After graduating from Oxford University this summer, I was unsure which direction I wanted to take in my career plans. I was keen to work in fashion retail and PR, and thought that finding an internship would give me the experience I needed to help me move into this industry.

Within a few days of signing up with WEXO, I found an internship with Claudia Bradby Ltd, a luxury jewellery business based in Hampshire. The business is small but expanding, and was looking for a PR and Marketing intern to help them move forward – particularly in their use of social media.

After my interview I was offered the internship on the STEP scheme at £250 per week, and within a few days I started work. From my first week I was given real responsibility; I took over the business’s Twitter account, and was able to make suggestions and changes as to how the company used social media, which in turn soon brought increased traffic to the website.
I also was given other responsibilities across different aspects of the company. Before long I was not only responsible for Twitter, Facebook and the company’s blog, but was processing wholesale and retail orders, updating and controlling the website, and liaising with customers and stockists – including John Lewis.

I’ve got used to producing weekly analytical reports on the website, highlighting successful points and also areas for improvement. In terms of Marketing and PR plans, I’ve been able to have a real impact on the business by approaching influential bloggers and the press, and even working with the Royal British Legion on the Poppy Friendship Bracelet the company has produced to raise funds for the Poppy Appeal.

This internship has given me a huge amount of experience of retail and PR, and has provided me with opportunities I would never have otherwise had. For example, I was lucky enough to attend a workshop with M&C Saatchi’s, which both exciting and enlightening.

WEXO have supported me throughout my time at Claudia Bradby Jewellery; by advising me before and after the interview and keeping in touch, they have made sure that I have made the most of my experience. However my career progresses from here, I know that this internship has given me invaluable skills and experience for the future.

Camilla

This paid internship was facilitated by STEP – the UK’s leading placement programme for students and recent graduates (originally set up and sponsored by Shell UK). WEXO is an Associate Partner and delivers the full suite of STEP placement programmes, administering the student/graduate training allowance, saving host businesses the burden of time and paperwork…

When I arrived in London, after graduating from Newcastle, I was a little unsure of what career path to take. But after successfully completing a business training course I stumbled across WEXO. WEXO are not like any other recruitment agency. They took a genuine interest in me as an individual and offered some great advice and support. Most importantly they helped me find an internship at MiH Jeans. I interned for three months before being offered a permanent position back in April.

I work on the UK Sales team which is something I would have never imagined doing when I graduated. MiH Jeans has been an adventure from the moment I started and has grown massively as a brand. Because it is still a relatively new company which is evolving everyday there is always something exciting going on.

My daily responsibilities are constantly changing but here is an example of some of my daily tasks:

• Responsible for Koodos- sending out ordered jeans through Parcelforce and replenishing stock levels
• Ordering up Jeans from the warehouse for the Sales and PR teams
• Helping organise and potentially being in charge of future sample sales
• Taking part in Sales visits- being aware of their current and previous orders and taking any relevant press information
• Filling out marketing research questionnaires for stockists to help with future marketing and sales ideas.
• Checking in returns and organising for these to be sent down to the warehouse with correct packing lists which will then be filed here.
• Accounts

Throughout my time I have slowly been given more responsibility and I now work directly with the buyers. this is great experience as it has given me the chance to make a name for myself in the industry whilst building relationships with the buyers.

The team at MiH Jeans are all hugely passionate about the brand and this didn’t take long to rub off on me which makes it a much more enjoyable place to work as everyone is eager to see the brand succeed.

MiH Jeans has been a fantastic opportunity for me as it has opened my eyes to a role I would have never considered before and this is all thanks to the help and support of WEXO. I can’t thank you enough.

Nicola Tulloch

Last year, we gave one of our members the chance to grab an exclusive seat at Vogue UK’s biannual trend talk. The one and only Emily Zak (of our “How I Made It In Fashion” event panel) gave out the inspiring chestnuts of fashion know-how that will be driving all the major trends this spring. Take a look at Tamsin’s guest post on the event below, and remember: you heard it here first!

So what is in store for Spring/Summer 2011? Vogue’s Emily Zak presented an overview from the collections highlighting the key trends for the coming season.

