2012 The year in review..

So here we are in the first days of 2013, the time many of us take to just sit and reflect on the past happenings of the year… so many things did happen, some that we wanted, others that we didn’t but in total it helped us learn and grow in this journey we call life.

For a big chunk of 2012 I felt like I hadn’t accomplished nearly enough professionally, granted I was pregnant for 8 months of 2012 so I should cut myself some slack but in the final lap, like a track star anchoring in a relay, I made enough progress in the 4^th Quarter to make me feel like 2012 was not only a success personally but professionally as well and had been all along.

Back in September 2011 Fashion week had just ended and I was glued to my computer throughout the entire thing watching runway show after runway show. I was so inspired and motivated since I always had a love for shopping, very expensive taste coupled with a knack for getting dressed for less while helping other people put together amazing looks as well. I had already developed my tshirt line Cotton Carrie a year prior in 2010, but didn’t feel like I was in the throes of the fashion industry and wasn’t exactly sure how to go about getting myself submerged.

There were two things I did know for sure though: I wanted to be deeper in the mix and wanted to learn how to sew… Low and behold in January 2012 The Brooklyn Public library has an event, “So you want to be a fashion designer?” A panel which featured 2 women, a women’s wear designer and an administrator from FIT. I attended an introduced myself to both of them afterward sharing my dream to learn how to sew, the fashion designer admitted to me that she didn’t know much about sewing at all. The administrator from FIT recommended 2 classes for me; patternmaking and sew like a pro. Contacted the school the next day to find out classes were starting in less than a week. It was chaos but I got enrolled in Patternmaking.

When Fashion Week rolled around again in February 2012 FIT hosted a panel for students to hear how others started their fashion lines and soak up the energy. That panel featured Cynthia Rowley. I went, I listened, I soaked up energy.

March 2012 a contact at LIM College asked me to host a networking seminar for their Black Retail Action Group (BRAG), a school where I had done a motivational keynote address for Women’s History Month a year prior. The networking event was such a success BRAG then invited me to speak on a panel they were hosting on Women in the fashion industry, again for Women’s History Month. I was there to fill the start up entrepreneur slot. The panel was rounded out with the GM from Barney’s; Alfosina Messina,  Keanen Duffty, a designer who once had his line massed produced in Target for 3 years (although not a woman himself lol), Sahar Pazirandeh, a LIM alum and owner of a nonprofit geared at High School Students who want to pursue fashion, and a Marketing Exec who left Corporate America to start her own firm.

It was an amazing event that I was honored to be apart of and connecting with each person on that panel was a very rare opportunity. A month later I sat front row at LIM’s annual fashion show… If you want to talk about feeling like you are under the tents at Mercedes Benz Fashion Week then look no further, the show is THAT high level! More energy to soak..

In May I grabbed lemonade with one of the contacts on the fashion panel, Keanan Duffty, and he said to me, “You know who would be an excellent fashion mentor for you if you could meet them? Tracy Reese” My new friend Keenan Duffty served on the CDFA board with Ms Reese and was going to try and connect us if he could… He was beyond interesting to me, originally from London, came to the states, was screenprinting tshirts in his bathtub, which freelance designing for some of the majors then BOOM! Fashion line in Target for 3 years which is a personal goal of mine for Cotton Carrie as well.

Over the summer I purchased my first sewing machine, took 2 sewing classes at my neighborhood fabric store, and handmade my kids Halloween costumes this past October. Keanan accepted a position in San Francisco California as Director of the Art Institute’s Fashion Merchandising program, so he never did get to connect to Ms Reese

After my daughter was born in August … yes I was pregnant and had a baby throughout all this.. I saw a post on instagram from Jessica Styles, founder of  The Fab Network for a part time internship at Tracy Reese’s corporate showroom, (well wonders never cease!) sent my resume immediately, received a callback, interviewed, and got offered the internship where I’ve been spending a significant amount of time at Tracy Reese’s corporate showroom, listening, learning and soaking..

And if you’ve checked out any of my most recent posts you’d also know that back in November I landed a spot as a Fashion contributor at DivasandDorks.com actually getting that offer  the same day I accepted the Tracy Reese internship.

All in all 2012 was a great year for me… Took a lot of first steps that will allow me to leap even further as I continue this journey!  Already put together my list of goals for this year too.

How did  2012 pan out for you?

xoxo

Carrie