What I learned from “The Bold Type” to make it in the fashion industry

I remember the day when I fell in love with fashion even more than I was before. It was a cozy evening in April of 2021. I was on my Netflix looking for a new movie about fashion to watch, because I was dreaming about working in this industry like you guys. I came across “The Bold Type” – a TV show about 3 young women working at a fashion “Scarlet” magazine in New York. And suddenly, The Devil Wears Prada was not my first choice anymore (and neither The Intern, Gossip Girl, or Sex & The City – all these movies and shows that made me fall in love with fashion – even though I still adore them). 

As I was binge-watching the show, I noticed that the script, in addition to being rich in a diversity of societal, political and feminist issues, offered plenty of valuable fashion career advice (more realistic than other TV shows, I might add). And at some point, I even started to take notes (mental)! Since at Glam Observer we love to draw fashion career inspiration from everywhere and anyone, I wanted to share with you some of the lessons I learned from The Bold Type about making it in the fashion world – whether it’s a magazine or a brand. 

What I learned from “The Bold Type” to make it in the fashion industry

1. You can get a job in fashion without any experience

One of the main characters, Sutton Brady, is – in my eyes – the perfect example of how to break into the fashion industry (she probably was a former Glam Observer student ;)).  She started working at Scarlet as an assistant to the Executive Editor, which was not her passion: instead, it was fashion. Styling, particularly. When she heard there was an opening position there, she went to speak straight to the Fashion Editor, did some test tasks and convinced him to give her the job even though she had zero experience and didn’t go to a fashion school! 

Sutton also shows how you can change the departments inside a company, which means you don’t have to work in the same department all your life. Plus, her story teaches us that it’s ok not to have it all figured out. She started working as a fashion assistant. Then she tried herself as a designer and finally understood that she wanted to become a stylist. So, as long as you have the talent, the skills, determination and confidence (we always say it’s an important skill to work in fashion), you will succeed.

2. Your editor won’t always like your pitches. That’s okay.

In the first season of the show, Jane got promoted from an assistant to writer – her dream job. During one of the weekly meetings with Jacqueline Carlyle, Editor in Chief, Jane received a text from her saying about her pitches: “These aren’t working for me. What else do you have?”. Since then, Jane was acting reluctant and clumsy when submitting her pitches, until Jacqueline discovered the issue the young lady was facing: she was focused on what she thought her Editor wanted to hear, instead of brainstorming her own ideas. Eventually, Jane used her voice and started writing on interesting and provoking angles on political issues. 

However, even when her writing started gaining recognition, just as any writer, Jane was still facing a common writer’s problem when the Editor doesn’t always agree on the pitches you suggest. The result? Either she showed persistence and could keep the pitch with Jacqueline keeping an eye on the research and writing process, or she abandoned the idea and moved on to another topic. So, I guess the lesson learned that I want to share with you is: pitch, pitch, pitch different article ideas, until one of them gets accepted and published. Be persistent and get creative with your ideas. Brainstorming is a skill. As Jacqueline Carlyle said wisely: “You did not fail me Jane. You just failed. Sometimes you’re going to fail. That’s what it means to be a professional writer. Now, go write something else.”

3. Be creative and improvise

Another great skill I noticed in The Bold Type is the characters’ endless creativity and problem-solving ability! I would like to point out Sutton here again, because working as an assistant at the fashion department where everything goes fast and you have to do a lot under a tight budget, she impressed me by her capability of coping with lots of different issues. From being abandoned by her colleague to run a photoshoot alone, getting a model to smile for the camera, to improvising a shooting set, Sutton managed to find an instant solution. What’s more, it’s these types of situations that made her look professional and someone who is not afraid of a challenge. Her efforts paid off, as her boss began to trust her more and assign more interesting tasks, invited her to the fashion week in Paris and offered her a promotion as a stylist. 

Lesson learned: roll up your sleeves, embrace the difficulties that will occur no matter what in a fast-paced fashion industry, and be ready to fix an issue quickly.

