Alumni
Grad Credits FIDM Career Center For Her Success at Amazon
Joanna Lee just graduated in September with her degree in Apparel Industry Management and is already working at Amazon in Los Angeles as a stylist. She found out about the opportunity from her FIDM Career Advisor, Simona Williams. “I’m forever grateful to FIDM for being my school and will be forever grateful to my career advisor, Simona, for always believing in me and supporting me with every risk I take,” she said. “She’s been a part of every step of the way in my whole FIDM career and she still is. Simona has introduced me to so many internship and job opportunities. She truly cares for you and it shows. If I never made my first appointment with Simona, I would not be here today working at Amazon as one of their new stylists.” We caught up with Joanna to learn more.
Tell us a little about yourself: I’m a Korean-American—born in Seoul, South Korea, and raised in Los Angeles, California. I have a strong belief that nothing in life comes for free, and hard work does pay off, but that does not by any means mean to neglect ourselves for our end goal. There was a quote in the Netflix series Emily in Paris where Luc said, “Americans live to work,” and I couldn’t agree more. The hustle culture is glorified in LA, and needs to be toned down. Self-care is important and it’s okay to not be busy. It’s okay to go at your own pace. Live life doing what you love doing regardless of income, regardless of social pressure, and regardless of what everyone else thinks. If it makes you happy, you’re already one step ahead of everyone. I hope that personal mantra gave you guys a snippet of who I am.
Tell us about your position as a Prime Stylist at Amazon: As a stylist, I’m constantly trying to create the best outfits for my customers. Every day, I style different customers and pick outfits that I think will match their style and personality. They have the option to leave me a little description of their preferences and likes/dislikes and I put together their outfits based on that. I love how it activates both my creative and fashion sides.
What do you love about your work? I love that it allows me to explore the interests and taste of different people. I style men’s at Amazon and I never thought I’d be styling men’s because my whole life, I focused on women’s fashion and trends, but I have to say men’s styling is simple yet so enjoyable. Some men prefer flamboyant pieces that make them stand out of the crowd and some men want loungewear they can wear in and out of the house. I never know what kind of customers I’m going to be styling so there’s a thrill in that.
It's so impressive that you secure your position during the pandemic. How did you make yourself stand out from the competition? I’m a go-getter. Once I set my mind to something, I make sure to try everything I can in my ability to secure whatever it is that I want. Same goes with my position at Amazon. When the pandemic happened, it was really important for me to not approach anything in a negative light because the energy I put out was the energy I was going to attract. When Simona Williams, my all time favorite advisor, reached out to me about the position at Amazon, I did not hesitate to take on the challenge. After applying for the job through Career Center, I reached out to Simona so she could provide me with the hiring agency’s email so that I could introduce myself to them and get my foot in the door. That’s my pro tip—after applying for a job, always see if you can find their LinkedIn account or email to get your name familiarized. You make yourself stand out by letting the recruiters know that you really want the position they’re offering. Show them that you’re willing to take that extra step to get that position everyone else wants.
Why did you choose FIDM? I’ve been a fashion nerd all my life and I knew it was the path I wanted to take, but was always unsure of how to pave it. After high school, I was stuck with my future so I decided to attend a community college first and see where life would take me from there. I don’t remember clearly how I landed on the FIDM Career Quiz page one day, but that’s where everything started. I remember when I was taking that career quiz, I felt a huge rush of adrenaline because I was so excited to know my results. FIDM had so much to offer and it checked EVERYTHING off on my list of what I wanted to learn. On top of that, my Admissions Advisor Angela Tomei was so friendly and helpful throughout my whole transition phase that it made me trust FIDM and be eager to start.
How do you feel FIDM prepared you for what you are doing now? FIDM has offered many classes that have helped me make my position at Amazon easier. When styling, it is important to know what the trend is for that season, what kind of fabric is appropriate, silhouettes that look good on different customers, which colors complement each other, etc. FIDM made it so that I had all that knowledge going into my job and it makes my life easier having all this information.
How did you decide on your major? I’ve always loved the business side of fashion. Apparel Industry Management covered both my interests and desires - business and fashion. When I took that career quiz, I got two results: Apparel Industry Management and Merchandising & Marketing. It was a tough pick because both had attractive characteristics, but I imagined myself in the future and what I would want to be doing and my heart immediately went to Apparel Industry Management.
How are you staying creative during this pandemic, with everything so disrupted? Ever since the pandemic happened, I’ve been reading A LOT more self-improvement and business books, lowering my weekly average for screen time, and listening to inspirational podcasts. I know some of you may read this and say BORING because trust me, I was like that too, BUT I’m telling you it works. Everything you watch, read, listen to, the people you interact with, the foods you eat, all affect you unnoticeably. The more I was paying attention to the things around me, the clearer my vision started to get, leading me to get more creative with my work.
Any advice for current FIDM Students who are doing remote and online learning? Oh yes! Get your caffeine in and find yourself a comfortable spot. I know FIDM classes can get looonngg. Two hours and 45 minutes, 6 hours for sewing classes, and sometimes back-to-back. Oh my gawd. Trust me, I’ve been there before. I found that time went by faster when I actually participated in my classes. Also, having a morning routine before your first class really helps too so that you’re not jumping onto your Zoom class RIGHT when you wake up and feeling groggy. I’ve done that before too, but class is so much more exciting after having breakfast, coffee, and showering.
What is your biggest goal right now? My biggest goal would be to be my own boss - passive income, leisure of time, and making my own rules. Run a successful business and be a great entrepreneur. Sounds like a dream!! I’ve been in the works of creating my own business and it’s coming together piece by piece and I cannot wait to launch it.
Anything else you’d like to share? I know that this time can be really tough with all the restrictions, everything being cancelled, and not knowing what our future is going to look like, but I want to remind everyone that everything really happens for a reason. We may not see it now, but you’ll look back to it and realize why things happened the way they did. I truly believe what’s yours will ALWAYS be yours so there isn’t a reason to stress about it. What’s meant for you will be for you tomorrow and the day after. Trust the process and enjoy the journey. ALSO, TAKE ADVANTAGE OF RESOURCES AT FIDM. FIDM offers amazing resources. To name a few, an account at WGSN, Adobe, and the Career Center. Seriously, reach out to your career advisor. It makes your journey at FIDM smoother and more profitable. I wouldn’t have been here today without my career advisor, Simona Williams.
Keep up with Joanna Lee on Instagram @joannayeonlee.
Categories: Apparel Industry Management Alumni
