Huge fan of the book, such an inspiration. Aliza, I would love to hear how did you deal with friction when introducing social media to fashion and more generally what are your views on university education? Is it a must? Final question, Anna Wintour: Ice Queen or Idol? Can't wait to hear your thoughts?
@harrystebbings Thank you so much Harry! When I first started tweeting as dknyprgirl, there was one person in fashion who emailed my boss to share her disdain at how "personal" I was being on the platform. It was as you know, new to me too, so I got really freaked out that I was destroying the brand or something! That said, my boss believed in me and the reality was that the following was growing exponentially. I had to be doing something right! So we decided to pay her no attention and I kept on doing what I was doing. A few days later WWD came out with a story about how the dknyprgirl handle was on fire so that was a great vote of confidence! Bottom line, without management buy-in, none of this would have been possible. To your second question: I think a university education is imperative for 99% of people. If you are in the 1% (think Zuckerberg), then by all means go build your empire. Third, Anna is highly respected by her team. Every single person who I know that works closely with her absolutely loves her.
Particularly in the startup world, where dress codes are usually quite relaxed, any tips on how to dress to strike a balance between professional and casual?
@melissajoykong I am a firm believer in using fashion to convey my personal brand. I've always been this way. Even in college when everyone was rolling out of bed in sweats, I was decked. While you might work in a casual environment, you can still have a personal style that has a point of view. It's important to fit into a company's culture, but I can tell you that if I worked at a startup tomorrow, I would still be decked : )
Hi Aliza, thanks so much for answering our questions today! You have achieved so much already in your career, is there one achievement that you are most proud of? / Flip side, one thing that you still strive for?
@ems_hodge I am really proud of the teams I have nurtured and grown over the years. I have multiple teams that have each stayed working with me for 5+, 10+ years. I'm proud to say that I create an amazing work environment. I believe in empowering my team. From a project pov, I am proud of what I have done in social media and also what I built with Donna Karan Atelier which was our red carpet brand. Both of those projects were conceived by me and built from scratch.
It's my pleasure to welcome Aliza for an AMA today at 3 PM! (Ask your q's in advance...:)
Here's a bio: Aliza Licht is the SVP of Global Communications at Donna Karan International and Twitter phenom, DKNY PR GIRL®. Featured on the front page of the New York Times style section as one of “America’s Next Top Mentors,” dubbed the "Reigning Queen of Social Media" by Women's Wear Daily, and called one of "Six Women Who Rule the Fashion World" by TIME Style & Design, she is a TEDx speaker and five-time Fashion 2.0 award winner.
Hi Aliza - congrats on the book. I'm always curious about young people in the job market. We see some great examples of exceptional individuals skyrocketing through the work world, but for the most part folks coming right out of college tend to have a really difficult time finding a job they're suitable for and when they do they're competing against dozens of others. What kind of advice would you give to fresh graduates on how to stand out and make a real career push?
@jeffumbro Hi Jeff! I get a lot of emails sent to me through my website about this exact thing. I always ask to see the person's resume and cover letter. Inevitably I find that the way the person is presenting is not optimal nor tailored for the position. At the end of the day, you have to remember that applying for a job is ALL about the audience. Just like in PR, the pitch must be tailored. In addition, the skills must be pulled and highlighted in a way that directly correlates to the job profile. People think it's all about your past company names and the job titles. That's important sure, but more important is showing how your skills transfer.
@alizalicht there is always so much magic and mystique surrounding the fashion industry - what's the best example / story you have that plays into that mystery and what's the best story you have to debunk the mystery?
@corleyh This is a hard one Corley : ). I would say that I've personally experienced some crazy things. One time I had to get a dress to Ashley Greene for a red carpet appearance. The courier service we were using messed up and never picked up the package and there were no commercial flights from LA to Nashville to get the dress there in time for her 6pm red carpet. I needed a jet so I called up my friend @BagSnob and said, "Who do you know that has a private jet NOW?" She put me in touch with a very famous designer's brother. He was amazing and basically said that he would lend me his G4 but I would need to pay for the gas. NBD. I said yes and got a G4 within the hour. The gas bill was $23,000. That was definitely a personal expense report that got my CFO's attention. Hahaha. I think people assume that fashion people just hang around going to parties. Sure some are what I call "fluffy", but the majority of us work extremely hard and take the business really seriously!
@eriktorenberg Don't burn bridges! Industries are small. Someone you work with now & hate could end up being someone you have to work with later on. It pays to be NICE. Your reputation doesn't follow you everywhere, it arrives before you.
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