Orana Trainer: Yvonne Wallace
22:07
With a career that most people in the fashion industry only
dream of, Yvonne Wallace has done it all. From working with top fashion
companies, like David Jones and Westfield, to opening her very own college in
2013, Yvonne is now sharing her wealth of knowledge with students looking to
follow in her fashionable footsteps. The founder and director of Orana Fashion
Business College, where I currently study, discusses all things fashion and
careers as well as her advice for to people looking to pursue fashion as a
career. This is her career journey... so far.
At just 14 years of age, Yvonne was already experiencing the
all that the fashion industry had to offer, working each and every week with a
stylist at David Jones campaigns and shows. From here, her career was only
growing, securing a full time position as a visual merchandiser for MYER
Miranda (where I currently intern!). Having stayed at this position for almost
3 years, Yvonne started freelancing, and currently still does in one of her
most prominent roles with Westfield. With freelancing came a lot of
collaborations with some very well-known brands, including InStyle, Cleo,
Cosmopolitan, Harper's Bazaar and the Darnell Collection.
Photo Credit- Orana Fashion Business College Facebook page. Yvonne Wallace
pictured in the middle.
In 2013, with a love working with other creatives and
wanting to have her own business, Yvonne decided to launch Orana Fashion
Business College; a definite highlight for her. Her journey from Westfield
personal styling, and developing a passion for helping others and leaving an
everlasting impact on their lives through this, only made the decision to open
Orana feel even more natural than it already did, especially with a family full
of educators around her. We then went onto to discuss the influence of social
media on the fashion industry, something I continuously notice through blogging
and studying and love to hear more and more about. Yvonne says that the
influence of social media on the way we view fashion is a very positive change,
meaning a couple things in particular. She went on to explain how the idea of
the supermodel has immensely changed, and how we as viewers aren't exposed to a
stereotypical image of what a model is, like there was years ago. She says that
social media has become a means of more inspiration for people, as well as
there being something for everyone. Social media has now become such a
different playing field from what it once was as everyone can now have a go,
Yvonne says.
Yvonne describes the best part of her current position as
never boring and always different; always being inspired and always connecting
with new people. She then said the hardest part of her job is that there are
not enough hours in the day, feeling as though there is so much to give in not
enough time, a perfect example of her passion for the industry. Just like I do,
she looks for inspiration everywhere, especially online, but also ensuring that
her eyes and ears are always open, looking for inspiration and tools everywhere
to incorporate into her career. Yvonne went onto explain how she looks to
female in senior positions for inspiration, funny because I've always looked to
Yvonne in the same way- an empowering, successful woman who has worked
extremely hard to get to where she is today. (#femaleempowerment !)
Above- Inside Orana College.
To Yvonne, fashion is so important; describing it as being a
creative outlet for so many people and a great tool for people to feel
confident within themselves. Ultimately, she believes that these two things put
together bring a lot of happiness. Fashion has not only opened lots of doors
and created a job for Yvonne but, being a visual person, fashion is the means
of a creative outlet for Yvonne; a means of connecting with people and putting
her visual ideas into something people can be inspired by, which for her is incredibly
rewarding, she says.
Yvonne shared with me that some of the greatest advice she's
been given is to work hard to get the job done, something I see evidence of in
everything Yvonne has achieved in her career. She discussed a defining moment
in her career in which she spoke with a stylist early on in her career and felt
as though she wasn't growing or getting anywhere. This stylist told her to be
patient and keep moving forward. She also explained how the fashion industry is
so brutal and its hard to not care about what people think of you, and in
saying this, told me that you can't let that get to you. I then threw the
question back to Yvonne, asking her about what advice she would give to people
looking to pursue fashion. Her answer was simple and with a laugh she said once
again... work hard to get the job done. Her final tips for pursuing fashion are
ones that I will continue to live by - be proactive, get involved as much as
possible, never think you are better than anyone, keep moving forward,
everything takes time, don't get distracted (put the phone down, Jess) and most
importantly, don't forget why you started in the first place.
Thankyou, Yvonne for taking the time yesterday to answer all
of my questions. Thankyou for all your advice and support so far this year and
thankyou for being a wonderful mentor.
Much love,
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