If any Villanovan is interested in learning more about the beauty and fashion industries, and is unsure how to pursue a career in the industry, Villanova’s only fashion and beauty club, the Business of Fashion Society (BoF), is the perfect club and information source.

The club functions to educate students enrolled in all colleges on careers in the fashion and beauty industries. Members are able to attend general body meetings, panels, speaker events, symposiums and TREKS to company headquarters. There are also student-led discussion nights where members participate in discussions about a topic that interests them, in addition to having the ability to write for the club’s blog. Students can also write for the club’s newsletter, which is shared with all members at the end of each month. 

Every month, BoF has a specific theme. Throughout the past few months, there has been a Fashion Writing Panel with speakers from Teen Vogue and Elle Magazine, a speaker event with James Rogers from TheRealReal discussing sustainability and a TREK to the new Glossier location in Philadelphia. This month is Beauty Month. A Beauty Symposium will be held on March 29th. 

Club President, Olivia Conoshenti, shared a little bit about why she chose to become involved with BoF. 

“I have been a member of BoF since my freshman year, and I am so grateful for the society,” Conoshenti said. “I knew from the first GBM that I wanted BoF to be a major part of my Villanova experience. My favorite BoF memory was meeting Stuart Weitzman at an on-campus event in the Fall of 2019. BoF is such a unique and wonderful opportunity for Villanova students who want to dive into the fashion and beauty industries.” 

Conoshenti also explained the reasoning behind the impact of the club’s founding, which was back in 2018.

“Villanova BoF created a community of students who are passionate about the fashion and beauty industries,” Conoshenti said. “We are all so proud of how BoF has grown over the past five years. We have developed strong connections with alumni and employers in the industry. We have also created our blog, website and Linkedin and grown our Instagram account tremendously. Our Villanova BoF alumni are proof of the reality of achieving career aspirations in the competitive fashion industry. Alumni have gone on to work in various roles at Bergdorfs, MAC, Ralph Lauren, URBN, Bloomingdales and so many more.” 

Membership is beneficial to students who have an interest in fashion and beauty since they are able to network and form relationships with Villanova alumni and other professionals who have careers in the industry. 

Club meetings consist of a discussion surrounding industry news and business-related current events, and members are encouraged to participate. As part of their membership, students create a Business of Fashion professional account, where they will receive emails regarding news in the industry and follow accounts such as New York Times Fashion.

For students interested in attending upcoming events, the Annual Beauty Symposium is being held on Wednesday, March 29th at 6:00 p.m. on Zoom, where members will hear from five panelists and a keynote speaker from Oribe Hair Care. The final general body meeting of the semester will be on Monday, April 3rd at 7:30 p.m. in Bartley 025, and the end-of-year gathering Met Gala watch event will be on May 1st at 6:00 p.m. in Bartley 3001. Students can join the club by being added to the email list. 

Students looking to join the club can find information at bofvillanova.com, Villanova Business of Fashion Society on Linkedin or can email [email protected] or [email protected] with questions. The club’s Instagram account, @bofvillanova, shares information about both club events and current events, in addition to reading articles on the BoF blog. The blog also holds information regarding internships and job postings, which is updated regularly.