To introduce myself, my name is Nicole, and though I don’t consider myself a fashion guru, I have a lot of firsthand experience in the world of fashion. I have worked in retail since I was sixteen years old and now I am currently almost twenty-one. The past five years have taught me what goes into retail, everything I need to know about fashion shows and more. I want to tell you my story of how I got to where I am in the industry and share with you all of the wonderful experiences I’ve had in my five years.

When you think about your first job, I bet most of you don’t imagine being there almost five years later. Well in my case, when I was offered my first job I thought it would last me through high school and then I would move on to something different. That wasn’t the case. In 2009, as a junior in high school, I started my first job at TT New York as a model. It was the dream job, surrounding myself with beautiful dresses every day. Not to mention my job was standing outside of the store in a gorgeous prom dress saying hello to everyone walking by. What teenage girl wouldn’t love that job?!

Fast forward a couple months and I got promoted to work inside the store as a sales associate. It was a big deal for me, considering most of my friends at the time either didn’t have a job, or worked in fast food like normal 16 year olds. But not me, I had higher expectations for myself. For the remainder of high school, I worked at TT New York selling dresses to everyone from prom girls to mother of the brides. Right after graduation, I again got promoted to key holder, which meant I was allowed to open and close the store. I loved receiving more responsibility. When most people rush off to college after graduation, I decided to hold back a year. But I didn’t sit home and do nothing in that time. I picked up more hours at work and eventually started working at multiple locations for TT New York. Seeing myself make hard earned money became addicting and I wanted more. Any extra shifts I would snatch up and I never called off. I love to consume myself in my work, and I loved knowing I was succeeding. Now it is almost 2014 and I am currently the Marketing Assistant in the Corporate Office as well as the manager at one of our locations. The things I have accomplished while working for TT New York made me the person I am today. I am extremely driven and don’t see myself slowing down anytime soon. Since I graduated high school, I have been working full time every week. If I have less than five days of work a week, I don’t know what to do with myself. Maybe I am stretching the truth a little bit, of course I love having days off to spend with my friends and to go on vacation, who doesn’t! I can only see myself growing as the years go on, and I am excited to see where I will be in a year from now. The opportunities I have received in the past four years are beyond my wildest dreams. Most twenty year olds aren’t managing their own store as well as working in the corporate office. In my mind, I have achieved so much more than I ever thought I would working for TT New York. I can say with confidence that working at TT New York has completely changed my life.

I know I don’t work at Vogue, or live in New York City where fashion is everything, but I believe that I can relate to many young females as well as many other people. I am a simple girl fulfilling her dream in the fashion industry and I want to share my experiences and thoughts with you. I hope you enjoy!  xoxo