Going into the fashion industry I asked myself, what is my purpose being here and learning about the business. Can I see myself making a career out of it? The answer was simple. A hard YES. There are endless of opportunities in the industry from being a buyer/consultant to a visual merchandiser.

However, some may say that the fashion industry is a toxic work environment to be in because mainly it drains up all your time and energy. But what career in life doesn’t right? Take The Devil wears Prada movie for instance and watch the lives of Andrea and Emily besides the glitz and glam of it all. I’m not saying that every company is going to be torturous like that but some are different. Good different. All that matters is the hard work, perseverance and a constant burning passion for fashion.

At an early age I knew fashion was what I wanted to do but I didn’t know which route to take. To either be a designer or a marketer. Then I realised I needed a platform to speak and express my thoughts to encourage young people like myself to embrace and love who they are regardless of skin colour, ethnicity, body size (even body hairs because hey! let’s face it, we all have em).

Personally, I struggled as a kid growing up in an asian household where you would have to be skinny and fair to get people to like you or even to get a successful job. I’ve always hated narrative and thought to myself, I am one of a kind and that’s truly a gift. I’m going to do what I want, what inspires me, what gets me up every morning and eventually be an inspiration to somebody out there who is going through the same journey as me. All this coming from a South-East Asian Indian, petite, curvy women.

So how do you think of yourself as one of a kind? A good way to embrace it is to list down all the good qualities about yourself. It could be an achievement, a talent, your capabilities and positive strengths. Besides that, also note the general characteristics are important like honesty, trustworthiness, empathy, loyalty and emotional maturity. Note it down in a place where you can look at it everyday. More importantly, block out all the negative self-talk that comes to the mind during the day. Its easy having these negative thoughts coming in when the mind is empty. My mother always says, an idle brain is a devil’s workshop. Try to look at the bright side of things throughout the day. Besides, the negative self-talk will only highlight your flaws and bring you down. So why not use your flaws to inspire others to achieve what you could do, with what you consider your weaknesses? Here’s a quote I love from one of my favourite American singer.

“Be happy with being you. Love your flaws. Own your quirks and know that you are just as perfect as anyone else, exactly as you are.” -Ariana Grande