Sophy's choice

If there’s one way to throw yourself in the deep end, it’s to work at an international Fashion Week while still an apprentice. Opportunities like that don’t come along very often and, despite her nerves, this one was not something Sophy Phillips could turn down.

Looking back, it's hard to believe I managed to save up and cart myself off to New York Fashion Week this past February. The realisation of a big goal is always a strange feeling.

When the reality of going to New York Fashion Week sunk in, it brought on a raft of different thoughts and feelings – nerves, excitement, plenty of anxiety, confidence, cluelessness … sometimes all at once. This trip meant so many things to me. Since I started my apprenticeship in April 2010, I'd been looking for the rev-up I needed to set me in my place and reaffirm this career change for me.

I fumbled my way through Auckland comps last year and lacked the confidence I needed to believe in my creations in a competitive salon full of exceptional apprentices. I am the least experienced and newest of five apprentices at Bettjemans, and knew that I needed a big boost in confidence as I entered my second year in hairdressing. When this opportunity came up, it was clearly the ticket. It was about walking the walk, talking the talk, absorbing knowledge like a sponge, gaining confidence, and proving to myself, more than anyone, what I was truly capable of. It also allowed me to see a hugely exciting side to hairdressing, outside of the salon and using a totally unique skill set.

Anxieties and build-up aside, when it came to crunch time I was surprised by how confident I really was in this environment. I felt like a fish in water. My brain worked faster than ever, so did my hands. I had eyes in the back of my head, 24 fingers, and five arms. I really was the backstage octopus, with dryers, flat irons, curling irons, dinkies, french pins, bobby pins, sectioning clips, mason pearsons …

The first 20 minutes of my first show were nervous ones. I was sussing out the team, introducing myself, getting a feel for how the show would run. Once the models had flocked in, the ice was well and truly broken. All hands were on deck and there was no time for nerves.

I was working with a mixed team of hairdressers, mostly from Cutler Salons in New York, and some from Australia and Canada. Lauren Gunn of Stephen Marr was working on a couple of shows with me. I loved assisting her and watching her work (and learn also!). Evenings after shows were fun. Four exhausted Kiwi hairdressers (myself, Lauren, Richard Kavanagh and Tyson Kennedy) would meet up somewhere in the city for dinner and a drink and talk the day through.

RK gave us the daily rundown on the big shows he'd been working on including Diesel, Vera Wang and Marc Jacobs. I drilled him for knowledge. His shows sounded a lot more stressful than mine, with a totally different scale of model, audience, venue, and designer. Tyson was splitting his time between regular clients at Cutler and shows. Lauren had a string of very early morning shows and powered through between two and four shows a day.

I spent my free time between shows wandering through Chelsea and Brooklyn. Each night as I closed my eyes, about to drift off to sleep, my head was awhirl with new information. I was absorbing so much every day and not realising it until my brain had to file all this new knowledge away.

The skills, tricks, and tips that I gathered during that week are only just surfacing now. The experience was truly invaluable and came at just the right time in my career. I have so much more confidence in my ability and have a very strong conviction in what I'm doing now. I have more drive than ever to succeed as a hairdresser and to work in the field of fashion.

Grant and Phif, the godfather and godmother of Bettjemans, learnt a lot about me through this experience as well. They quietly watched as I gathered the means to save up enough for my ticket and expenses. They saw my nerves beforehand and gave me a pat on the back and a kick in the bum before I left. Then, when I returned, they saw a new spark in my eye.

From an employer’s perspective, they saw my drive and determination, my goal setting abilities, and my commitment to this career. They gained a deeper insight into me both as a person and as an apprentice.

I'm left fulfilled yet hungry for more, with the question “what's next?” on my mind. I'm working towards another trip to New York for Fashion Week at the moment.

For any apprentices looking for inspiration, or an insight into another avenue of hairdressing, I strongly recommend getting some work experience at New Zealand Fashion Week, iD Week in Dunedin, or similar. If you can handle the fast pace and high pressure of working on a show or a shoot, then go for it! It's such a fun, exciting, challenging, and rewarding experience. It'll boost your skills, imagination, confidence and sense of purpose. If in doubt – fake it till you make it!

Sophy is an apprentice at Bettjemans salon in Oraeki, Auckland.