The spring/summer 2011 catwalks were dominated by a storm of COLOUR, as opulent tones, worn in daringly clashing blocks, emerged across designers’ collections. See Gucci, below on the left.

Another key look for the season is SPORTS WEAR. Sleek, well-cut and modern looks with a glamorous edge shone through for S/S as seen (above, right) in Isabel Marant’s collection above. Whether it is just focussing on details such as zips, racer backs and hi-tech fabrics this trend is accessible for all.

As an alternative to the camel tones worn throughout the Autumn, NUDE fabrics will be a big feature this spring. Soft and gentle tones in both delicate and tough fabrics will provide a chic alternative to the season’s brighter colours, as seen in Chloe’s S/S collection below.

As in previous seasons, DENIM is not going anywhere. However, rather than skinny jeans it will be all about loose fitting, low slung cuts best worn belted. (See Elie Tahari S/S below).

Contrasting from previous seasons soft and floaty whites, this season embodies precision TAILORING. Sharp crisp well cut pieces as seen in the LiLee show above require few accessories to complete the effortlessly tailored look.

Beautiful deep BLUES and zesty ORANGES make a significant appearance this Spring. Eye-catching soft silks and satins in various shapes and forms light up the collections as seen in Matthew Williamson and Fendi below.

Tamsin Vaughan

all images © Vogue.co.uk

“Read. See. Expand“: that’s how you’ll get somewhere in fashion. And no, these aren’t my own words (I’m no fashion career expert, and certainly not the kind of girl to quote herself. Yet). They come from Emily Zak, Vogue’s Retail Editor, during her address at the WEXO-sponsored LSE Fashion Society career event last night.

So in case you’re confused, this week’s blog is a bit of a departure from the norm. Last night our offices at WEXO Towers were inundated with well-dressed hordes of LSE fashionistas eager to learn from five guest speakers. Our stylish and incredibly experienced panel included: Chloe Lonsdale, founder of MiH Jeans; Kinvara Balfour, fashion writer and London Editor of Daily Candy.com; Austique’s co-founder Katie Canvin; and Ruby Dhillon, manager of Gucci fragrances at Procter & Gamble.

Needless to say, we found ourselves in the company of some pretty driven and well-connected women.

When I wasn’t furiously flooding the WEXO twitter account with event tweets, I drew on five different routes to success that our guests highlighted:

1. Experience is everything. Put in the work at internships and placements, and you will be rewarded.
2. An artistic and culturally-aware approach will get you far. If references to ‘A Love Story’, the history of French couture houses and the difference between raglan and dolman sleeves are lost on you, you need to read more. All the fine details are magnified when it comes to a feel for and knowledge of fashion.
3. Starting a fashion company needs a business-savvy approach. Now that sounds almost redundant and obvious, but meticulous planning can hardly be stressed enough.
4. An opportunity to get your foot in the door may spring up at any point. Always be prepared, and don’t forget about the importance of nearby, untapped contacts.
5. A strong work ethic and passion to succeed in any enterprise will be invaluable in fashion. If you’re resilient, this is the industry for you.

Wow. Fashion and the military seem to have more in common than autumn’s trends of olive-green parkas and utilitarian detailing, huh? Persistence is key to making it in fashion, so we thought we’d help point you in the right direction towards building up your style knowledge. Our panel suggest checking out blogs from the Coolhunter, Jak & Jil, Garance Doré, Nowness, Fifi Lapin and of course Vogue.com. In their view, blogs are a new and exciting platform for fashion, but still can’t quite match the reach and presence of good old-fashioned print magazines.

Got more questions of your own for our panel? We’ll be collating them here in the comments section, or on the wall our Facebook fan page. Here’s your chance to unleash any burning questions of the fashion sort. We’ll also be posting video footage from the night soon, so keep your eyes peeled!

Overall if I learned anything last night it’s that hard work and a refusal to fail will be the perfect ingredients for anyone looking to break into the industry. On that note, forward march!

Tshepo Mokoena

Photos courtesy of Chu Ting Ng at TheQualified blog.

