Kent State is notorious for its fashion program, ranked as the second best fashion school in the country. This enables many opportunities for every student who attends the school of fashion.
Ella Holzhei, first-year fashion merchandising student with minors in marketing and sustainability, found an internship before even starting college.
Holzhei applied for an internship with Fashion Talks, a creative agency based in Cleveland, OH, during the summer before her first year at Kent. This agency is considered the first high fashion runway in Cleveland and is notorious for its annual runway shows. However, her internship did not begin until October of her freshman year.
She works as an event logistics intern for Aimon Ali, the founder of Fashion Talks. Her internship is hybrid, meaning some of it is remote work and some is in-person. A typical day for Holzhei consists of responding to emails and setting up meetings with designers.
“I help mainly with designer outreach,” she said. “That just means literally scrolling through the internet, finding college students that are designers, emerging brands, designers that have worked with us before…it’s really cool.”
Another one of Holzhei’s responsibilities is helping to prepare for the annual Fashion Talks runway show, which takes place in June. “A lot of work goes into the show, because it’s a really big deal,” she said. Holzhei also gets to attend New York Fashion Week with Ali to network and help promote Fashion Talks.
Holzhei first discovered Ali through Instagram. Her agency stood out, as it seemed “high-end” and was unlike anything else that was offered in Ohio. She wanted to make the most of her time at Kent, so when she found out about the internship, she jumped at the opportunity.
“I was so shocked that she gave me the job, because… I really didn’t have a ton of industry experience,” Holzhei said. She had experience with some modeling gigs and starting a fashion club at her high school, but she felt like she was not very versed in the world of fashion.
“Aimon is really good at seeing your talent before other people do. She’s got a good gauge of people, and she could tell that I’m really passionate about what I do,” Holzhei said. “When I’m given a task, I put my whole self into it.”
Her favorite part of working with Fashion Talks is getting to see the behind-the-scenes of the runway. Online, it seems so “otherworldly” so she enjoys seeing all the work that goes into shows.
In the future, Holzhei wants to work in marketing and event planning for the runway. The experience Holzhei has gained from her internship cemented the idea that this is something she wants to pursue.
