When I started my career in the creative industry I sometimes wondered where did people go to meet like-minded creatives. I would spend tons of hours online trying to get a hold of people that I could offer my services to or to collaborate with or simply people to exchange ideas with, but I soon realized that even though the internet does an amazing job at connecting people, the real connections are still made in person. It wasn't until I discovered networking events that I started to build a real network. Nothing beats human interaction.
Last night I attended the Creative Industry Hub's networking event "Strictly Go Networking For Fashion Professionals", suggested to me by shoe designer Aksha Fernandez. I have to say that I was impressed as I hadn't attended a networking event like this in more than a year, with so many people from within the fashion industry and with interesting talks from established fashion professionals.
Last night's speakers were Lorelei Marfil from WWD and Kathleen Mitchell from Stella&Dot. Lorelei Marfil is the General Assignment Editor for Women’s Wear Daily and she spoke about the importance for fashion journalists to do responsible journalism by checking facts and contacting sources rather than reposting what is found in other media outlets. Kathleen Mitchell, leads the international business for Stella & Dot and she spoke about how their brand helps to solve the modern creative’s dilemma: achieving success and balance through a career you love.
Both talks were really inspiring but the best part of the event was the actual networking. I met so many interesting people who were really keen on making connections and on this day and age when everything is virtual and online it was really refreshing to find people who were enjoying a face to face in person chat.
Photo credit: Photo of stylist Maria Bello (center) and I having a chat with a designer during the event taken by midnightpulse.co.uk
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