marketable as strong and as capable as any of their competitors. Which also leads me to his last bit of advice. And this is for anyone in any industry to summarize each one, teach one.

Tony  14:16  

What everyone can do is if you have a skill set and you know that someone else doesn't have it, offer it to them. If they accept it, they will grow just like the most wonderful plant that you can ever plant in the ground.

Natalie  14:32  

Tony says out of everything he's designed, he is most proud of the fall winter line that's coming out next month. This line has some classic Rossario George looks, plus some edgy ones that make the perfect combination. Lissa and I are so thrilled about Rosario George, and if you are too, we have some great news for all our listeners. Tony is offering a 30% discount guys! Yes., Head over to Rossariogeorge.com right now and use the code word fasht. that's f a s h t to get your discount right now!

Lissa  15:12  

If you make any purchases, take a photo and don't forget to tag us. We would love to see what you chose.

Natalie  15:25  

Hey, hey don't go anywhere. It's time for Style Me Up Nat.

Natalie  15:34  

So, I'm here with Kristopher Frazier, fashion stylist and Content Editor. For As If Magazine. And he’s  very much focused on luxury and contemporary brands. You might remember him from our For The Culture episode, well he's back with us today. And I'm really excited because he's talking about how to achieve those high fashion looks on a budget because we all know that we may one to be in luxury, but we can't always afford luxury. So, Kris, thank you so much for joining us.

Kris  16:06  

I'm really happy to be back with you guys again, talking about one of my favorite things, luxury brands. I've had the privilege of being involved in for over five years now as an editor, and then once I added stylist to my resume, my love for putting together great looks grew.  I know a lot of you guys are out here. Wanting to own those brands or wanting to have the look at those brands. You know, not everyone always has the budget to BE going out and spending, you know, hundreds of thousands of dollars on a DRESS OR TOP. That is not cheap. Now, one thing I've discussed a lot as an editor is the circular economy and resale because those are two large growing categories in the fashion industry right now. So, think of it like you know, things that are thrifting, consignment stores and one company that's been getting really big lately is The Real Real. The Real Real seen huge growth over the past several years. And for those of you that might not be familiar with them real real, it is a resale platform for luxury brands. So, Gucci, Prada, Fendi, Giorgio Armani, any major luxury brand, it is probably there. Even things like jewelry and watches Cartier, a Rolex, it is all there at an immense fraction of the price. Now we may go to Gucci and spend like 1000 to 1500 on a shirt, sometimes maybe even more depending on what you're buying, like the silk materials can also get very expensive at these luxury brands. But somewhere like the real wheel has these things that are a fraction of the price. It is resale. So, this is stuff that has been Pre-Owned. But these things are authenticated, they're checked for the condition of the product. And you know, you could go probably get a Gucci blouse for 200 bucks. So, you're saving like 80% upwards of the costs. Also, consignment stores, which carry luxury items as well ranging from all the other brands I mentioned before. And then some consignment stores also carry luxury brands at a fraction of the price. So even though it's not necessarily the latest season's fashions you're getting, you are getting fashion at a fraction of the price, high fashion, the luxury brands that you've always dreamed of owning. In addition to sites like the real real There are also resale sites like grailed, which offer luxury streetwear brands. Some tips for shopping these websites is, you want to go in with the mindset of not just falling down the rabbit hole, because it's very easy to do especially with these online retail sites. Like if you have a certain look, you're trying to achieve maybe a certain type of runway look you're trying to recreate. Or maybe you just want that like head to toe drip of that luxury brand you always loved. And, you know, sometimes it can be a little bit of a hunt, certain things will sell out, but you can get on lists to get a notification on it like if it comes back in stock. They may not because it's resale, they may not always have something in your size like because, you know, these are resale sites. So, it's whatever one they managed to get from someone trying to sell. So, you know, you got to go in with a hunter's mentality.

Natalie  19:33  

I have another question. So, like, maybe you can't afford a whole head to toe designer look, right. But what if you decide to focus on one piece of the outfit, so maybe you choose to spend the money on the shoes, how can you dress the rest of the outfit up to match, you know the quality of the shoes and maybe that's the way to go.