4. The power of networking

Remember the conversation between Sutton and her boss, Oliver, in season 1?
– Call Louboutin, I’ve been dreaming about these block heels
– And who would I call over there?
– Your connection
– And who would that be? 
Sounds like a familiar conversation at your job, or a conversation you don’t wish to have? 

We always encourage you to network to boost your chances of getting a job in fashion, and you shouldn’t stop networking once you get the job. Fashion may seem like a big industry, and you could say that, but when it comes to connections, everyone knows everyone. So you need to build your professional friendships at magazines and fashion houses that will make your job easier in the long run. 

Take this advice from Oliver: “It’s breakfast with your contact at Marc Jacobs, drinks with your contact at Bottega Veneta, dinner with your contact at Valentino”.

5. Facing people with grace 

Watching the show, I was admired by how the characters were building their career paths, taking on new tasks and solving problems. But another thing that caught my attention was something related to the attitude, and Jacqueline Carlyle is the perfect example. To me, she embodies the perfect leader who faces tough situations and people with strength and fierceness, while staying calm and graceful. She didn’t have an easy relationship with the digital team. And she even got fired for a while for publishing an unwanted article. Even so, she remained brave, worthy and solid.

I believe these are qualities that everyone working in fashion could develop. Although we don’t support the myth that people in this industry are not nice, you still may have to deal with a complicated situation or have trouble building a professional relationship with a specific person in your team, so it’s important to work on your soft skills. 

Lesson learned: act diplomatic, maintain your calm and stay flexible.

6. Work hard and embrace failure

One thing that is clear and undeniable in the show is that everyone works hard. Sutton constantly has to stay alert and respond to unexpected situations at the fashion department. Kat is a brave woman always bringing new, cutting-edge ideas to the table and pushing for changes in the magazine. As to Jane, her research for the articles doesn’t always go smoothly, as with the Pamela Dolan case. 

However, as you noticed by now, The Bold Type doesn’t portray only the glamorous part of working at a fashion magazine (and it’s not always glamorous anywhere for that matter). Characters made mistakes, got fired, rejected, got themselves in messy situations, doubted themselves… but that didn’t cost them their good reputation. And it didn’t make people question their professionalism in the long run. 

At the end of the day, their combination of efforts and boldness paid off. As Jane got her own vertical, Sutton got promoted to stylist, and Kat became the next Editor-in-Chief! 

Lesson learned: work at a 100%, give everything you’ve got and don’t be afraid of making mistakes, because everything is for the sake of the experience!

7. Be confident

The show is not called The Bold Type for nothing: women in this show don’t hesitate to stand up for what is right. A common denominator between all these situations seen throughout the series is that Jacqueline Carlyle challenges all of the characters and is a true mentor to them. She makes us dream of having an Editor-in-Chief like that. Pushing Jane with her writing, giving valuable advice to Sutton when she was having self doubts through her new career journey as a Fashion Assistant, and supporting Kat’s bold decisions when she was fighting over making some changes in the publication’s policies. “Sometimes, you can’t play it safe, you’ve gotta take a risk”, says Jacqueline. 

The show teached me that no matter your position and how young you are – risks are welcome and even necessary in a rapidly evolving fashion industry. In the early years of your career, everything seems a little scary and unpredictable, but you need to trust your instincts and have confidence in your abilities. Without confidence, passion and determination, it will be hard to make it in the fashion industry that is fast and demanding. 

I recommend watching this show to everyone dreaming about a career in fashion. If we put aside some aspects that add too much glamour and may be considered unrealistic by some, in general, you can get plenty of fashion career advice from The Bold Type. And at Glam Observer, we do encourage you to practice these skills to make it into the fashion industry. 

Looking for tips to break into the fashion industry? Register for my free masterclass here and we’ll teach you 3 strategies to stand out from the competition and land your dream role in fashion even if you have no experience yet.

words by Margarita Skacenko