Known for her significant influence as the editor-in-chief of Vogue Paris, Carine Roitfeld is a prominent figure in the fashion industry. She established a network of intimate connections and partnerships during her ten years at Vogue that have persisted long after she left the publication.
Roitfeld's statement emphasizes how her career at Vogue was centered on her interpersonal relationships with coworkers and business insiders as much as the work she accomplished. The fashion industry can be compared to a huge garden in which every individual is a different flower, each adding their own fragrance and beauty. By cultivating friendships that covered a range of positions and duties within the industry, Roitfeld tended to this garden.
Roitfeld collaborated closely with photographers, models, designers, and other editors while she was employed at Vogue, fostering an atmosphere where everyone felt appreciated and motivated. Her strategy for creating these connections was similar to sowing friendship seeds and watching them grow into a rich garden full of thriving ties.
Roitfeld kept up her extensive network in the fashion industry even after she left Vogue Paris in 2011. She still supports her former coworkers' careers and frequently works with them on different projects. This long-lasting connection is evidence of the caliber of the connections she made at Vogue and how they have held significance outside of the workplace.
Roitfeld's quotation exemplifies the notion that a successful career involves more than just accomplishments in one's work life; it also involves enduring relationships and friendships formed during the process. These connections can be just as valuable as a business card or industry award, if not more so.