Often the majority of graduates struggle to find suitable internships or work experience placements straight out of university: this was my task. Luckily my career path was pretty clear to me, since I was keen to pursue a career in marketing.

After graduating from University in 2008 with a psychology degree and a Masters in marketing, I started searching for marketing internship roles which would help me to develop new skills. I spent hours calling companies, sending CVs, searching on Google and joining job agencies, which became both exhausting and frustrating. After numerous attempts and disappointing results, I started to worry about my future. My dedication and desire to find an internship was starting to wear off. I later spoke to a friend who introduced me to WEXO.

He revealed that his girlfriend had used it to find work and I thought to myself “why not?”. So I paid the £10 fee and applied for several companies. Within less than a week I’d received an email from a fashion company called Chris & Tibor.

Finally I was getting somewhere! I went for an interview and was offered the job. Working for Chris & Tibor was incredible. I felt right at home with people who were genuinely nice and allowed me to express myself. Plus, the internship was a hands-on experience: I was often given different responsibilities and the chance to do diverse roles, from online marketing research to collecting relevant data for office use. Everything about the internship was marketing-related, and gave me a realistic preview of my field of interest.

Working for Chris & Tibor helped me to acquire the skills and knowledge which are important for everyday work. I got the chance to experience the different roles that are involved in marketing and feel that I am better prepared to enter the world of work after this experience. This internship is one element of my overall success and I would describe it to other students as rewarding.

Thanks to WEXO I was able to find the role: without them I would most likely still be phoning companies, sending CVs and joining job agencies with zero results. I would highly recommended WEXO because you can get firsthand experience within companies, complete with rewarding responsibilities and challenges. The experience was a thrill and also satisfying.

Jadeed Boyi

I’m looking for a job in fashion editorial, it can hardly be said I’ve taken the easy route. What girl doesn’t want to work for Vogue. But since I’m far from well connected, and during a recession? I have to be mental. After graduating this June from Sussex with a 2:1 in Philosophy and English, I have nevertheless been trying to carve out the beginnings of my longed-for career in fashion.

I find it hard to believe the help and lucky breaks I’ve had through WEXO; at times I’ve had to pinch myself. I first spotted them on a Google ad and followed the link, but when I realised it was £10 to apply, I have to admit I was put off. I talked about all the amazing opportunities on there with my boyfriend and he said it was definitely worth it. I knew there’s no way I could get to those high profile companies otherwise – they must get hundreds of phone calls. This would be a great way of getting noticed.

So I did, and it’s like having a well connected uncle in just about every industry. I even met the boys working at WEXO (nice guys) and they pointed out to me a placement with women’s lifestyle website, Toptips.com. Although it wasn’t directly fashion related, it was Editorial experience and would look great on my CV. Plus, I just hate being out of work – I would much rather be out there learning new things and making connections than waiting for replies to applications that never come.

I was working under the Founding Editor of the website, Kate Reardon, who also, just so happens to be the Contributing Editor of Vanity Fair. On my first day I was obviously nervous, but she was lovely, even taking me out for lunch. I went on to realise that the ‘Christa’ who shared the office with us was none other than Christa D’Souza, one of my personal heroes and Contributing Editor of Vogue! Only a few months ago I actually cried when my boyfriend’s mum recycled the Vogue ‘Body Special’ with a fantastic article by Christa as the centre piece. It was such a help to talk to them both about my career and learn a million exciting things about theirs.

But my best work experience experience so far has to be one morning when Christa had popped out and I was editing the site for Kate. Christa called to say she’d forgotten her notes for a speech she was giving and asked if I would mind jumping in a cab and bringing them to her at Louis Vuitton. I didn’t need to think about it, I was out of my seat and in the cab before I hung up the phone. I ended up helping her work on the speech that afternoon with none other than Kim Hersov, Editor-at-Large of Harpers Bazaar! I was mixing with Louis Vuitton’s top buyers while Vuitton-clad models milled around – around me, a scruffy little intern (with a big grin). My worst work experience experience? Cleaning a dirty wall. The life of an intern is full of ups and downs!

Ruth Gibbs