A Year Later | Fashion, Farming and Everything In Between
Let's just take it back to this time last year..
I flew to London on the 30th of July 2016, I spent a few days house hunting and a week or two applying for various jobs and internships. I then got offered an internship at the Gareth Pugh Studio for the run up to London Fashion Week, working on the SS17 collection.
Check out that experience in more detail here: London Fashion Week at the Gareth Pugh Studio
This was an incredible experience. It was amazing to have such a hands-on experience with the collection and getting to be so involved with the final pieces.
After London Fashion Week, I returned home, completely broke but with a sense of achievement and another invaluable internship to add to the list. Following my internship at Gareth Pugh, the Studio Manager connected me with a designer she previously interned with in Dublin: Alison Conneely.
Alison Conneely is a Dublin based, designer and stylist. She welcomed me with open arms to her team, but not only that, she was so incredibly understanding and flexible, as at this point I was living at home in Leitrim (North West of Ireland, for any of you who have never heard of it) so I was unable to intern for her everyday. So from early October, I began to commute with my aunt on her tri-weekly journey from Leitrim. We would leave home at 4.30am on Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays, arriving in Dublin at approximately 6.30am. At this point, my aunt would get straight to work, I would sleep in the car for an hour or so and then make my way to the studio. We would leave Dublin at 5.30pm, making it home somewhere between 8 and 9pm, depending on traffic. Don't know how my aunt is still doing it, and she has to do the driving as well!
While working with Alison, I assisted her with her commissioned collection/exhibition 'The Shuttle Hive' for The National Museum of Ireland, Decorative Arts and History. This was an amazing experience, learning so much about the curation and installation of an exhibition along with the fashion studio elements too.
So as I've said, Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays, I was interning with Alison in Dublin, but as for the other four days of the week... they were probably not what you'd expect. At this point, my brother and his wife-to-be had moved to Scotland for work, which meant my father and grandfather were left to keep the farm going. After a bit of convincing and some wage negotiations, I agreed to help them out on the farm on Tuesdays, Thursdays, Saturdays and Sundays, a typical day beginning at 6.30am and finishing at about 9pm. Believe it or not, I'm well fit to throw on a pair of wellies and get stuck in, it just may not be something I'd want to do for the rest of my life. So this was my routine, from October to March, seven days a week... let's just say I was a tad tired.
As well as working on Alison's exhibition, I also had the opportunity to assist her on various styling jobs, from a RSA Car Crash TV advertisement, to a hair salon feature and even our own feature in the Sunday Independent's LIFE magazine for the exhibition 'The Shuttle Hive'.
As all of this was going on, I had planned to take a weekend off in January to visit Katie in Paris, while she was undergoing her final year of Fashion Design at Parsons, when she suggested I come for the week and help out in the ROKSANDA showroom (where she previously worked)!
Katie then connected me with the ROKSANDA sales team, and after having a Skype interview (whilst on shoot for the aforementioned car crash tv advert) I got offered the week long internship at the showroom in Paris.
The week finally arrived and I made sure to take in as many of the sights as possible as well enjoying my time in showroom. It was an incredible week with an absolutely amazing team, and talks were underway for the possibility of me to return for another sales week in March.
Check it out here: 10 days in Paris | ROKSANDA Showroom
After the week in Paris, I went back to Ireland, to my crazy internship/farming routine. In February, I offered to go back to London, to intern at Gareth Pugh for the week before the London Fashion Week show. By this stage, I had also offered to help out at the ROKSANDA show on Monday, as the Gareth Pugh show was on Saturday, so the timing was perfect. I had also been offered an interview for the position of Office Manager at ROKSANDA, which had been scheduled for the day after the show.
It was so nice to be back at the Gareth Pugh Studio, it kinda felt like I had never left. With five days to go to the show, it was mental! Everything was coming together, models were being casted, pieces were being finished and the adrenaline was high.
After an amazing show at an incredible venue with Gareth Pugh, I then went onto help with front of house at the ROKSANDA show on Monday. With the incredible Michael Nyman playing piano throughout, it really was a stunning show.
The day after the show, I had the interview which went pretty well and before heading to the airport, I passed by the opening of Burberry's Maker's House where I met the sensational Christopher Bailey, CEO of Burberry.
