The Other Side: Insight from the Fashion Industry with Cara Brand
The Other Side: Insight from the Fashion Industry with Cara Brand
By: Kate Abraham
A day in the life of Cara Brand is never dull.
An Atlanta native, Brand has proven her talent and success through many positions she has held at well-known fashion brands and forward-thinking companies.
Her love for fashion has been there from the very beginning. She says, "I've loved fashion for as long as I can remember! My mom has a great sense of style, so I think it's always been a part of my life."
Her career began in a way many would not expect. Majoring in Art History at the University of Virginia, Brand was drawn to the more creative and visual jobs. Following her graduation, Brand immediately landed her first job in New York City in the Meatpacking District at Knoll, a company specializing in designing and planning residential and workspaces and furniture. There, she was able to work alongside the furniture and textile design teams, further building her skill set.
In August of 2012, an opportunity presented itself to Brand at the Metropolitan Museum of Art. She made the move, which was incredibly exciting because of her overwhelming love for art. She served as the Associate Special Events Coordinator, where she was able to plan and execute many of the fabulous events hosted at the museum.
Little did she know that her position at the MET would lead her into a career in the fashion industry.
As an event coordinator, Brand had a very active role in planning the annual MET Galas. Through her responsibilities with this event, she was able to work alongside many Vogue employees, also working to prepare this famous and prestigious event down to the very last detail.
When the night of the 2014 gala arrived, the energy was astounding. This night was memorable for many due to the iconic "Charles James: Beyond Fashion" theme chosen to celebrate the incredibly talented designer Charles James and his standout designs. But, the night was significantly memorable to Cara for another reason.
The Gala took place on May 5, 2014 - Cinco de Mayo. Brand happened to be in the same room as the West Coast editor for Vogue, Lisa Love. Brand overheard Love wondering where she could find tequila at the event, especially for that specific holiday. Brand knew where the excess alcohol was stored at the MET for situations such as this. She immediately called for a case of tequila to be delivered. Brand approached Love and informed her of the tequila's arrival while apologizing for the inconvenience and confusion caused.
Love looked Brand up and down and said, "Come work for me in Los Angeles."
Brand thought it was not a serious offer, but sure enough, she received a call from Love two days later following up on the proposal. Brand quickly accepted this once-in-a-lifetime opportunity and made a move out to Los Angeles, where she began to work as a West Coast Events Associate. This position was anything but ordinary.
When describing what a typical day in the life looked like for her while working at Vogue, Brand says, "One thing I love about working in events is that no two days ever look the same! It is always a mix of running to site visits, meeting with vendors, building guest lists, double and triple-checking invitations, and other event printed materials for spelling and grammatical errors, and collaborating with inhouse teams like PR, fashion, editorial, and digital."
Event planners must have a very organized personality because so many aspects must be scrutinized to successfully plan and execute the event, especially a Vogue event.
"I also always try my best to keep up to date on cultural happenings for building guest lists and brainstorming potential co hosts…like which musicians have new albums coming out, artists with exhibitions opening up, actors starring in new Broadway shows or movies, athletes who just won a major championship, and celebrities that recently broke up or started dating. There are always last-minute fires with events, some big and others small, that can upend an entire day into a frantic rush. And then there are the events themselves! So being onsite at the actual events I help produce and also going to other industry events to get a feel for what others are doing and interested in."
Following her time working for Vogue at the Los Angeles office, Brand made the move back to New York City in June of 2016, where she continued to work for Vogue as a Special Events Manager. She proved her outstanding ability to coordinate and was later promoted to Director of Special Events.
After spending almost five years at Vogue, Brand accepted an offer at Moda Operandi, a well-known online luxury fashion retailer, as the Director of Brand Experiences. She held this position until the COVID-19 pandemic came around, which was when she found out that she was pregnant. She and her husband decided to move to Oxford, Mississippi, temporarily to escape from the chaos surrounding the COVID-19 pandemic and to begin raising their daughter safely. Oxford is also the current home to Brand's mother, Patti Sanders, the beloved housemother for the Chi Omega Sorority on campus at the University of Mississippi. This situation is ideal for Cara to be close to her mother during the first few months of her child's life, all the while having a slower-paced, quieter place to live while considering her family's next steps.
Having a little girl is also such a fun experience for Brand, "since my mom has saved a lot of my old baby clothes, we've had so much fun dressing her up in some of the things I used to wear. Her love for fashion is budding!"
Brand intends to move back to New York City and return to the industry again when it is entirely safe for her family to return. With so many amazing experiences and memories, it would be impossible for her to stay away from the fashion industry for too long.
When explaining some of her most memorable experiences, she says, "Working at Vogue I got to meet some of the most creative people and went to great parties! Sitting in on creative meetings and learning about what would be featured in upcoming issues was always one of the highlights; it was like looking into a secret crystal ball."
Brand attended many Met Galas and doing so experienced moments she will never forget.
"I also always loved wearing an outfit to a party and running into the designer who designed it. One of my favorite moments was at the Met Gala one year when I wore a Valentino dress and walked past Mr. Valentino himself. We had a very cool moment!"
Her experiences working at Vogue and Moda Operandi are those that many dream of having. If anyone knows the ins and outs of the industry, it is Cara Brand.
"She advises those who aspire to be in her position one day, saying, "Stay flexible and be open to all sorts of opportunities, especially freelance gigs and internships to get your foot in the door. Don't feel discouraged if you don't get your dream job at first, but rather take a job that could lead to your dream job down the road. Fashion moves fast, and a lot of times, you don't know what you need until the very second you need it. Let's say you're an unpaid intern at a company one day, they might need to hire a full-time assistant the next day, and if you're there and have done a good job, that position could go to you. Also, always be confident and be kind."
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