Finding a Perfect Fit in Fashion Marketing
When Julia Comete was accepted into The Art Institute of California, she just assumed that she was about to set off on her long-planned path of studying fashion design and becoming a fashion designer.
“I have always loved being creative. I would make clothes for my dolls as a young girl,” she says. “It just seemed like a no-brainer for me to pursue fashion design.”
However, something about this plan just didn’t sit right with Julia. She had a nagging suspicion that fashion design might not be the right track for her so she started speaking to people she knew who were in the fashion industry, including a friend who was working as a stylist.
“At the time, I didn’t have any knowledge about careers in the fashion industry beyond design,” she says. “So learning about styling and realizing that it was possible to do great work that was creative without having to sketch and sew was eye-opening for me. I always knew that I wanted to do something in fashion, but I also knew that making clothes and sketching designs just wasn’t for me.”
Julia ultimately decided not to attend The Art Institute and instead she went back to Los Angeles Valley College, the institution she had previously been attending, to finish her general education credits and take some business and marketing courses. This new focus definitely felt right to her.
“I found myself getting more interested in business and marketing, and I excelled at the projects that I was given.”
Being able to combine Julia’s long-held interest in fashion with her newly developed interest in marketing and branding seemed to be the ideal combination, and it made her a perfect fit for the School of Business’ Fashion Marketing program.
Julia transferred to Woodbury for fall 2017 semester. “I chose Fashion Marketing because I wanted to be creative in the fashion industry through the art of business and marketing,” she says. “I believe that marketers are the storytellers of a brand, and it’s something that I feel passionate about and excited to engage with.”
Julia doesn’t regret her choice to study Fashion Marketing at Woodbury for one second. “My experience at Woodbury has been great so far,” she says. “I enjoy the smaller class sizes, and I feel like I am learning current and innovate things that I can apply to my career in the future.”
Her short-term goal after graduation is to learn even more. “I’d love to continue on at Woodbury to get my MBA,” she says. Her long-term goal: having a purposeful career. “Although I’m not sure what my dream job is yet,” Julia says. “I do know that I want a career that aligns with my interests and beliefs.”
Currently, Julia is getting some first-hand experience helping to build brands with an internship at Inspired Brands LA, an agency that focuses on creating promotional products and assists other brands with influencer marketing.
It appears that veering off her original path has served Julia just fine.