NAME: Julia Kalachnikoff
Position / Job title?: Accessories Director, Lucky
When you were a kid, what did you want to be when you grew up?
An archaeologist. I was obsessed with ancient Egypt.
Fast-forward several years/decades. How did you land (or create) your current position?
Internships! I interned starting my sophomore year- I studied Photography at Parsons but half way through my BFA I wanted to explore other creative career options. I interned at the now-defunct Raygun music magazine, I worked for the curator of contemporary arts at the Brooklyn Museum, I did odd jobs working for small designers and at trade shows and finally landed an internship at W magazine. I was hired as the associate accessories market editor a week after I graduated college.
Tell us what a typical work day looks like for you. What is your job REALLY like, both the glamorous and not-so-glamorous parts?
A typical day involves market appointments to designers offices and showrooms, office time spent looking at style.com and our accessories database to pull for stories, meetings, a run-through where you present all of the product for a page or story, maybe a lunch or dinner with a PR team. Its a very social job, and you have to be able to balance being out of the office but managing to get your pages done. I also travel to Europe for the shows, which can be glamorous, but also its 12-14 hour days so it’s exhausting. But seeing all of the new product and going to the shows is really inspiring! They are on such a larger production scale than shows in NY.
Let’s talk about work/life balance. What does that mean to you? Is it important?
It’s incredibly important to me, I have a baby! I have been really really fortunate in my career to work for women who instill the balance in the workplace. That attitude really starts at the top and trickles down. I believe in being fully present wherever you are. When I’m at work, I’m at work, and evenings and weekends I focus on home. That said, I’m a pretty compulsive email checker and I’ll always check in on both.
Parents love to say, “just wait ’til you have to face the real world”. When you were in college or high school, what did you think the “real world” looked like? What is the difference between what you thought and reality?
In the ‘real world’ I didn’t think I would love what I do as much as I do. I feel incredibly lucky that I was able to find a job that is creatively fulfilling.
What is the single most important factor of a job?
You have to love what you do. You can take a job for any number of reasons, but if you don’t love it, you’ll burn out. Pursue your interests and don’t be afraid to take risks, its worth it in the end.
Leave a Reply