Alumni Spotlight: Jane Terrell
Q&A with FSF Alumna, Jane Terrell, Kidswear Strategist AT Fashion Snoops
1. How would you describe your personal style in three words?
Unique looks > labels
2. What is the biggest lesson you have learned, through your experience with FSF?
Say yes to every opportunity.
3. The future of fashion is _____.
Genuine collaboration for sustainable solutions.
4. Can you tell us about a project you've worked on recently that you're particularly proud of?
In November I led a SS 26 Seasonal Narrative trend report called “Wave Pool” which explores the future direction of western and cowboy influences through the lens of multi-functional vacation and swimwear in a desert setting. Starting from a collection of inspiration images, we use our own research and intuition to determine where this aesthetic will go next. To showcase these emerging trends, I collected a range of existing apparel, accessories, and footwear imagery that feels elevated and unique.
We aim to help guide our clients in how to move forward as trends transform while staying true to their brand identity. Tying in cultural motivations helps us to ground our predictions in reality, providing logical reasoning alongside design inspiration that evokes deeper feeling, going beyond topical fads.
5. Who or what has had the biggest influence on your fashion journey so far?
FSF has absolutely made the biggest impact on my journey through the fashion industry, as both a scholar and current alum. After my first win in 2018, I found an internship in dancewear (an area of the industry close to my heart) through FSF, and was able to use the scholarship money to study abroad in London for a semester. Winning in 2019 allowed me to live in NYC during an unpaid summer internship that led to my current job. As a finalist in 2020, the additional scholarship money helped me survive during the pandemic as a recent graduate in an incredibly uncertain world, as well as find industry connections while looking for full-time work.
I’ve found job connections, advice, and friends through FSF and am excited to see where else these opportunities will take me in the future; it has opened up a reliable community that I am constantly thankful I made the effort to get involved in during school. I truly do not know where I would be without the FSF community!
6. What role do you see mentorship playing in the fashion industry's future, and how has it impacted your career?
I think open communication on the realities of the industry through mentorship is incredibly valuable to all involved. Allowing this exchange of information between experienced professionals and those entering the workforce opens up an area that feels rather inaccessible to many just starting out.
Mentorship also allows those higher up in the industry to hear first-hand about the current environment for emerging talent and the struggles faced by those trying to enter the industry during economic and political turmoil, fostering open communication between all levels of the industry to create a more fair environment.
Being able to get an inside look on what works when building your career and how to deal with unfamiliar situations from those who have navigated them successfully is inspiring and reassuring, and I look forward to continue forming mentor/mentee relationships as my own career grows.
7. Any upcoming projects you'd like to plug?
I will be presenting takeaways from our Kids FW 25/26 Seasonal Narratives and running one-on-one meetings in-person at Playtime Paris in late January!