With a constant worry on what life outside college holds for many of us, it is refreshing to know that finding work after we leave the SMU nest is possible. 2012 SMU graduate and PR manager for Little Rock’s Scarlet boutique, Grace Roberts, talks her dream job and how our very own Fashion Media program, helped her find it.
SS: As one of the first graduates with a fashion media minor, tell us what you got out of the program that was so new at the time?
GR: Through out most of college I thought I wanted to do broadcast journalism, or maybe even PR. But once I got involved in the fashion media classes, specifically Fashion PR with Professor Flournoy and Fashion Journalism with Professor Kraeplin, I knew that was where my strengths were in terms of my career ahead of me.
I remember in one of my first journalism classes with Professor Barta she had this Confucious quote written on the board: “Choose a job you love, and you will never have to work a day in your life.” Of course I don’t completely agree because work will still always be work, BUT I do believe that when you find something you really care about and know you’re good at, then work can actually be something that makes you really happy–something you enjoy waking up for rather than dreading day in and day out.That’s how I feel now that I’ve landed my job at Scarlet. And who knew you could have a fashion career in Little Rock, AR??
SS: Do you feel like your Fashion Media background has helped you in your job at Scarlet?
GR: I don’t necessarily write fashion stories for my job or think of PR pitch after PR pitch, but my job is a combination of everything I learned throughout the Fashion Media Minor and my other classes. It’s crazy to think that my homework that included tweeting has really paid off.
SS: I understand one of the stores most recents feats in the website that was just launched. Tell us more about it.
GR: When Jeanne, my boss and the owner of Scarlet, and I started brainstorming about the website, she was very adamant about the fact that she didn’t want Scarlet Online to be just another online boutique…not just a place to sell individual pieces of clothing. She wanted it to be a place where girls could go for inspiration on a daily basis.
SS: So, how did y’all accomplish that?
GR: She wanted the entire website to be like a lookbook–instead of pictures of a top OR pants OR a jacket, she wanted fully styled looks for each product–and for some products, several different styled outfits. Jeanne also came up with the ideas of “Shop By Style” featuring rocker, boho, and classic looks, as well as the “Going Somewhere?” section, where shoppers can choose: Night Out, Nowhere Special, Wedding/Party, or On the Clock for work looks.
SS: Finally, I hear in an effort to reach out to your own sorority, you had Scarlet dress Kappa Kappa Gamma’s Homecoming candidate, Mackenna Scripps, for a couple of events. Am I right?
GR: You are right! I was always really involved in my sorority and loved all the excitement that surrounds homecoming. So I thought if I could help her, I should. That’s how I came up with the idea of giving her something she could feel really confident in!
Check out out Mackenna’s looks, courtesy of Scarlet, below!
You can count on the SMUstyle team to add Scarlet to our online shopping addiction list!
To get in on the goods, check out Scarlet yourself!
