From Nowhere To The Top – How To Start A Career In Fashion

The world of fashion is thrilling, inspiring and glamorous — but also incredibly daunting if you’ve chosen to make it your career. It’s easy to be overwhelmed by the front row frenzy and big names, especially if you’re starting from scratch and have nothing but your skills and passion to recommend you.

Hungry for a creative career that takes you everywhere, but feel like you’re stuck going nowhere? You’re not alone. Long before they became front row regulars and catwalk creatives, many of the style bloggers and industry influencers you admire were 'nowhere' too — striking out from square one with a dream and the willingness to take a chance.

The journey to that dazzling, jet-set fashion career nearly always starts from nowhere, unless you happen to be related to fashion royalty. For the vast majority of us, it's your talent, creative eye and the connections you make along the way that get you a priority boarding pass to success.

Trine Kjær, a Copenhagen-based style icon, fashion stylist and influencer, is a perfect example of someone who made the leap from nowhere without a safety net — and she hasn’t looked back since. A creative spirit raised in the Danish coastal city of Aarhus, Trine left school determined to turn her love of fashion into a sustainable career. The optimist in her saw that a lifelong passion would make for rewarding work; her self-doubt made her worry that living outside the big fashion capitals would be a setback. Ultimately, she resolved not to overthink her ambitions and focused instead on using her unique skills to make a name for herself. Now, she’s found global success and is relishing the chance to inspire others with her style.

It’s a job that requires a killer wardrobe and tons of travel — not to mention superior packing skills. When you’re racking up air miles as you jet off to the next fashion show and seek out the world’s best street style, you need wear-anywhere outfits that are travel-friendly, lightweight and versatile. Luckily, Trine is a master at mixing and matching different styles and colours as she heads out on her sartorial adventures. Her biggest styling advice: Don’t overthink it — just wear it.

We met Trine in Berlin to unlock a few more of her fashion and career secrets — from how to break it big in the biz to her tricks for stomping her way around the globe with confidence and style. Together with adidas Originals, Trine has pulled together some chic yet comfortable travel looks worthy of any fashionista, including the new adidas Originals Taekwondo, aka the perfect travel trainer. Lightweight. Easy. Comfortable. Effortless. Classy. Check out Trine's bold styling for this soon-to-be iconic trainer.

After I finished high school I had a hard time figuring out what I wanted to do when I grew up. I knew I wanted to do something with fashion, because that’s always been my main interest. I thought about studying design or journalism or getting an internship as a stylist, but what I really wanted was to find some way to combine these interests. One day – this was back in 2008 – I came across a Swedish fashion blog. I didn’t even know what a blog was back then, but I just instantly knew that this was what I was going to do. Three hours later I had my own blog.

I actually didn’t really think about it – I just started sharing my daily outfits. Within a really short time, I got a lot of readers. But then I realised that it was a bit creepy that a lot of people could see my face on the internet. This was before Instagram, so it wasn’t normal to share pictures of yourself online back then.

Ever since I was a child I’ve wanted to create my own business. The idea of being your own boss and turning your biggest hobby into work was such a motivation for me.

I believe that some women tend to overthink and worry too much. Your product or service doesn't have to be perfect before you share it with the world.

When I started in the fashion industry I didn’t live in the capital, and that was definitely challenging sometimes because I didn’t have access to the same shops as a girl in Copenhagen. That challenged me to be more creative and I solved the 'problem' by wearing a lot of secondhand clothes; thrift shops are often way better in smaller cities. Plus, the world is so global now because of the internet, and that has made the fashion industry much more democratic. Many of the biggest bloggers in the world don’t come from big cities.

In Copenhagen, we always have to be a bit practical when we dress because we bike around town. The weather here is always changing and that’s why a lot of Scandis are so-called masters of layering. To me, layering and wearing comfy shoes like trainers are the keys to being stylish yet practical.

Everything in my everyday wardrobe matches perfectly with trainers, like jeans, a T-shirt and a blazer paired with trainers, or a colourful skirt worn with a knit top and trainers. I have a soft spot for trainers paired with festive outfits, like a sparkly dress or a suit. It makes the look a bit cooler and more understated.

To me, it’s all about not overthinking it. When I style an outfit, I go with my intuition and I’m never afraid of pairing colours or prints that don’t usually work well together. I’m always in search of new ways to combine colours and I take pictures all the time on my phone of great colour combos when I walk around the city. If you’re afraid of colours and prints, my best advice is to combine them with denim, which somehow tones down the print or colour.

Instagram and Pinterest are my best friends. They’re both an endless source of inspiration. Other than that, I love travelling and experiencing different cities and cultures. I also find a lot of inspiration by watching movies. The other day, I rewatched one of my favourite movies, Leon, and I found so many great outfit ideas.