Kris  19:56  

I'm a big big fan of the high low situation. Even in some of the work I've done as a stylist like placing sometimes luxury brands with slightly more affordable contemporary brands. But like above a mass market price point and even like you see wealthy people doing high low nowadays. I know people that pair Balenciaga pants with Topshop jackets and blouses so don't be afraid to go high low. You know if you want that one investment piece like maybe you have, you know your one designer bag that you saved up for, worked really hard for you to finally acquire and you know, you can pair that with looks that might be on trend like maybe denim skirts during this season, you could have your purse with a denim skirt and you also want to think about quality. So, you want to make sure like you're investing properly in like what you're wearing. So you want to make sure your fashion could last but you know, don't be afraid to pair like your 1200 dollar bag you save for with a skirt you may have found for $39.99 on the clearance rack. And one piece of advice I have for people that do want to acquire like quality fashions at an affordable price point, is listen, learn about when the sales are. Sales follow a schedule in retail. Like you've got the Nordstrom anniversary sale. Macy's does super super discounts on all the federal holidays, the Presidents Day Sale, New Year's and before Christmas. On luxury retail sites like essence.com which is a luxury streetwear website. They do up to 70% off twice a year to clear out their previous seasons inventory. And you know pieces that were going for, you know, sometimes up to a few thousand has been like slash down like 80% like under 1000. There is no shame in being a sale shopper. Learn when your department stores are having their sales, get friendly with your sales associates so they can tell you when the markdowns happen. So, you got to really build those You know client to sales associate relationships as well. Get on mailing lists, or websites that are doing sales. Don't be afraid to Thrift either. Thrifting has become very popular in the circular economy.

Natalie  22:00

  Can you think of some more affordable luxury brands that may be a little more inexpensive than others?

Kris  22:8

 When it comes to what will become luxury in the contemporary space… but in terms of what qualifies as a, maybe not necessarily things that might be at a luxury price point but things that are high fashion brand, this one brand stout, which has become very famous for their handbags. These are designer handbags; you see them all over Fashion Week and these bags are in the range of like 200 or so dollars. And handbags are always a very major investment for people like they’re things that last a while. A lot of the iconic ones definitely retain their value. For those of you lucky enough to get your hands on one of the Telfer shopping bags which has become referred to as the Brooklyn Birkin. that is a bag that can cost anywhere between 125 to a little more than 250. And the only problem is they sell out so quickly because they're a symbol of affordable luxury and the democratization of fashion. And the client base for Telfer has just grown so large. It's all about taking risks. When it comes to more affordable luxury brands, you're gonna have to take risks on certain designers that may not be as well known, but you know, they might be on their way. And these people definitely went to the same quality of design schools as these designers at these luxury brands. Well, I actually have one piece of advice that I swear by that I want to throw in for the listeners. Sample sales guys, for those of you in New York and Los Angeles, if you get a chance to go to sample sales, like a lot of big designer brands will have sample sales where things will be 80% off. Sometimes you can even get your hands on the runway pieces that never went to Production so that could be your one and only chance to get that piece you saw at New York Fashion Week or London Fashion Week or whatever. And companies like 260 sample sale, they have a few sample sales every month. You know, they’ve slowed down since the corona virus but now they're actually doing… for those of you outside in New York and Los Angeles area. They are doing online sample sales right now, a lot of companies. You also want to check for last sales of companies as well. Like I have some Cole Haan shoes 70% off at the Cole Haan flash sale and that was just like a red alert I got for 48 hours. Cole Haan flash sale. Um I wear a lot of Paul Smith, most of which I acquired at sample sales at a fraction of the price like 70 80% off. And I know chicme.com does a listing of sample sales in New York. And again because of the coronavirus pandemic, a lot of those Sample sales where you had to be a New York or LA resident. Now these brands are doing online sample sales. So, there's a chance for everyone across the US to get those luxury brand products at the 70 80% off sample prices. Okay, like, I swear by a good sample sale. I have no shame about this. I'm a proud luxury sample sales shopper. I've stood in line three hours for some sample sales. I am dedicated Okay.

Natalie25:30  

Oh, you not playin. That's so great. No, thank you so much, Christopher. I really appreciate you coming on the show. Again. We always love having you on fashionably tardy, and we can't wait for you to join the party again.

Kris25:47  

Always happy to join the party. Thank you very much, guys.

Lissa25:59  

Hey, guys. We're back with our second red carpet feature. And this young woman had a really strategic way of approaching fashion school, which led her to the career that she is currently in now.

