For a dash of humility, hustle, and honesty, get to know Allure Accessories Director Nicole Chapoteau in our latest Breaking Into Fashion interview.
Hudson Valley Native Nicole “always had a love of architecture, but fashion was always in [my] body.” After attending NYU in New York with a degree in African-American History, Urban Design and Architecture, and a minor in French (#talented), Nicole took a role at an architecture firm for two years, learning the ropes of graphic design and architecture. Always at work and with long hours at the office, Nicole realized that “this [role] was not for [her].” A sobering experience witnessing 9/11 caused Nicole to leave New York to take the time to determine what she truly loved and wanted to do with her career.
After a brief hiatus, she began taking classes at New York’s Fashion Institute of Technology in Merchandising with a game plan to enter the fashion industry. Along the way she worked an internship at Marie Claire while still taking courses at FIT. At the end of her summer, the role for Assistant Accessories Editor opened up. Simultaneously, Nicole received an offer to join the prestigious buying program at Neiman Marcus in Dallas, Texas. At a career crossroads yet again, Nicole opted for Marie Claire and eventually moved to Allure as Associate Accessories Editor, InStyle as Accessories Editor, and back to Allure to join as Accessories Director.
Her career advice: “You have to do what you love. We spend most of our lives at work…so if you’re not doing something that you’re passionate about, you’re just going through the motions.” She continued, “your age isn’t important… it is what you put into it. This is an industry that is very age-driven, but if people see your drive, you can learn…you will make sacrifices.” For those looking to transition into fashion, Nicole shared, “you need to put a plan in place, get savings in order, figure out a schedule and follow your dreams.”
With such an influential position at Allure, I wanted to get Nicole’s take on mentorship. She is an avid supporter of other editors of color and listed a whole array of men and women she is influenced and inspired by, including Samira Nasr, Robin Givhan, Edward Enninful, Paul Cavaco, Shiona Turini, Rajni Jacques, Nikki Ogunnaike, Elaine Welteroth, Danielle Prescod, and more! She highlighted the importance of “find[ing] your crew in this industry that can motivate you;” she “tries to know [of] every editor of color as [there are] not a lot of us!”
For her beauty routine, Nicole “has worn [her] hair natural since the 90s” and claims “mascara, blush, and bronzer will go so far to brighten [her] up” when getting her family ready at 6:45 am. I admire her beauty philosophy of starting from the inside-out; what she consumes and puts on her skin and hair are of vital importance to her, especially as a mother of two daughters. Beauty faves for Nicole include: Mielle Organics, Camille Rose Naturals, and Oyin Handmade.
When asked about #blackgirlmagic, she offered, “I was raised by women of color – my mom, my grandmother, and my aunts were strong women who instilled in [me] that [I] could do anything. I grew up in a small town and I was [one of few] black girls. I am teaching [my] daughters that because of our culture, whether the Caribbean, the Americas or abroad, people of color have gone through so much…that we can overcome anything. We have this special glimmer we can put on everything, we are what makes it amazing.”
My final question for Nicole, what would she do with $20 on a Saturday in New York City, New York? Her answer: “I would take [our] car into the city [from Queens] and go to Dough in Bed Stuy to get these donuts that are LIFE! They are $2-something each and we will buy 4 doughnuts: my husband gets 1, I get 1, my [oldest] daughter gets 1, and my husband and I will split the 4th one. After, we’ll go to this coffee shop to get coffee.” Sounds like a super Saturday! If you want to learn more about Allure, check it out here and follow @Allure and Nicole on Instagram!
Source: Nicole Chapoteau / Allure