Fashion | Myjourney

ABOUT

ABOUT ME

Hi, I'm Arelis Castillo, a Fashion Merchandising graduate from LIM College. Being from Stamford, CT I immediately wanted to go away for undergrad, so NYC was not on my mind. I ended up in Springfield, MA attending WNEU, and after two years I knew it was not for me. I have always had a passion for fashion and enjoyed the entrepreneurship course I took in high school. This inspired me to search for the perfect school to continue my studies. LIM College, "Where Business Meets Fashion," was the perfect fit. After being accepted and taking courses like Visual Merchandising, Marketing, CAD, and Fashion Merchandising, I knew it would open up many doors. This was the beginning of my life in the fashion industry!

WHAT I'VE DONE

Retail really opened up my eyes to the basic knowledge of what fashion entails. While deciding on what school to attend, I landed a job as a sales associate at Comptoir des Cotonniers. Selling, styling, merchandising, and planning mini events is what showed me the importance of retail in the business of fashion. In the years to come, my experience expanded from being a social media intern to working as a showroom assistant at Wave Atelier Showroom in NYC the following year. I was then offered an internship with 3.1 Phillip Lim, where I completed my full time Senior Co Op. During these great years, I volunteered to continue my journey in fashion. To get "behind the scenes" of the glamorous fashion world, I became a model dresser for Anna Francesca's S/S14 NYFW show. I then participated in market weeks for 3.1 Phillip Lim Pre-Fall & Fall 17 & Alexander Wang S/S18. I took every opportunity that came my way to really get insight on how buyers, merchandisers, wholesale, visuals, and press teams really work together. After graduation, I had landed a position with Saks Off 5th / Gilt.com as a merchandising assistant. What an exciting new way to start, especially with e-comm booming in the fashion world! Since this was a temporary position, I'm excited to see where my next stop will be because my journey does not end here!