Entrepreneur and founder of Business Fashion Academy Zeynep Dag shares her best career advice

A piece of advice can completely change the course of one’s career. What career tips have fashion professionals received, and what advice do they have for others? This time, we speak with entrepreneur, footwear designer, and founder of the Business Fashion Academy in the Netherlands and the brand Alzúarr, Zeynep Dag.

What is the best career advice you have ever received?

When I was eighteen, I participated in a styling competition by Elle. I made it to the final five and was invited to the headquarters. There, I got to speak with the editor-in-chief, who asked me about the fashion brands I had used for the assignment. To be honest, I couldn’t say much. I didn’t know enough about the designers. She told me: "We can see you have talent, but you also need depth. You need to communicate substance."

I ran to the newsstand, bought every fashion magazine I could find, and started cutting and googling. Since then, my fashion knowledge has been on point.

I found this advice incredibly valuable. You can have skill, but there must also be substance. Everything I do today has that foundation. It helped that I received this advice at a young age.

How has this advice influenced your career?

As an entrepreneur, you eventually deal with larger budgets. You think: The organisation is growing, you have more staff — I can handle the whole world. It’s tempting to spend freely because the resources are there. I still see this happening in many large organisations.

I believe you’re only a good entrepreneur if you know that you can spend money only once. So, as a company, we always ask ourselves: Why are we doing this? If we can’t explain it in one sentence, we don’t go through with it. This foundation needs to be strong.

What advice do you often give others?

People often ask, "How do you keep going?" My answer: It’s my passion. The follow-up question is often, "How can I discover my passion?" My advice is to dedicate a week, 24 hours a day, to something you enjoy. For example, if someone wants to work with jewellery or handbags. If, after a week, they tell me, "I’m still excited," then that’s likely their passion. Passion runs in your blood.

This article was originally published on FashionUnited.NL, translated from Dutch into English with the help of an AI-tool and edited by Veerle Versteeg.