INTERVIEW: Victoria Hunt of The Outcrowd

We interviewed Victoria Hunt, founder of The Outcrowd, to find out more about the services it provides for fashion creatives in the UK.

What is ‘The Outcrowd’?

The Outcrowd, is firstly a platform for fashion creatives to come together and connect, respect, inspire and empower. The Instagram page currently serves as a talent pool to showcase student work and provides a platform to connect students with industry members, and also opens a channel of conversation so I can help and support students.

“In a nutshell, it is the big sister of designers - here to give you inside info, career guidance, motivation, learning, chit chat, love and more.”

The rest of The Outcrowd is you guys, the students and the amazing contributors from industry telling their stories. I want it to be an open space for all levels. A student can have a senior designer for a mentor, or a design manager can have a student for a mentor; they are teaching things in university right now that established designers aren’t trained in - 3D sampling, sustainability for example. Mentoring and learning flows both ways.

“You don't have to be a certain way to be in fashion. You don't have to be in the 'in crowd' to succeed. In a world where famous designers get a huge spotlight and it all seems so glam, we want to shine a light on the masses. We want to include students, graduates, designers, lecturers, artists, freelancers - anyone in fashion. I want them to know they can come to us and grow.”

How did The Outcrowd begin?

The idea was founded by myself. I have been talking about it for years but the project was moving slowly as it is something I do in my spare time. With the fashion students being sent home to study, without access to facilities and so much uncertainty, plus Graduate Fashion Week being cancelled, I knew this was the time to get the page running, if nothing else just to reach out and support the students.

I have always been really passionate about future talent and have worked with universities, guest lecturing and running live briefs, and now my role as a Design Manager lets me grow junior members to their fullest potential by training and mentoring. Students wanted to and deserve to be seen, and we wanted them to know we (the industry) saw them.

As a self-confessed advice giver - I also wanted a platform for people to ask for advice, and for me to post it. A lot of the blog posts and tutorials I am working on are direct requests from people I have spoken to on Instagram.

How will the current circumstances affect my changes of gaining a graduate job?

“The class of 2020 is going to be remembered as the year that persevered, overcame challenges, remained positive and succeeded against the uncertain times.”

I know in future if I have a job application from a 2020 fashion graduate, I will have the utmost respect for them. I put a post on LinkedIn saying if anyone in the fashion industry has been affected by COVID 19 and wants some support, they can email me. I have had so many amazing people reach out, needing support but also to help me with my mission.

I feel there is a huge gap between getting your degree and the realities of industry, as well as the soft skills you need for the job. The Outcrowd provides an inside to the industry, closing that gap. On the website we have a blog with some amazing conversations with recruiters, buyers, designers to shed a light on how they got where they are now - no one path in to the fashion industry is the same and we want to highlight that. I am currently planning a mentoring section, Meet the Outcrowd, with designer profiles and career stories and online tutorials.

What was your journey into the fashion industry like?

My career story began once I graduated. I was interning as a designer for Topshop (unpaid!) 9-5 then at 6 I would start a retail shift at Next until 10pm - that was my life for 6 months! I was sleeping on a friend's sofa until a friend of a friend took pity on me and gave me his spare room for cheap. In this time my new housemate taught me about business and assertiveness and taught me some serious life skills.

At the same time, I had applied for a job and was waiting on an interview. I really really wanted this job, and the designer I interned for one day told me I needed to call them. I thought I can't do that! I can’t just call them and ask for an interview! But (thankfully) she made me and by the end of the day, I had an interview secured and the following week the job was mine!

“Morale of the story is - you never know how the people you meet can change the course of your career.”

This taught me to go out and get what I want and also that a support network is the most important thing. It is that I am hoping to provide with The Outcrowd.

What are you currently working on?

We are showcasing talent on Instagram and will be doing features on the website. We have a section planned for podcasts which I can’t wait to get started; we have some amazing speakers lined up! I just feel in conversation you can delve in to more detail and great topics of conversation come up. I am also planning some Instagram Lives and IGTV.

BUT, when this crazy time is over, we want to launch networking events, industry mixers and get old-fashioned. We are all about face-to-face! We have some big ideas coming up and want to make sure this is our priority.

Can you give any advice to students in final year undertaking Final Major Projects at home?

This is the time to think outside the box, the class of 2020 are already going to be remembered for their resilience and commitment, but use this time wisely.

Think digitally, think of other ways to communicate your work. Stay positive and know everything you have learnt has not gone to waste. The most important thing when applying for a job in design is your portfolio - not your 3D work and as amazing as it is, don't feel like this will hold you back.

Graduate Fashion Week is an incredible event – but it is not the be all and end all. I never showed there, I didn't make any contacts there but I made it to where I am now. Now more than ever is the time to reach out and connect to people. You don't have to be an extrovert (I myself am an introvert, though others would disagree!), a message on LinkedIn can go a long way.

“Ask questions, be bold. Be proactive and put yourself out there.”

Tips for WFH:

- Set yourself small achievable tasks each day

- Download the app Pomodoro (great for focus!)

- Give yourself regular breaks

- Be kind to yourself

- Have fun

- Know better things are coming

- And most importantly, reach out to us when you need a pick me up, we have your back!

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Thank you so much to Victoria for this interview, we really appreciate everything she is doing and can’t wait to see the content she has in store for the next few weeks!

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We hope you have enjoyed this post and check out our self-care advice post for being in isolation.

Be sure to follow us on Instagram @sgfs20 for regular updates. If you have any queries or suggestions, or would like us to showcase your talent, our Instagram DMs are always open, or email us at bandbevents19@gmail.com

For now, stay safe, and see you soon! x