Prior to beginning my long awaited summer vacation, I managed to squeeze in a moment to discuss with junior Hillary Conheady her following on Instagram. Conheady, a rising senior in the fashion-retailing program at UA, uses her Instagram account as a medium to market herself as member of the fashion industry, as well update followers on the current happenings of her life. Through this account, Conheady is able to explore her combined interests in photography and fashion, as well get her name out into the fashion world.
In my time with Hillary, I was able to learn more about her interest in fashion and photography. Conheady began her Instagram account as a junior in high school, except instead of posting endless selfies, she favored artsy images of ferris wheels and flowers. Conheady's full exploration of her interest did not begin until she took a photography course as a sophomore at UA. Throughout this course, Conheady discovered that she had an eye for photography, as well as a great interest in the diversity of the hobby. While most of Conheady's images are from an iPhone camera, she has a greater passion for film photography, because of its more hands-on approach in developing images.
Over the years, Hillary has garnered over four thousand followers, who have remained loyal to the account's adventurous and constantly changing aesthetic. While in previous years Conheady just viewed Instagram as a hobby, currently she utilizes the social media app as a form of personal marketing in the fashion industry. Besides posting frequent Instagrams, to market herself Conheady also tags user accounts of brands, which she features in her images. Furthermore, in the creation of her images, Conheady takes into account the style of other users whom she admires. Some favorite accounts of hers include: BCBG, Elie Saab,Vogue, and Alberta Ferretti. Through this admiration, Hillary has developed an eclectic sense of dress, taking bits and pieces from different styles, while playing with colors and prints that stand out against the grain. Printed bell-bottom pants are one of her favorite trends at the moment as she “has long legs and might as well use them."
Conheady's admiration of designers will be tested this upcoming fall when she, with the chance of the lifetime, is interning for BCBG in New York. This internship is part of the fashion-retailing program, but don't be fooled into thinking that being just being apart of this major will line you up with an amazing internship opportunity. Conheady has been working over her three years at UA to make herself the ideal employee of any fashion house. Hard work paid off for Hillary, as she was able to narrow down her options to the brand at which she spends most of her money: BCBG.
During this internship, besides exploring New York, Hillary will immerse herself into the business side of the fashion industry, specifically for BCBG's brand Hervé Leger. Behind the glamorous façade of fashion brands lies a lot of Excel work, working with look books and the chaotic organization process of products, all of which will fall under Hillary's realm of responsibility. However, this is all worth it to Conheady. By working in New York she has the opportunity to “form new connections, work with beautiful clothes, and live in a city so many others dream about."
Before Hillary takes over New York this fall, she has another amazing opportunity in the form of the Fashion Capitals Tour organized through UA study abroad. This program is exclusive for Fashion Retail majors, and will take the group to New York, London, Paris, and Milan. While touring these fashion capitals, Conheady is excited to learn more about the European culture and sense of style, as it is “so unfamiliar to what we experience in America." Furthermore, by going to countless exhibits and exploring these major cities, Hillary anticipates learning a lot about these foreign destinations. The most exciting part of this experience for Conheady will be the memories she plans to make on this trip. And of course, she plans to document it all via her Instagram account.
