Usually when I think of volunteering, images of senior citizens and yard work pop into my head. While I adore senior citizens, the idea of volunteering to be around them does not seem, ehh, humane (because we also volunteer to do yard work).
Regarding the fashion industry, there are many obvious, and not so obvious ways to get involved by working for free! One of the most exciting volunteer opportunities you can be a part of is working on fashion shows. Helping out at a fashion show helps you with your production, organization, design (stage, choreography, promotional materials, etc), and 'dealing with pressure and limited time' skills.
I have gained some experience (that I have touched on during interviews) throughout college (AND in high school; yeah, you should start volunteering that soon). While I wasn't working on the fall/winter Marc Jacobs shows by any means, it does look good to potential employers to see that you have been exposed to a few fashion show elements.
1. the high school shows
local fashion show
My junior year of high school, I was looking at some Facebook fan pages that featured events going on in and around my (small) town in Michigan and saw a call for models for a fashion show with proceeds benefitting a local charity. I immediately replied to the call and ALSO inquired about possible styling opportunities (explaining to them my passion for fashion). The show's producers replied that I was chosen to model and that they could use my help with styling as well as dressing during the show. In case you are unaware, dressers are a key piece of the fashion show puzzle. During a typical fashion show, one model may have 2-3 dressers to help her quickly switch from outfit to outfit & keep the items organized and safe (aka on hangers, off the floor, and untangled).
RESUME LINE:
[Company/Title/Theme] Fashion Show; Stylist/Dresser
school fashion show
My senior year of high school we had a little thing called prom. In addition to prom each year is a prom fashion show. My senior year I decided to volunteer to produce the fashion show. This involves, picking a theme for the show, contacting retailers about borrowing dresses and tuxes, and deciding on decorations, staging, music, lighting, crew, choreography, rehearsals, models, videography, determining a model lineup, securing dressing space, developing promo materials, and hmm, I might be forgetting something.
RESUME LINE:
[School Name] Prom Fashion Show: A Knight on the Catwalk (Knight= school mascot); Producer
*image from http://jilliansformalwearofoh.com
2. the college shows
college fashion show
As I attend a school with a fashion design program, it is a given that we hold an end of the year senior fashion design showcase (fashion show). Because I am a part of the school's fashion association, I was immediately notified of the need for volunteers to work the show as greeters, check-in attendants, and seating attendants the night of the show (the fashion show production class takes care of the production aspects). By volunteering at the school shows, I have met a lot of people including: other fashion students, alumni (working in the industry), donors (people that can make things happen for the school), and many, many people that are seriously interested in what students can accomplish in the industry (=good for me!).
RESUME LINE:
[School Name/Show Title] Fashion Show; Event Assistant
*image from colum.edu
Volunteering is so important; however, because it is, there are as many plum opportunities as there once were.
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