I had lofty expectations about Teen Vogue Fashion University, as it is quite highly regarded in the blogosphere arena, so when I walked through the double doors of the first TVFU event, heels and fur to the nines, (March in New York was bone chilling) I was expecting all the bells and whistles. And let me tell you, TVFU 2015 exceeded my expectations by far. "Teen Vogue Fashion University, is a weekend of fashion education for the next generation of Anna Wintour's, Grace Coddington's and Eva Chen's." Accepted students attended classes and seminars taught by the fashion industry's brightest and most successful professionals, at the Teen Vogue headquarters in New York City. Students were able to gain connections by networking with other students, Teen Vogue editors, staff and industry speakers.
500 students were selected from around the world to attend a three day seminar at One World Trade Center in the Condé Nast offices. Fashion crazed boys and girls “ood” and “awed" as we were shuffled from room to room, and were entranced after listening to high profile and very influential speakers; of course, none with less than 240,000 followers on Instagram.
A major part of the TVFU experience was networking. Fresh glossy business cards were thrown at you wherever you went, as eager fashion connoisseurs were thirsty to connect and get that much closer to their dream careers. I met some amazing people, and felt extremely lucky to connect with teens who had very similar and very different interests within the fashion arena.
I was accepted to the Design and Styling major and listened to talks from Zac Posen, Rebecca Minkoff, Jodi Snyder, Vashtie Kola, Micaela Erlanger, and Erik Torstensson. I was also able to interact and gain advice from the Teen Vogue editors, Amy Astley, Marina Larroudé Elaine Welteroth, Andrew Bevan and Drew Elovitz.
Andrew Bevan
Marina Larroudé
Jodi Snyder from DaniJo
We started with the kickoff event at Express in Times Square. I swooned and just about fainted when I caught glimpse of the lovely Andrew Bevan (style/features director) and the wonderful Jessica Minkoff (senior fashion market and accessories editor) who were greeting attendee’s at the door. I got a chance to chat with Mr. Bevan himself, and I have to say, he’s just as rad (this word describes him well) and personable, if not more, as he is in his interview’s in the magazine.
The kickoff party featured a Photo Booth that created flipbook’s, an eyelash and flash tattoo bar, and a 25% off discount to Express. To top it off, the event was dj’d by Chelsea Leyland, who has clientele from Burberry to Valentino to Chancel. At the end of the party, I spoke with Elane Welterroth, Teen Vogue’s Beauty and Health Director. She was incredibly down to earth, and even complimented my outfit. To say the least, it was an incredible first day and I could not wait to see what the next day’s had in store.
The next two days consisted of seminars with some of my fashion icon’s.
The night ended with an editors panel, where the editors answered questions, told their stories of how they came to be, and gave advice on how to make it in the industry. I spoke with Marina Larroudé (fashion accessories editor and a personal icon of mine) who gave me insight on how to differentiate myself through social media in the fashion industry.
The last day was graduation, as well as listening to the keynote speaker, Zac Posen!!
Advice for TVFU: network, network, network. Don't be afraid to raise your voice. Ask questions, because you are there to learn and have fun! Who know's, you might even be able to land yourself an internship after your weekend at TVFU.