Check it out here: 8 Days in London | Fashion Week
I returned to Ireland for another few weeks of farming and interning, followed by another week back in Paris in March with the ROKSANDA sales teams for the AW17 sales week.
Half way through the week, I had a second interview with the CEO where I got offered the position of Office Manager, in the head office in London. I couldn't believe it, I was over the moon. As I said at the beginning, everything happens for a reason and if I had to have stayed in London last summer and took whatever job I could find, I never would have been able to afford to travel to Paris for the two sales weeks, I never would have been able to intern for ROKSANDA and I never would have got put forward for the position of Office Manager. If I hadn't have interned for Gareth Pugh, I probably never would have got the opportunity to intern for Alison Conneely back in Ireland. If I hadn't farmed four days week, whilst interning three, I never would have been able to afford to travel to Paris twice and London once at the start of this year.
Check it out here: Paris & London | A Month of Madness
I went back to Ireland after the week in Paris and began the house hunt, the packing and the goodbyes. In the middle of my last three weeks in Ireland, the company flew me over to London, to help out at an Embroidery Sample Sale on Mount St., which was a great experience to get to see another side of the company before starting the role.
I came back to Ireland, met up with most of my friends and had a few family gatherings before flying on the 31st of March, moving into my new place on the 1st of April and starting working on Monday the 3rd.
Three months into the job, I got to travel with the sales team, once again to Paris for another sales week, this time obviously as a paid employee, making it all the more enjoyable.
Words don't describe how grateful I am for all of these opportunities and to be working for a such a recognisable and successful brand.
...and here I am, my fifth month in the job, I really wanted to take this opportunity to reflect on the last twelve months. It has been an absolute whirlwind and I'd be lying if I said I couldn't do with a holiday, but I'm still absolutely loving every day of work, which is something I always aspired to be able to say. Thanks so much to everyone who has helped me along the way, you know who you are.
I had just moved to London, with a one way flight and a few days booked in an Airbnb. I didn't have any long term accommodation or work arranged, no real plan, I had just decided I'd take a chance. I can safely say that taking that chance has led to every single opportunity, that I've had in the last year.
~ everything happens for a reason ~
I flew to London on the 30th of July 2016, I spent a few days house hunting and a week or two applying for various jobs and internships. I then got offered an internship at the Gareth Pugh Studio for the run up to London Fashion Week, working on the SS17 collection.
Check out that experience in more detail here: London Fashion Week at the Gareth Pugh Studio
This was an incredible experience. It was amazing to have such a hands-on experience with the collection and getting to be so involved with the final pieces.
After London Fashion Week, I returned home, completely broke but with a sense of achievement and another invaluable internship to add to the list. Following my internship at Gareth Pugh, the Studio Manager connected me with a designer she previously interned with in Dublin: Alison Conneely.
Alison Conneely is a Dublin based, designer and stylist. She welcomed me with open arms to her team, but not only that, she was so incredibly understanding and flexible, as at this point I was living at home in Leitrim (North West of Ireland, for any of you who have never heard of it) so I was unable to intern for her everyday. So from early October, I began to commute with my aunt on her tri-weekly journey from Leitrim. We would leave home at 4.30am on Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays, arriving in Dublin at approximately 6.30am. At this point, my aunt would get straight to work, I would sleep in the car for an hour or so and then make my way to the studio. We would leave Dublin at 5.30pm, making it home somewhere between 8 and 9pm, depending on traffic. Don't know how my aunt is still doing it, and she has to do the driving as well!
While working with Alison, I assisted her with her commissioned collection/exhibition 'The Shuttle Hive' for The National Museum of Ireland, Decorative Arts and History. This was an amazing experience, learning so much about the curation and installation of an exhibition along with the fashion studio elements too.
So as I've said, Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays, I was interning with Alison in Dublin, but as for the other four days of the week... they were probably not what you'd expect. At this point, my brother and his wife-to-be had moved to Scotland for work, which meant my father and grandfather were left to keep the farm going. After a bit of convincing and some wage negotiations, I agreed to help them out on the farm on Tuesdays, Thursdays, Saturdays and Sundays, a typical day beginning at 6.30am and finishing at about 9pm. Believe it or not, I'm well fit to throw on a pair of wellies and get stuck in, it just may not be something I'd want to do for the rest of my life. So this was my routine, from October to March, seven days a week... let's just say I was a tad tired.
