J. Crew's famous creative director reveals the advice that changed her career
(Getty Images / Dimitrios Kambouris)
Jenna Lyons.
Jenna Lyons is more than just J. Crew's president and creative director — she is a major influence in the fashion business world.
The quirkily dressed executive shared some factoids about herself with The Coveteur, including the best advice she ever got.
Unsurprisingly, the resilient Lyons — who is known for her offbeat sartorial choices — learned to not pay too much mind to others.
"I think the best piece [of advice] I ever received is when someone pulled me aside one day and was like 'stop worrying about what everyone else is doing, the people around you have nothing to do with you, just do your own thing and stop,'" she said in the interview. "Everyone has this tendency to mark themselves against other people and I think the world just does not work that way."
It's likely this advice has helped her defeat the odds (she had a rare genetic disorder) to become one of the biggest names in apparel.
But, as she explained earlier this summer, she doesn't get down from negative press, either:
"Yeah, listen.... I remember Mickey [Drexler, J. Crew's CEO] saying very early on, 'if you believe the good, you have to believe the bad. So don't read any of it,'" she told Glamour's Editor-in-Chief, Cindy Leive. "While it hurts and it's not fun, you have to remember that everyone's a critic these days. At the end of the day, I'm doing this because I enjoy it.... Whether the articles are good or bad, I get paid to play with sequins and color and cashmere, and that's awesome."
NOW WATCH: The one reason Zara is dominating the fashion industry right now
More From Business Insider
