An Exclusive Interview On Fashion With Noelle Reno
By FashionUnited
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Noelle Reno is no stranger to the fashion industry. In fact, she has appeared on multiple TV
But how did she get there? What did she do? And most importantly, what can you learn from her experience? Let’s find out…
Q: Hi Noelle, thank you so much for taking the time out to answer some of our questions! Obviously FashionUnited and MyEventBucket are extremely excited to have you speak at our first #fashion networking event in London in May. According to your biography you started a babysitting agency at the age of 10. That is quite significant. Can you tell us more about that?
A: I still can't believe people let me look after their kids when I was such a kid! Yes, "star" babysitting was born out of what I saw as supply and demand – lots of very young kids in my neighbourhood. It was great pocket money and no taxes!
Q: No taxes, huh? Pretty good! It sounds like you discovered your entrepreneurial flair at quite a young age. This became more apparent later on down the line when you became a model in Tokyo at the age of 14. How did you achieve this? And what did you do to get there?
A: I consider this more ambitious than successful. Our next door neighbour's mother was a model. She said I should get in to modelling. I knew I wanted to achieve many things in my life and this could be a launch pad. I wanted to get out of suburbia. I got placed with a modelling agency in Seattle (my hometown). Elite LA scouted me from their local modelling agency. At the same time, my Seattle/local agent suggested I do what many young girls at the time were doing – spend my summer break in Tokyo. My mother came with me.
We stayed in the tiniest apartment that ever was. I was terrified the first few days then got in to the groove of going to castings and shoots everyday. I was very homesick and half of the time longed to be back home doing 'normal' things. I believe to be successful and get what you want, it is not an easy path. You need to be willing to be uncomfortable and make sacrifices that most people would find too difficult. I made a bit of money from it, but more so, it was the experience and learning how to manage myself.
Q: That sounds quite fascinating but its good that you learned these lessons at such a young age. Tell us about the transition from being a model to launching ‘Degrees of Freedom?’ Do you still own a share in the business and does the brand still exist?
A: I sold my 49% stake in Degrees of Freedom in 2008. That has given me the financial independence to pursue projects I want. I met my ex fiance in LA through mutual friends whilst I was modelling. I moved to London, eventually, to be with him. I transferred to Regents College and whilst I was there he suggested I would be very good at running a fashion business. His ex's included Tamara Mellon and Tory Burch so he knew what he was talking about. I had an idea, took the leap to follow it, and it was immediately well received.
Q: It's great that you had such a good level of encouragement which can really help! Not long after that, you teamed up with Zandra Rhodes for her debut partnership so it sounds like you have quite a significant CV with regards to designing and launching fashion brands. What was different with this range to the Degrees of Freedom and do you still design now?
A: DoF was cashmere and silk/cashmere blends. Z by ZR was print based jersey fabrics. One was new/no heritage, and the other was drawing on and exploiting heritage. Very different brands. I’ve taken a backseat at being a Creative Director in the last few years to pursue my TV presenting projects. The last design project I did was a capsule range for the Playboy Club.
Q: The Playboy Club? Cool! Not everybody gets to do that… But since then, you seem to have taken a back foot with the designs and focused your energy on presenting for a lot of fashion programs and TV channels instead; in particular Fashion TV as well as writing a lot of content for various publications. Would you say this has helped to boost your resume?
A: In this day and age you have to be as forward facing as possible. Social media has changed everything- people expect to get to know you through media. I love TV presenting as I love people, learning, exploring, and the camera. However, it has also served as boosting my profile which I know will greatly service my future endeavors in business.
Q: Very true. The world is a rapidly changing place. So what are your future plans? Will you ever design and launch a brand again?
A: It's looking like 2014 will be the year I've spent the last couple years building towards! I’m starring in a new tv series for one of the world’s biggest networks. The press embargo will be lifted next month then I can discuss it freely. I have another very exciting project in the early stages of development – it’s a mixture of content and commerce which is my passion and my strong suit.
Q: It sounds like you have some exciting things in the pipeline. Thanks for the great answers! Last but not least, what advice would you give to our readers that want to start a career in the fashion industry or launch their own business in this day and age? Where can they start?
A: Fashion is best learned from experience – Uni can't teach you much. Get work experience first – don't try to go it on your own to start. Further, don't go it alone unless you feel there is no other option. Making a living from your passion as an entrepreneur is extremely difficult. Finally, there is very little money in fashion. Be prepared for this.
So it would appear that being proactive and adapting to a constantly changing industry has been the key to Noelle's success. From babysitting to modelling to designing to presenting, she has moved with the times, put herself out there and been willing to take risks and try new things. Most importantly, she has embraced social media and used it to her advantage. She now has a wealth of knowledge and experience in the industry because of the decisions she has made.
Want to find out more about Noelle and listen to her speak? FashionUnited has teamed up with MyEventBucket to bring you the hottest new event this year, for #fashion professionals only. Meet your peers, network, gain inspiration and above all the motivation to take your career to the next level. Whether you're a student or an industry hot-shot, you won't want to miss this! Noelle is featuring at our first event in May. Tickets are available here. Get them while you can!