Natalie26:11  

This is Paige Gilliland. She designs for Ralph Lauren, but there is so much more to Paige’s story. So, let's get started

Paige  26:27

When I was wrapping up at FIT, I had my associates and women's wear and then I have my bachelor's degree in fashion design but I specialized in children's wear because at fit when you go into your bachelor's degree and you're in design. You can choose from like different specializations. That's what they call them. So, they have like sportswear, they have evening wear, they have like intimate apparel, knit wear, children's wear. When I was going into my bachelor's degree I ended up choosing children's wear just because like honestly, it was kind of a Like a strategy choice for me because I knew that like, when once I graduated, a lot of people that I would be graduating with, would be wanting those like women's wear assistant designer positions or there's like sports wear designer positions. So, I knew that like that part of the industry was like extremely competitive. I enjoy fun colors I enjoy like graphics; I enjoy little mini knees and like all of that kind of stuff. So I might as well just like go into children's wear because also the job market for children's were at least at the time, it was like, really open and like it was like really competitive in terms of like pay, but not many people were like applying for those jobs. So, I kind of knew it going in, which I'm thankful for. Because then I mean, now I'm working at Ralph Lauren, like children's wear, so it’s kind of worked out in the end

Lissa  27:59  

based off the beginning of pages story. I'm not at all surprised that she chose such a strategic route in college. For her, a career in fashion was inevitable. I know there are so many people who can point back to that exact moment or that event that helped them to realize this is for me, but that's not Paige. She doesn't remember a time that she was not in love with the idea of becoming a designer. In fact, she was always coming up with creative ideas for clothing. She would take a skirt and accent it with a really cute belt and wear it as a shirt to school. When a woman at her church taught her how to sew Paige levelled up in her creativity. Once she got past the preliminary pajama pants and pillowcase. She was like let's go and she created her own homecoming dress.

Paige28:48

 The first thing that

I designed was actually it was like a homecoming dress. It was like a homecoming dress that I wore my sophomore year of homecoming and Yeah, I took like an old like bridesmaid's dress and then I like, tore it up and then like, kind of like used some of the pieces and I like, bought new fabric and I just kind of like, reimagined that dress into something else. And that was like, the first time that I, I felt super creatively in control, and I just felt really proud.

Natalie29:20  

I definitely see what you meant earlier, Lissa. Paige was determined to make her own homecoming dress and she succeeded. When she got to fit in New York. She just continued to work hard towards her dreams,

Lissa29:34  

girl. Yes. Okay, so you found her on LinkedIn. And that's where you found majority of the people were interviewing for this podcast. And Paige also really loves this platform because it's where she was able to market herself and ultimately, it's how she found her dream job where she is today.

Paige29:54  

So, I created like a LinkedIn profile. I think it was probably like my third year. of college. And I started heavily like using it though, my last year in college just trying to like, prepare like, beef up my resume, just kind of like see what jobs are out there because you know, your fourth year you're like about to graduate. So, I applied for Ralph Lauren. I think it was like maybe the end of my last year. No, the end of my third year at fit. I don't really know why I did that though, because I knew I wouldn't be able to start right away. I don't know why I did that. Honestly. I think maybe I just did it because I was like, I've never really applied for a job before. So, let's just like, see what it's like to do that. And obviously, I didn't really like hear anything. And then it was in March of my last year of college, they actually like an HR… or talent recruiter from Ralph Lauren reached out to me, and they were like, Are you still Interested in opportunities at Ralph Lauren? And I was like, Yes, of course. And by that time, I had been interviewing also with like a lot of different companies because I was just about to graduate. So, I was really excited that they reached out to me. And, you know, we went through the whole interview process and everything like that. I got to go into their headquarters on Madison Avenue and like interview with them in person. And yeah, just from there, like I got the job offer and it was like the best job that I was interviewing, interviewing for at the time. So that's how I came to work for Ralph Lauren.

Lissa31:39  

Okay, one more thing about LinkedIn. Did you hear what she said? She applied to this job even before she fully like beefed up her profile and made it extra great. And she did it her junior year of college. So, she was on their radar even months after she applied, and they reached out to her again. And meanwhile, she wasn't sitting back just waiting for this one opportunity. She was out there applying for other jobs and interviewing, which probably really helped her when she interviewed for Ralph Lauren, and I'm a current career advisor. And I'm listening to her story going, yes. I hope all of my students get this because it's so important to make your mark and to network as early as possible in college, because you never know who might just love what you are doing and keep your name on their radar.

