Monday, July 16, 2012

My summer includes FW Fashion Camp

Wow, how fast time flies,  I hope everyone is having an amazing summer!

My last couple of months have been busy busy busy, which is a great thing.   I have, however, realized how difficult it is to keep up with everything from working full-time, being newly married (and trying to be as domestic as possible!) and continuing to be inspired to make my feather accessories.  I admit, I have to try harder to fit everything in, including being consistent with this blog!

Swag Barn is going really well, lots of brides wearing my hair pieces and veils this summer.  I've even made flower girl halos, boutonnieres, corsages and tea party fascinators which all turned out great!  Check out my most recent photos!

This past weekend I had the opportunity to participate in Fashion Weekly's Fashion Camp 2012.  The magazine partnered with George Brown College in Toronto to offer this great course for fashionistas (or wannabe fashionistas like myself) to gain some inside knowledge into the fashion industry.

There were some great speakers at the event that provided some major insight into the huge world of fashion.  Speakers included:

Aya McMillan, Editorial Director of Glam Media Canada
Christine Lu, Social Media Expert from Edelman Public Relations
Amanda and Jody from Plutino Group, artist management agency
Mark D'Orofino, owner of Cocoa Jewelry
Asif Husain, Director of Business Intelligence at Comark Inc.
Milos Vranesevic, World MasterCard Toronto Fashion Week
Mehreen Hussein, Photographer and publisher of Fashion Series
Angie Smith, Fashion Producer with The Marilyn Denis Show and Entertainment Tonight Canada
Amina Said, PR expert with eluxe.ca


My group presenting our Madamoiselle Fatale lingerie company (that's me trying to look fashionable on the far left!)  Photo courtesy of www.mehreenhussein.ca. 

Christine Lu advised to use social media to it's fullest potential.  I've just recently joined the "twitter world" and have started to network even more.  Check me out!  @swag_barn

Angie Smith was great and I was happy to learn that she shops at Target too!  She rocked an amazing dress and noted that she was a "high/low" shopper, my kind of girl!

I was really happy to meet some fabulous aspiring fashion gurus, including wardrobe and fashion stylist Ashley Galang and blogger Sarah Monaco.  Check out Sarah's website and follow her at @ibleedfashionxx!  I hope to cross paths with these girls some time in the future.

The most important thing I realized from Fashion Camp is -- it's not what you know, it's who you know.   Not only does this apply to the fashion world but in any career, you have to network and create relationships if you want to get anywhere!

I also took this suggestion to heart from Aya McMillan "Dress for the job you want, not the job you have." - genius!  I'm gonna start dressing like Lady Gaga from now on, lol.

Until next time!

C