Today we’d like to introduce you to Thy Nguyen.
Thy, can you briefly walk us through your story – how you started and how you got to where you are today.
I have loved fashion ever since I was little and always knew I wanted to work in the fashion industry. I started off dreaming of becoming a fashion designer. I had a sketchbook and tons of papers with designs drawn out on them. I even went around taking design requests from my classmates in sixth grade and sketching out clothes for them. As the years progressed, I took a sewing class, realized that I hated sewing and measurements and changed my route. We had a career day in high school where a contributing editor from a fashion magazine came and spoke to us about her job. I clicked with every word she was saying and decided to start pursuing that. I loved both writing and fashion, so it seemed like the ultimate dream job. I knew someone that worked at Phoenix Fashion Week and reached out to her. I was able to land a role as a contributing writer to their blog. I ended up writing two articles that were published on their website.
Throughout college, I worked with a now-famous fashion blogger and stylist writing articles for her, was a campus brand representative for Cosmopolitan Magazine, went to Phoenix Fashion Week a few times as a blogger and worked for an entertainment magazine. Working for the entertainment magazine developed my passion for the field. I acquired skills as a social media coordinator for the magazine, learned what I could, packed my bags and moved to LA in hopes of working for a fashion magazine.
Once I moved to LA, I was able to land an internship with a fashion PR company as a Media intern while also working at restaurants as a hostess. All of my dreams had started to come true. Shortly after, I met the editor-in-chief of Style & Society magazine at an event and decided to reach out to her. Before I knew it, I was on the team. That was about a year and. A half ago and my life hasn’t been the same since. I’m so grateful for the opportunity to be a part of the team and I’m excited to see where it goes from here!
Overall, has it been relatively smooth? If not, what were some of the struggles along the way?
I wish I could say it’s been a smooth road, but it was and still is a challenge. Living in LA is difficult and expensive. I had to juggle unpaid internships and working at a restaurant. It was challenging because I wanted to soak in and enjoy all nine hours of working with a fashion PR company every day. However, it was definitely taking a toll on my bank account because I was at the internship five days a week working for free while also needing to pay rent. Luckily, I had saved up before and was allowed myself to have some wiggle room. My advice for other young women who are just starting out on their journey would be to not give up, manage your time wisely, make sure you don’t settle for a job you won’t be happy at, and be open-minded about opportunities that come your way! Take risks and chances because it could lead to something even better you imagined!
We’d love to hear more about your work.
I work with Style & Society attending events, assist in producing social media content, and write articles for the magazine! I specialize in social media coordination and writing/fashion blogging. On top of that, I have my own blog that I’m starting to develop. The thing I’m most proud of is how far I’ve come since I moved. I’ve experienced things I could never even imagine for myself. As far as Style & Society goes, it’s very versatile. It’s not just a fashion magazine. It’s fashion, lifestyle, food, travel, film and everything else in between! The two things that set me apart from others are being Asian and being genuine. Although there are a lot of Asian people working in the fashion and entertainment industry, I still feel the numbers could be higher. Working in the industry has also opened my eyes to the behind the scenes of the fashion/entertainment industry. It’s hard to come across genuine people and scenarios.
Looking back on your childhood, what experiences do you feel played an important role in shaping the person you grew up to be?
Most definitely. I had a great childhood and I’ve learned a lot from all the experiences I had growing up. One of the strongest qualities I gained is optimism. It’s important to look at the positive aspects and count your blessings!
Contact Info:
- Email: [email protected]
- Instagram: @icedthy94
Image Credit:
Style & Society Magazine, Shelly (IG: @shotbyshelly)
Suggest a story: VoyageLA is built on recommendations from the community; it’s how we uncover hidden gems, so if you or someone you know deserves recognition please let us know here.
