Global Brands Group hosted a Recruitment Mixer for scholars which included a cocktail session, several speakers, and a tour of their 100,000 square foot showroom floor. The first speaker was Melissa Lefere-Cobb, Vice President, Division Head of Herve Leger at Global Brands Group.
Melissa has been in merchandising and (predominantly) luxury fashion for her entire career. She has been in the industry for over 25 years and has had a very successful path doing what she loves. Melissa spoke to the scholars about the evolution of the industry over time and her tips for success in fashion. She articulated that you have to work very hard and always be on the lookout for new openings and opportunities, as well as have a clear idea of where you want to end up so that you have a concrete goal to aim for. She told the scholars that, although part of success can be attributed to luck, drive and dedication are the most important factors.
After Melissa shared her wealth of knowledge, the scholars had a chance to listen to a panel of recent graduates who are now Global Brands Group employees as well as a few members of the Talent Acquisition team. The first panel speaker spoke about the GBG Innovates which houses LIO- “Leaders, Innovators & Opportunities”, and provides a small group of entrepreneurial and creative junior level talent with, “a unique start-up environment with the backing of a global licensing powerhouse”. As elaborated on by the LIO web page, “LIO is an unprecedented program where innovative new leaders are empowered to reinvent the fashion, retail, and lifestyle industries. For one year, recent university graduates are brought together in New York City to develop the next wave of strategies, business models, and creative solutions that will define the future.” The speaker was proud to be a pioneer of LIO and explained that LIO predominantly values autonomy, collaboration, growth, and impact by providing an open space for creation and the free flow of ideas. She shared an exciting project that she has been working on as an LIO member, as well as hinting about up-and-coming collaborations and inventions. The scholars were intrigued by the fact that such a huge company could develop a start-up feel with these kinds of niche programs.
Next, the scholars had the chance to listen to a few college recruiters share their tips for success in finding and succeeding at first jobs out of school. One of the recruiters emphasized the importance of always keeping a copy of your resume on you at all times, especially when you know that you will be in a setting in which you’re surrounded by industry professionals and/or recruiters. She also spoke about strategies for differentiating yourself in interviews when the playing field is relatively level for most applicants, such as highlighting how each of your experiences is relevant to the job that you’re applying for and sharing meaningful takeaways from each experience.
After the conclusion of the panel, college recruiter Jenna Liss along with one of her colleagues took the scholars on a tour of their incredible showroom floor. The scholars had the opportunity to see the 2019 collections of many brands licensed to GBG, from Katy Perry to All Saints. It was yet another exciting and educational night for the FSF scholars who were grateful they had the opportunity to listen to and connect with such brilliant and insightful speakers and recruiters thanks to the Fashion Scholarship Fund team & GBG who coordinated the event for their benefit.
Hi! My name is Katie Kornienko and I am the 2018 YMA Fashion Scholarship Fund Summer Intern. I am studying Fashion Merchandising and Finance at the University of Delaware, and I am the Executive Editor of my school’s fashion publication, UDress. I was also a top FSF scholarship winner for Merchandising & Marketing in 2018. Enjoy reading about the fun and engaging events we are hosting this summer for the 2018 scholars!