Throughout my time being a student it has been emotional, it has had its ups and downs. Every time I have been faced with a downward spiral of mixed emotions, I go back to the days, that I was lucky enough to be able to meet some amazing people within the industry.
One stood out for me, The President of Michael Kors Canada, Debra Margles.
 |
| Kylene Ryan And Debra Margles |
She is the first woman, that I have meet in the fashion industry, with such a high title.
She held the attention of the audience, with her speech and insight in the industry, it reassured me why I have chosen this field. With what she expressed, how she expressed it, and things she has done through out her career. That made no sense to her at the time, but in the end the outcome from these experiences help her to gained knowledge, and better herself in her career.
She mentioned that she was never interested in school, until she found something she was passionate about. Form this I was able to see once you find your passion, and your place in life, it opens a lot of doors. It makes you fell amazing about yourself, and you give everything your all, when it comes to school and/or your career.
She talked about dressing for success, first impressions matter, dress up and stand out. She went out got a new suite outfit, wore it to an interview and she got the job. She kept wearing this suite to work, and was told "you got the job". She was told that she did not need to continue to wear it, but this was her "only suite" she had to wear.
Another thing she mentioned about dressing to impress, she likes to keep things "classic and simple", yet stylish and sophisticated, she keeps to her "black" attire and sometimes she will add in some "navy blue". When it comes to your attire, dress in what makes you feel comfortable and at your best, but just make sure that it fits into where you will be working. You might have to tweak things, maybe by adding bold statement pieces in the form of accessories, or one bold piece of clothing while keeping the rest softer. Just never forget to be true to who you are, and keep it professional.
It was an enlightening story, because one might only thing they get a job by their experiences and how their CV is presented. Yes this is part of the equations, the other part is, how your dressed, if you look the part or not, and your personality. So do not forget about the whole package, it's not just the paper that counts, its you too.
She talked about how she climbed the corporate ladder, and things did not happen over night. She worked hard to get where she is today, and she said that it takes time and patiences. It took her many years and a lot of different jobs to get where she is, but she did not give up.
She spoke about how it is important to surround yourself with positive people, who build you up and not put you down. She mentioned to keep these types of people in your inner circle. Those friends who are not supportive and have a negative persona, she said to keep them in your outer circle.
She keeps a positive work atmosphere around the office, by always having inspirational and encouraging quotes, for everyone to see.
She lives by a "recipe of success", and she spoke about her "keys to success".
 |
| "Debra Margles Recipe For Success" |
 |
| "Debra Margles Keys To Success" |
After all of this is said and done, she is a wife, a mother and a successful woman. She said it is important to have someone or if you have a spouse in your life, make sure he or she is someone who you can count on, will understand your line of work and how hectic it can be.
She hit a spark inside of me and just for that short time of being in her presents, and listening to her being so passionate and explaining her struggles through life, and how she over came them. It opened my eyes to see that we faced some of the same struggles in life. This makes me realize, I have found my mentor.
Now I will go and use this experience I had, and everything she spoked about and bring it to my everyday life. I will live by the "keys to success"and "recipe for success", because no one is perfect. It is OK to ask question and show how passionate you are about something. To hear this from someone with such a high title, puts into light that people at this level are just like anyone else, they are human. They worked hard to get there and have not given up. Maybe one day we will all get to that level, just remember to be humble, know where you came from and never forget the path you walked.
We all need guidelines to get somewhere in life, and now I have found mine.
Now it is time for you all to find that one person or it can be multiple people to look up too, and see what they live by and how they got to where they are. Learn from them, let them touch your life in a way you never thought could be possible, enable yourself to grow.
