To succeed in fashion is no mean feat. Though some of the most famous names and faces in the industry seem to do it with ease (and often great style,) it is nevertheless a process. Here, Vogue speaks to the Fashion Award’s finest—from model of the year Adwoa Aboah, to designer of the year Raf Simons—on how they made it in the business and what their secret to success is.
Adwoa Aboah
“It really took me a long time… I think everyone forgets, but it is a fickle business. When I started the kind of woman who was ‘on-trend’ wasn’t me. But I stuck at it. So what I would say to anyone who wants to be a model is: have something else. This shouldn’t be your be-all and end-all in life, there are so many other amazing things to be done in the world. I also think that the industry really celebrates a woman who does something else. So keep at it, but always have something else.”
Charles Jeffrey
“There are so many people who have helped me get to where I am today. I think that [success] comes from just being really positive and excited about the work that you are doing and just believing in it. There’s been times when I’ve not been able to pay my rent for long periods of time, and find myself quite scared of what I’ve been doing, but still loved the work. I think if you believe it yourself, I know it sounds cheesy, but people feed off of that. So I do think it is about being positive.”
Craig Green
“I think knowing is not good… I think you should make mistakes as you go. But the main thing I would say is to work hard and always be there—always be at work. Don’t expect other people to work hard if you aren’t prepared to do it yourself.”
Jonathan Anderson
“[I wish I had known that] it doesn’t get any easier… I remember when I first took [over] Loewe and someone said to me ‘oh, don’t worry, after the first year it will be easier,’ and then I realised it was best not to listen to advice. My whole philosophy on it is that the best thing to do is not listen to anyone’s advice.”
Loyle Carner
“Ignore what everyone else is doing and don’t look at social media, because everyone on social media is talking about why the devil they’re not doing it. Who gives a… Who cares?”
Molly Goddard
“I feel very much still up-and-coming myself. My advice would be to find people that you really enjoy working with, and [who] you really trust, and don’t burn out. Know when to stop and have a break, and you’ll do much better work.”
Raf Simons
“I think the only way to succeed in fashion is to just keep doing what you believe and try to not be too manipulated by the industry’s way of dealing with fashion. You have to be able to give in a bit because obviously in today’s world you have a lot [of pressure] to commercially succeed. But on the other hand, I think you are definitely rewarded—and awarded—when you take risks and stand for change. I’ve always seen fashion as a democratic world. It is obviously elitist, but there’s all kinds of people supporting it: people that I am working with, or people that I know, or don’t know, people who I admire, people who support financially or technically; all important.”
Selena Gomez
“There is no stupid question, and there are no stupid ideas. I think even the way something feels can inspire you, a song could inspire you to create something. Finding those moments for you to connect to your work. And also just keep your eyes on your work, it is easy to compare yourself but it’s important to stay true to what matters [to your work].”
Stella McCartney
“Find what drives you, what you are passionate about, and be honest with yourself. If you are lucky enough to break into the industry, try and enjoy it, but also try and do something different. I think the world is looking for a point of difference. There aren’t enough people in fashion approaching it in a different way. I believe that naivety is a really powerful little gift—a powerful little gun in your pocket to take you to a certain stage. But fear… Fear is not a good thing.”
Stuart Vevers
“Belief in what you stand for; having a strong point of view; never giving up; persisting, hard work; it is about believing in yourself. It’s like any industry, there are going to be good days and bad days. You just need to focus on the good and look forward always.”
Virgil Abloh
“It’s one piece of advice that works 100 per cent of the time. It sounds too short to be valid, but it is literally just do it. I used to be at a bar, or a restaurant, talking to my friends about ‘why doesn’t this designer do this?’ Or ‘this would be cool…’ And the only thing that is different now to how I was before is just ‘do it’. Instead of verbalising ideas, just do it. Most people look at collaboration with one eye open, a little bit like ‘that’s not you’. But all I care about is the end product. Collaboration is about doing something that you can’t do yourself. Just do it!”
