At 17 I moved to New York by myself and shortly after was given my first ever opportunity to work in the fashion industry as an intern. I spent countless hours assembling press pulls, sample tracking, steaming, running around garment district with 5 garment bags, assisting on shoots, taking any and every volunteer opportunity on weekends, and going to school full time. I would take vacation days and request time off to work additional gigs, I would browse job opportunities in class, I’d skip school to take interviews, I’ve stayed in office for 52 hours at a time preparing fashion week shows, I’ve cried in office bathrooms, I’ve racked up 35,000 steps a day running errands. I’ve taken semesters off school just to work 3 internships simultaneously, I’ve taught myself how to put together tech packs, illustrate technical flats, communicate with factories in broken Chinese, and take classes over the summer to make up for missing credits. Fashion to me is more than just a week, it’s anticipation, chaos, exhaustion, thrill, and more than anything it was what I loved to do. Not much has changed 5 years later, with more ambition in my heart than ever and the grit and respect that is the fashion industry. Olivia Ponton in @brittanywangny for Harper Bazaar’s ICONS x Bloomingdale’s 150th Anniversary Gala last night in NYC 🖤 #BAZAARICONS Thank you @britt.theodora @alexandra_crown All my dreams are coming true, and this is only the beginning.