Every September, I feel the same kind of excitement most people feel in January.
It’s a mix of fresh starts, clean slates, and that undeniable buzz in the air, only in fashion, it’s even more powerful (and exciting!) because September means Fashion Month.
New York, London, Milan, Paris — the industry is in a different mode compared to the rest of the year.
Designers are unveiling their visions for the next season( and many new debuts! 👇🏻)
- Jonathan Anderson’s debut Dior women’s collection, following his Dior Men debut in June.
- Matthieu Blazy’s highly anticipated debut at Chanel
- Pierpaolo Piccioli at Balenciaga
- Louise Trotter at Bottega Veneta
- And a new era at Loewe with McCollough & Hernandez
Editors are prepping for a busy month, going back-to-back from one show to another.
Buyers are prepping to take notes of what’s going to be selling the next season.
The shows. The energy. The sense that something new is about to begin.
I’ve always felt a deep connection to this time of year. In fact, September has always marked new beginnings for me.
Did you know it was September 2017 when I made the life-changing decision to step away from my role at Alexander McQueen to build what would later become Glam Observer?
One month later, in October, I walked out of the Bottega Veneta building in Milan for the last time, the same building where our McQueen e-commerce team worked alongside the e-commerce teams of Saint Laurent, Balenciaga, and the other Kering brands.
I remember that moment so clearly. Leaving the office that day, surrounded by the quiet hum of designers and merchandisers working late, I felt nervous but certain. Summer gave me clarity and September was the right time to start a new chapter.
That’s the energy I want you to feel right now.
So if you are feeling excited (or you miss that motivation and want some ideas) and you’ve been waiting for a sign to reset, refocus, and start fresh, this is it. Here’s your step-by-step plan to make September the start of your fashion career breakthrough.
Step 1 — Reflect
Before you start sprinting into what’s next, pause for a moment. Reflection always comes before action.
Let’s use again the example of when I made the leap to change career path.
I remember sitting in my tiny Milan apartment, notebook open, coffee in hand, doing something I had been too scared to do before: writing down the pros and cons of leaving my role at Alexander McQueen.
It wasn’t an easy list to make. On one hand, I had everything I had worked for, my foot in the door at one of the most prestigious luxury houses, surrounded by the e-commerce teams of Saint Laurent, Balenciaga, and Bottega Veneta in that beautiful Milan headquarters.
On the other hand, I felt this pull, a vision to create something of my own, to build a platform where I could teach others the strategies I had learned breaking into the industry myself.
That summer reflection became the foundation for what would later turn into the Glam Observer Academy in 2018. And now, almost 10 years and over 4,000 students later, I still look back at that summer as the moment I realized that clarity comes when you stop and reflect.
So, before you dive into September, ask yourself:
- Did you understand what is the role in fashion made for you?
- Did you grow your portfolio this summer?
- Did you dedicate time to learning a new skill?
- Did you take steps to build industry connections?
If your answer is no, that’s okay, because September is your clean slate.
But take a lesson from me: it’s in those quiet summer moments of reflection that you often find the courage to make your next big move.
Step 2: Set Clear, Specific Career Goals
The number one mistake I see aspiring fashion professionals make? Vague goals.
“I want to work in fashion” is a dream, not a strategy.
To make real progress, you need to get specific:
🎯 Marketing internship at Dior.
🎯 Buying assistant role in Milan.
🎯 PR assistant in New York.
When you’re specific, you know where to focus your energy, who to reach out to, and how to tailor your resume and portfolio.
This clarity is what helped me land my first internship at Alexander McQueen, even though I had no connections in the industry and no previous experience. I wasn’t sending out random applications; I had a plan.
Step 3: Update Your Toolkit
Once your goals are clear, it’s time to make sure your career toolkit is ready:
- Resume – Tailored to the role you want. Every line should be relevant to the job description.
- Cover Letter – Personalized and human. Recruiters can tell when you’re copy-pasting the same letter everywhere.
- Portfolio – A curated collection of your work, whether it’s school projects, personal initiatives, or analyses of brands you love. (In the Fashion Internship simulator)
I always tell my students: your toolkit is like your business card. In fashion — especially in luxury — presentation matters.
If you’re not sure how to position your experience, the Break Into the Fashion Industry course walks you through how to write a recruiter-approved resume and craft a personalized cover letter.
