With a BA in Fashion Journalism at the London College of Fashion, internship experiences at Wonderland Magazine, Sunday Times Style and Shift London, Jayne Hennessy worked her way up from a young age on. In this interview, she explains how she planned her career from the moment she realized her dream was to work in fashion magazines.
She started her own fashion blog to practice writing and during a gap year before starting at the London fashion school, she was a Freelance Fashion Writer for Yahoo Style. Her interest in fashion magazines has not vanished but in the interview, she explains how e-commerce is the field that interests her at the moment. Read on to discover her career story and her tips for entering the fashion industry.
- Hey Jayne, glad to have you here today. May you shortly introduce yourself?
Hi, thanks for having me! My name is Jayne Hennessy, I’m 22, a recent fashion journalism graduate from London College of Fashion living in London and working as a Junior Product Writer at Net-A-Porter.
2. Tell us how your passion for the fashion industry started and how your career kicked off.
I’ve been interested in fashion from a young age but it wasn’t until I was about 15 that I realised I wanted to be a fashion journalist – I had always been obsessed with magazines and writing growing up and one day it just clicked. So I started a fashion blog and that led to me being asked to contribute to Yahoo Style UK as a freelance fashion writer. I then got accepted to study fashion journalism at London College of Fashion and from there I interned at numerous publications including Wonderland magazine and Sunday Times Style as well as at fashion week. I obtained a 2:1 in my degree and a few weeks after graduating landed the job of Junior Product Writer at Net-A-Porter and that’s where I am now.
3. You took a bachelor’s degree at the internationally recognised and admired fashion college London College of Fashion. What did the college time teach you and in how far did London as a city influence you in your development and style?
My university degree taught me so much, aside from the obvious course content, it enabled me to feel confident in my writing and taught me to be able to deal with constructive criticism and not be afraid to put myself out there. The tutors really pushed us from literally the first term of first year and the pace and quality of work they expected only increased. It was tough at times but in retrospect, I’m so grateful that the course didn’t ease us in slowly as I believe it really helped me prepare for the pace of the fashion industry. Studying in London definitely had a positive impact on me, I would say it shaped my experience on the course. Not only were there so many opportunities that I wouldn’t have had as a student if I had studied elsewhere but there was so much going on, you never felt short of inspiration or stories.
4. You worked as Freelance Fashion writer for Yahoo Style whilst studying. How did you juggle both time-consuming activities at once?
The bulk of my time working as a Freelance Fashion Writer for Yahoo Style  UK was done during my gap year before starting university and I’ll be honest once I started my course it did become a lot harder to pitch and produce articles alongside my university work. Not long after I started the first year of university the position naturally came to an end anyway which I was sad about but it was good to be able to focus on my university work full time while I got the hang of it. But that role definitely helped me prepare for the demands of my course and when I look back at the writing I produced back then I’m able to see how far I’ve come.
5. What would you reckon is an all-rounder internship that could open doors when looking for a job?
I would say it’s always best to try and get as much experience as you can especially under renowned titles such as Vogue, Wonderland, Elle etc and try and do as much as you can while studying and make contacts, it can be hard especially because the majority of internships are unpaid sadly but many publications offer two week placements which is ideal for fitting in during breaks in term and while working part-time which is something that I did, it is tough but it’s only temporary. If you’re not in a position where you can travel to London or elsewhere for internships, look on Fashion Workie and other industry websites for remote jobs which you can do from anywhere, those can be really great for building your portfolio.
6. What were the convincing aspects that made your applications succeed?
Definitely research, I think it’s such a good tip to tailor your cover letter and application to each employer whether that be a magazine or fashion label etc, show that you know their brand. It sounds so simple but you want to play up your strengths that are specific to that role and highlight the experience you have that directly relates to the requirements of the job. Creating a concise and refined CV, cover letter and portfolio that are visually appealing and designed cohesively as part of a set is something that will help you stand out too.Â
7. In how far did your first Magazine internships prepare you for your current Product Writer Position at Net-A-Porter?
I think just opening my eyes to the pace of the fashion industry and realising that it’s not as scary as cliches make out. A lot of internships throw you in at the deep end and although it can be a bit overwhelming it’s such good hands-on experience learning head on how to carry yourself in those roles and how to deal with difficult tasks and situations. It made me realise that I can actually do it and took away my tendency to worry too much about new challenges.
8. What does a product writer do exactly? Give us a short job introduction and tell us about your daily tasks.
My role is to write the Editor’s Notes, titles and details on the product pages on Net-A-Porter, it’s essentially copywriting but with a more editorial approach. My responsibility is to really possess knowledge about the brands I’m writing about and really emphasise this when writing about the products. For the products I’m writing about I’ll often research the inspirations behind the collection, call out trends and offer styling advice to the customer in the stylised copy that I write.Â
9. Advice on how to prepare and equip yourself for the expectations from the fashion industry and your job environment?
I think experience is definitely key here as without it you can end up with a really idealised expectation of what the fashion industry is like and it can be quite disheartening when you realise it’s not like that. The industry is can be really hard work especially with the amount of competition out there so gaining as much experience as you can is the best advice I can give. Also making an effort to keep up with industry news and such is important as well so you stay in the loop. It sounds so obvious but having the right attitude and possessing the motivation to put the hard work in is also so important, people will always remember if you’re friendly and hardworking and you want to make a great impression from the get-go.Â
10. Since you started working and interning in fashion from a young age on: How did you start to plan your career in fashion and where do you want to get to?
Well firstly I started my fashion blog back when I was in school as a creative outlet to explore the idea of fashion journalism. From there I applied to London College of Fashion and gained insight into the industry through interning which really propelled my desire to work in the fashion industry. When I was younger I dreamed of writing for fashion magazines and I think I had this slightly idealistic view of the path I wanted to take, now the industry has shifted to a more digital-led strategy, my focus has changed slightly. I still love and read fashion magazines but I am really interested in the fashion e-commerce sector at the moment which is where I am now. In the near future, I would like to explore writing as a freelancer for publications alongside my role at Net-A-Porter.
