How to Get There: Betsey Johnson Creative Director of the Dress Department

As a teen, being an adult and choosing a job feels like a dark looming challenge with many obstacles. But it doesn’t have to be that way. Top people in all fields had to start somewhere, right? The mission of the How to Get There series is to explore the journey and simplify the process, therefore bringing it to the growing-up-21st-century audience.

It was a humid July day in the Fashion District when we sat down at her desk, which happened to be inside the sewing room that smelled of freshly pressed garments.

The Position:

I am the creative director for Betsey Johnson’s Dress department at The Levy Group.

The Person Behind it:

Jacqueline Quinn

The Process:

I grew up in Dublin, Ireland. I started getting interested in fashion when I was 13 years old when my dad bought me a sketchbook and colored pencils. It was pouring rain in the Irish countryside so we couldn’t go out. My first sketch was of a woman in a green jumpsuit. To this day I still hate green and jumpsuits, I don’t know why I drew it. I decided from that moment that I wanted to go into fashion.

When I graduated high school I wanted to become Gabrielle Coco Chanel, I didn’t realize how big the fashion world was. I thought I was going to be famous.

I went a year that the Dublin School for Art and Design because my parents could afford to send me there. I learned a lot but I was still unsure about what specific subjects I wanted to study.

I went to London for their Grafton Academy for pattern design. While in college I worked at a couple of companies.

After I graduated I became an intern for Willy Work in New York City. That internship got me into the American market. I then went back to London and stayed there for a few years.

I missed New York City too much so I came back. I worked at a dress house and I loved it. I then began freelancing for a while. Then I worked for Jessica Simpson and her mother. The company that owned Jessica Simpson’s clothing line also owned Guess. So I finished working with Jessica Simpson and began working at Guess. I did well and loved it. Afterwards they bought DKNY from Louis Vuitton and Hennessy. The umbrella company asked me to head up DKNY. The job was really good but I had no personal life and I lost a good friend because he was overworked. I was constantly being interrupted by other designers and heads of this or that department. It made doing my job very very hard. I resigned soon after.

Then my agent told me that The Levy Group had invited me to come in for a meeting and I never left!

Things to Keep in Mind:

I am responsible for the manufacturing the full collection of dresses for both Bestey Johnson and Avec Les Filles. I make sure all of our dresses come in on time for fashion market weeks.

I have a crazy schedule. It is never consistent and no day is the same. My days are filled with model fittings, sketching, looking at fabrics, and meetings in the showroom. I enjoy the way it transforms. I couldn’t do the same thing everyday, I would go insane. My adhd personality works really well with the ups and downs of working in the fashion industry.

I wish I had known that the fashion industry is not as glamorous as I had thought it was going to be. It is hard work. When I was younger I thought people just sketched and it was very calm. If I had known that it was going to be this energetic would I have went into it? I don’t know, but I am glad I did.

Unique Experiences:

I was asked by a friend of mine to help his hair loss pills company. He wanted to advertise in the fashion world but no one wanted to work with him because it wasn’t very glamorous. He sent me boxes and boxes of pills called Vivascal. I had them on my desk for weeks and weeks and I took them out and would look at them and nothing would come to mind.

One day I was at the Frick Museum and I saw a Degas paintings. I realized that his pill boxes and the Degas ballerina paintings had the same palette. I decided I would make a dress out of his boxes and pills. For the tutu of the dress I dyed feathers glued them to pieces of cardboard and for the corset I spray painted the pills onto a frame. I was filmed by a tv company crew who were documenting my hands making the dress. I was later approached by Astele at the Grammy’s who wanted a fun piece so I sent a picture of it. It eventually went to the Grammy’s in Los Angeles. It then was taken to Astele’s Grammy after party at the W Hotel. The money that was raised on the dress was given to her charity. On Youtube you can find the video, it’s called “The Pill Dress”. The dress was completely an accidental success. And after that I did a dress for New Balance Sneakers and a dress for Race for the [Cancer] Cure!

Advice:

Never give up on your dreams. Life can be very cruel sometimes. Business can be very cruel sometimes. Never give up because of negative people. Keep pursuing your dreams and your gut feelings. You will get there.