Karina Givargisoff
“I’m a freelance stylist based in New York. I work for various international Vogue’s and some other independent titles, which is where you can be really creative. The placement year at FCP was the most important part of the course for me. I knew I didn’t want to stay in London, so I just went to New York. I knew no one and had nothing lined up. I thought I’m from London, I have a year to try and be somewhere else and push myself, if New York didn’t work out I would always have London and my final year. I ended up assisting Alex White at W magazine. Coming back from my year out I wanted to carry on working and not loosing my contacts. You are forgotten very quickly in this industry. Whilst doing my final year I started to assist Karl Templer. Call it “moonlighting” if you will, but this meant all the experience and contacts I built up while at W were not lost. Lee Widdows was amazingly supportive and she was a great mentor to me. That year out was my launch pad.”