Natalie32:33  

Yes, Lissa, I love all of pages determination, and all that hard work paid off, but she wasn't finished fighting for what she wants. But instead of employment, she was now fighting for clothes that she would love to see in circulation.

Paige32:48  

I think it was like a holiday season and there was a shirt that I really, really, really, really wanted like in the line. And a classic like relationship in fashion is designers and merchandisers. Because merchandisers always want like what's going to save us money? What's going to sell the best? Like what's going to cost the least that we can charge for? Which makes sense because it's like a business. And then designers always want what's new, what's fresh, what's trending, like what they feel very strongly about, like design wise and like, it's just funny. It's like a funny, like relationship that design and merchandisers have. But so, there was a shirt in the holiday season that I really really wanted. It was like kind of crazy… it had like, it was like a blue Oxford and it had like, different like patches on it of the different plaids that we were using in that season. And there was like some, like mending details and was just like a really like specific shirt. I don't know, thinking back. I'm like, I'm really surprised they actually let it go. But yeah, I fought for it so hard. There was a lot of challenges with that shirt as well. But it made it all the way to showroom and then it made it like into the stores and things so every time I see that shirt… and the moment that I saw that shirt in the store I was like, that's the shirt like that was like one of my first designs and also it was like one of the hardest things to fight for but it made it

Natalie34:18  

It’s one thing to see her work in stores. But Paige really loves when she's out and about either on the train or across the street from a young boy who sporting clothes that she knows she's designed. Sometimes she recalls the fight she had to put up like with the holiday shirt. But other times she cherishes the very special moments. Like when she sees really cute kids wearing her designs. And I'd have to agree with Paige. I love seeing my little cousin Jaden all dressed up in a really fly outfit.

Lissa34:52  

I agree. I love seeing little kids all dressed up and picking out clothes for them and one other aspect That page really values in her job is teamwork, which is very admirable because it's important to know how to collaborate with others. Okay, so can I get cheesy and say something along the lines of teamwork makes the dream work? Well, it's too late. But that's seriously what Paige values a lot in her job.

Paige35:21  

I love the people I work with. I feel so lucky. Honestly, like, I work with a small team of like, six people. It really makes the time fly and I just love Yeah, I just love the people I work with. We’re just  very close, inside jokes all the time. And it really makes the stress of like fashion… you don't always necessarily have to carry it yourself if like the team that you work with if you trust them and if you're close with them. So just like making good relationships with the people you work with is really important if you can

Lissa35:57  

a great team helps you feel like you belong in a workplace and really helps you feel like you're contributing to something bigger than you. And I bet it was this team that helped Paige through a time in her life where she was doubting whether she should even pursue a fashion career forever. Because she shared that so many of her friends were also wondering whether they made the right choices right after college. This doesn't just go for the fashion industry. So many professionals question what they're doing, especially at the beginning. I know for sure I did. These doubts often lead people to give up on their goals, but for Paige, these feelings only led her to cling more to her dreams.

Natalie36:40  

Paige is in the fashion industry for the long haul. And it's her hope that before she leaves, she's able to witness some much-needed changes, like with sustainability. And with more transparency in the production processes at workshops, we know page will go far and do some great things and the best part about it is that she will remain authentic through the entire journey. 

Paige  37:47  

Like I do like Ralph Lauren. I like the clothes I've learned a lot about the brand, but it really didn't affect the way that I dress the way that I talked. I feel like I'm the same person just with like new experiences and understanding

Lissa38:01  

Today's show would not be possible without our great red-carpet features Tony Vicente and Paige Gilliland. A special thank you to our stiletto Award nominee, Oggy Nikolova. Our team consists of Natalie Trevonne, creative director, me Lissa, lo, producer, sound engineer Auterey Weekes, and music producer Jeremy Jeffers, who's responsible for our podcasts intro and outro please stay in touch with us on social media. We would love to continue the conversation there. You can find us on Facebook, Instagram and Twitter @ftonthescene. Also, our new website fashionably tardy has launched and there you have the opportunity to join our mailing list and check out our podcasts and soon our articles. If you have any questions, feel free to email us at Hello at fashionably tardy dot com or give us a call or shoot us a text at 202-618-1708.

Natalie39:09  

All right, guys, well we

have to sign off. So, remember, we're not late.

Natalie & Lissa39:14  

We're fashionably tardy.

Transcribed by https://otter.ai