Julie Gilhart and Simon Collins? Top Fashion Tips

Posted by Bengtsson on August 5th, 2015

If you’re trying to make it in fashion, an hour of conversation with Julie Gilhart or Simons Collins goes a long way. Gilhart, with her background in buying and her successful consulting business, and Collins, who led Parsons as its dean for seven years, have a combined set of experiences that make them near ideal candidates for doling out advice—something they each did so much on their own time, they decided to make a free event out of it. Called Fashion Garage, the inaugural conversation kicked off last night, attended by so many curious minds that a second room with a live-stream of the talk had to be set up.

Students, entrepreneurs, and designers dotted the audience, asking questions that ranged from the importance of advertising sustainability—“You always have to lead with good product. Sustainable product doesn’t mean anything if it’s not good,” mused Gilhart—to the ins and outs of budgeting as a young designer. The overarching message quickly became clear: Know who you are and what your skills are, and turn that into the story that will pave the way to your success. Easier said than done, no doubt, but an important message to a new generation of designers and business owners who are flooded with the seeming success stories of their young peers. (“Everyone thinks they’re successful because they get loads of PR, and that’s not success particularly,” remarked Collins.)

Throughout several questions, Gilhart and Collins reinforced that consistency and uniqueness are key to getting one’s brand noticed by buyers, editors, and consumers. “I think today you have to be really authentic, to tell you the truth, and supersmart. We have way too much communication. It’s so easy to have access to everything, so what’s going to attract [someone to your brand]? What’s your point of difference? What do you own that nobody else owns?” offered Gilhart. “That’s a really important question to ask, and that’s something that’s your gold.” Turning that “gold” into a message that resonates with buyers and consumers is the real mission. “You definitely need to have a great story and you definitely need to be able to communicate that story,” began Collins, adding later in the evening, “If everything is on message—you hear about this, it’s a terrible term, but everything’s on-brand for who you are as a person and who you are as a brand, then you have the opportunity of continuing the dialogue.”

On top of the hard work and continued authenticity required, Collins also shared his most pertinent piece of advice ever: “I’ve given lots of speeches in my time and that’s probably the best advice I’ve ever given to anyone: Be nice. And the best news—this is a secret, right?—most people aren’t.”

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