As well as working on Alison's exhibition, I also had the opportunity to assist her on various styling jobs, from a RSA Car Crash TV advertisement, to a hair salon feature and even our own feature in the Sunday Independent's LIFE magazine for the exhibition 'The Shuttle Hive'.
As all of this was going on, I had planned to take a weekend off in January to visit Katie in Paris, while she was undergoing her final year of Fashion Design at Parsons, when she suggested I come for the week and help out in the ROKSANDA showroom (where she previously worked)!
Katie then connected me with the ROKSANDA sales team, and after having a Skype interview (whilst on shoot for the aforementioned car crash tv advert) I got offered the week long internship at the showroom in Paris.
The week finally arrived and I made sure to take in as many of the sights as possible as well enjoying my time in showroom. It was an incredible week with an absolutely amazing team, and talks were underway for the possibility of me to return for another sales week in March.
Check it out here: 10 days in Paris | ROKSANDA Showroom
After the week in Paris, I went back to Ireland, to my crazy internship/farming routine. In February, I offered to go back to London, to intern at Gareth Pugh for the week before the London Fashion Week show. By this stage, I had also offered to help out at the ROKSANDA show on Monday, as the Gareth Pugh show was on Saturday, so the timing was perfect. I had also been offered an interview for the position of Office Manager at ROKSANDA, which had been scheduled for the day after the show.
It was so nice to be back at the Gareth Pugh Studio, it kinda felt like I had never left. With five days to go to the show, it was mental! Everything was coming together, models were being casted, pieces were being finished and the adrenaline was high.
After an amazing show at an incredible venue with Gareth Pugh, I then went onto help with front of house at the ROKSANDA show on Monday. With the incredible Michael Nyman playing piano throughout, it really was a stunning show.
The day after the show, I had the interview which went pretty well and before heading to the airport, I passed by the opening of Burberry's Maker's House where I met the sensational Christopher Bailey, CEO of Burberry.
Check it out here: 8 Days in London | Fashion Week
I returned to Ireland for another few weeks of farming and interning, followed by another week back in Paris in March with the ROKSANDA sales teams for the AW17 sales week.
Half way through the week, I had a second interview with the CEO where I got offered the position of Office Manager, in the head office in London. I couldn't believe it, I was over the moon. As I said at the beginning, everything happens for a reason and if I had to have stayed in London last summer and took whatever job I could find, I never would have been able to afford to travel to Paris for the two sales weeks, I never would have been able to intern for ROKSANDA and I never would have got put forward for the position of Office Manager. If I hadn't have interned for Gareth Pugh, I probably never would have got the opportunity to intern for Alison Conneely back in Ireland. If I hadn't farmed four days week, whilst interning three, I never would have been able to afford to travel to Paris twice and London once at the start of this year.
Check it out here: Paris & London | A Month of Madness
I went back to Ireland after the week in Paris and began the house hunt, the packing and the goodbyes. In the middle of my last three weeks in Ireland, the company flew me over to London, to help out at an Embroidery Sample Sale on Mount St., which was a great experience to get to see another side of the company before starting the role.
I came back to Ireland, met up with most of my friends and had a few family gatherings before flying on the 31st of March, moving into my new place on the 1st of April and starting working on Monday the 3rd.
Three months into the job, I got to travel with the sales team, once again to Paris for another sales week, this time obviously as a paid employee, making it all the more enjoyable.
Words don't describe how grateful I am for all of these opportunities and to be working for a such a recognisable and successful brand.
...and here I am, my fifth month in the job, I really wanted to take this opportunity to reflect on the last twelve months. It has been an absolute whirlwind and I'd be lying if I said I couldn't do with a holiday, but I'm still absolutely loving every day of work, which is something I always aspired to be able to say. Thanks so much to everyone who has helped me along the way, you know who you are.
"Love what you do; do what you love" - Wayne W. Dyer
"If you do what you love, you'll never work a day in your life" - Marc Anthony
"The only way to do great work, is to love what do you do. If you haven't found it, keep looking. Don't settle" - Steve Jobs
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| New Favourite Place in London - Primrose Hill |
Thanks,
Barry
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