9 Leaders in Fashion on the Best Career Advice They've Ever Received

Career advice can be given to you by your family, your friends, and even your co-workers, but it's something special to receive career advice from some of the most well-established professionals in their fields. Today, that's exactly what you're going to get. Thanks to a little help from the Create & Cultivate team, we were able to tap nine leaders in the fashion industry on the best career advice they've ever received. So take notes, people—this is about to get good.

This year, Create & Cultivate teamed up with Chevrolet on their list of 100 influential women that are breaking boundaries and finding new roads within their respective careers. To no one's surprise, many of those women are making moves in the world of fashion specifically, and we're about to hear which nuggets of wisdom they repeated to themselves to get where they are today. Ahead, you'll be hearing from women who work in a variety of fields and roles, including CEOs, designers, influencers, and more.

"I was standing on the floor of one of the two restaurants I helped managed when the owner (a tall intimidating, important man whom I never said no more than three words to) walked up to me and said, 'Hi! You're what I'd like to call a utility player. Keep up the good work.' I didn't understand what he meant then, so I looked it up. I played with the words a lot in my head, and they even encouraged me to start my own projects and business. I started out as the office manager, then took charge of operations and service. I could be behind the scenes and on the floor to make sure our patrons were treated well. But the well-being of my staff was also a priority. I was also very vocal about ways we should approach marketing and social media. I took his compliment and pushed it into everything I was doing. I went out of my comfort zone and became that utility player he saw in me and found all the things I loved doing. And I'm still learning to be a better one as I build my team."

"'Go big or go home' is something my dad is always telling me and which helps me get fear out of the way, but the best advice I actually just heard recently from the founder of Patagonia, Yvon Chouinard, is to let the customer build and determine your demand. I think it's so important to grow organically and build a brand step by step, which is why I won't take on investors."

"Very early on in my career, I went to a life coach who gave me this advice: Have an attitude of gratitude. Instead of focusing on what I didn't like, she wanted me to make lists about what I was grateful for at work! Putting my energy toward thinking about what was working well, what positive aspects I admired about others, and how lucky I was to have the opportunities I had was life-changing. By looking for positive aspects and being grateful, I magically found I had more things to be grateful about. Being grateful is something that set me on the path to having a career I love, a business that brings me so much joy, and achieving more than I ever imagined."

"Remember to be kind to everyone you meet along the way and always remain humble."

"The best career advice I've ever received actually is from my husband, who told me to make a decision and move on. It's very important to trust your instincts and be confident in the decisions you make but also to realize you will make good and bad decisions but being decisive is more important."

"Stay persistent and creative and don't worry about how long it takes to achieve your goals. All that matters is that you never give up and never stop trying, because the future you is dependent on the you today."

"I have this note from my dad framed on my wall that says, 'Savor every moment because when you look back on it, you will remember something good about it even though it seems stressful now.' My sweet daddio, Patrick Leone."

"The best career advice I ever received was from Nina Garcia (now the editor in chief of Elle magazine) back in 2011 during NYFW when I was a new blogger, just five months after starting Girl With Curves. I asked her what made her pursue her passion and explained how I was struggling with my full-time career in tech at the same time as running my blog. She said pursue your passions at all costs, and the rest will follow. If you love it enough, you'll make it work, and everything will fall into place. Less than a year later, I left my career in tech and was running GWC full-time—that was over five years ago!"

"Be kind to everyone, always. It's the best career and life advice you will ever receive."

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