Kim and I met at Mytheresa. For both, it was our first experience in fashion. Back then, she was a fashion sub-editor while I was a fashion product editor. We stayed friends even after leaving Mytheresa and with other colleagues we have a What’s App group in which we share our stories, some silly stuff but above all everything career-related. When Kim told us she was hired by A.P.C. – one of the most famous Parisian fashion brand – and would be an online content manager there, we were all convinced that was the perfect position for her.
Kim was one of the first person I thought of for Glam Observer career interviews series. I believe her path shows that you don’t need to go to a fashion school to work in that industry. I think her role at A.P.C. is interesting to know because though many brands are looking for online content managers, it is not a profession that is considered as glamorous as fashion editor or stylist, hence why it is less known. Through this interview I hope you will discover an interesting fashion job.
- What did you study?
I have an A levels in economy. After high school, I decided to study contemporary literature at La Sorbonne in Paris. I did this until I got the first year of my master’s degree. Then, for my second year, I specialised in communications with a focus on publishing policies. This master also offered to do an apprenticeship so my days were divided between classes at the university and work in a publishing company.
- How did you end up working in fashion?
My first job was in an industrial company. I was a web editor there. I knew right after this experience that working for an e-commerce platform was for me, but still in content creation. That is the reason why I sent my CV to mytheresa and therefore started working in fashion.
- Was it hard to transition?
It was hard because in Paris everyone wants to work in fashion so this is a very competitive environment. That is the reason why I decided to go to Munich. But the work in itself at mytheresa wasn’t different from what I did before because it was always about content creation.
- How did your previous experiences benefit your current career?
At mytheresa, I learned the inner workings of e-commerce and fashion. It is an ongoing learning process as you must adapt to the different markets regarding products, content and international customers. Now, I have a better knowledge of the product and understand how important visual and written content is for an online shop.
- What is your role at A.P.C?
Though my title says ‘Online Content Manager’, I would describe myself as a project manager. I manage A.P.C. and Vanessa Seward websites. I put the collections online and verify if the product descriptions and pictures match with our product catalogue. I also handle email marketing. I brief emails, send my briefs to our agency and check them before they go live. Finally, I assist any project regarding the development of the sites and coordinate all content for our Japanese, American and Korean branches.
- What was/were the new things you had to learn when starting your new role?
I had to take classes for Magento* and SAP*. From briefing to conception and expressing my ideas to the web developers to improve the sites – I am learning a lot of things I didn’t do at my last jobs. Some of my projects include process optimisation, the customers’ journey on the sites and the improvement of visual and written content.
- What is an average day like for you?
In the morning I start with reading and answering emails. My tasks change according to the requests I receive and the marketing calendar. I have different types of requests. For example, it can be replacing an image or some copy; checking the stock flow between our warehouse and our system; scheduling and sending the newsletters of the week. I email a lot with the merchandising, stock and image departments but I also work a lot with our foreign branches when they need things for the new collections.
- You experienced working in fashion in Munich and now, in Paris, how would you describe the atmosphere? Do you feel more pressure in Paris?
I loved the human side of mytheresa. I have made real friends in Munich. I think it happened because we all left our hometown to come to Germany. In Paris, I feel a little bit more pressure because I have more responsibilities.
- What advice would you give to someone wanting to change their career path?
Be persistent, listen to what people say to you because you learn a lot doing so.
*Magento is an ecommerce platform
*SAP is a management software