Explore the Break Into the Fashion Industry Course →
Step 4 — Build Career-Ready Skills
September is the season to level up your skills.
Excel for Fashion
During my time at McQueen, I quickly realized something no one in fashion school ever mentioned: Excel is everywhere. Every meeting, every report, every cross-department update — it was all in Excel.
That realization led me to launch the Excel for Fashion course in 2021. Today, years later, students tell me how the course helped them pass Excel tests at LVMH, Dior, and more, and thrive in their jobs.
Analyze Runway Trends
In the fashion industry everyone in the room may be watching the same shows — but different professionals aren’t seeing the same things. Buyers are scribbling notes on pieces that would sell, stylists are archiving references for upcoming shoots, PR are scanning reactions and Instagram feeds, and editors are already crafting narratives.
I wrote an entire Substack article on how to analyze fashion shows like an insider — and you can read it here.
Now that fashion month is Analyze Runway Trends
With Fashion Month about to begin, there’s no better time to sharpen your eye.
Learning to observe and decode runway shows is how you:
- Position yourself as someone who understands the business of fashion.
- Build portfolio-worthy trend reports.
- Sharpen your eye like a stylist, buyer, or PR coordinator.
Create Mini Projects
You don’t need a job title to start building experience, you just need to start creating.
With Fashion Month coming up, this is your moment to turn inspiration into action:
- Build a mini trend report from two shows.
- Draft a mock PR pitch for a product launch.
- Create a styling storyboard recreating a runway look with accessible pieces.
- Build a mini buying edit — five pieces you’d stock if you ran a boutique.
If you want step-by-step guidance on how to turn these projects into portfolio-ready pieces, simulators, where you can create your portfolios and gain experience, are included in the fashion internship simulator. Just like a real internship, you’ll work on brand campaigns, lookbooks, and media plans. You’ll complete four projects — from a Saint Laurent retail activation to a Miu Miu x New Balance global PR launch, a Vogue Italia styling project, and even an Editor-in-Chief for a Week exercise.
These aren’t just assignments, they’re portfolio pieces that recruiters notice.
Download my free pdf guide about projects for your portfolio!
Step 5 — Network with Intention
Networking doesn’t have to be awkward or overwhelming. It’s not about collecting business cards or sending 100 random LinkedIn messages — it’s about building real relationships.
Here’s where to start:
- Comment thoughtfully on LinkedIn posts from people in your dream companies.
- Reach out to alumni who now work in fashion — a simple, kind message goes a long way.
- Don’t just focus on senior people — junior staff can often give you the best insights.
My very first fashion contact came from a kind, thoughtful message. That one connection turned into a conversation — and that conversation turned into opportunities I never expected.
Step 6 — Leverage Fashion Month
Fashion Month is more than shows — it’s your classroom, your case study, and your portfolio lab.
I shared a full guide here on Substack on how to turn Fashion Week into a career-building opportunity.
Here’s how to start right now:
- Watch the shows like a pro — through the lens of a buyer, a stylist, a PR assistant, or an editor.
- Build your own Fashion Week Intelligence Report: analyze trends, highlight standout collections, and share your insights.
- Use LinkedIn as your front row — post your analysis, tag brands, and join the conversation.
- Learn about the roles behind the scenes — from backstage coordinators to social media teams — and use that knowledge to guide your applications.
Fashion Week isn’t just a spectacle. It’s your chance to show initiative, sharpen your skills, and position yourself as someone who understands the industry.
Step 7 — Stay Consistent
Success in fashion isn’t built overnight. It’s built one small action at a time:
- One email.
- One portfolio update.
- One new connection.
Consistency builds momentum, and momentum creates opportunities.
When I look back, my career didn’t take off because of one “big break.” It was a series of small, consistent steps that, over time, added up to something much bigger.
September is fashion’s new January — a month of fresh starts, bold decisions, and big opportunities.
This season, with creative debuts at Dior, Chanel, Balenciaga, Bottega, and Loewe, the industry is resetting. Take this as your sign to do the same.
Your dream role is closer than you think. Start small, be consistent, and build momentum — and if you want step-by-step guidance, join me inside the Break Into the Fashion Industry and Excel for Fashion courses.
Simulators, where you can create your portfolios and gain experience, are included in the fashion internship simulator. Just like a real internship, you’ll work on brand campaigns, lookbooks, and media plans. Enroll now!
