As a little girl, Alexis Bennett always dreamt of becoming a model and  would dress up in bathing suits to emulate the ladies of America’s Next Top Model during the show’s initial days. Bennett comes from Deerfield Beach, which is just outside Boca Raton in South Florida. We all hear stories of people dressing up as different celebrities and characters they saw on television as a kid. Bennett took her dream of becoming a model a few steps further by actually auditioning a few times for a spot on the reality show. She went to private school and graduated from Cardinal Gibbons High School, a Roman Catholic school in Ft. Lauderdale. Once she made it six and a half hours up the road to Florida State University, she pursued Biology as she thought she might become an anesthesiologist until realizing she was much more interested in writing, prompting her to switch her major to Editing, Media and Writing.

This was a career field that didn’t her parents didn’t understand; they were hoping she would find a career in the stem area where benefits and health insurance are promised. “My parents have never been the type of people to stop you from chasing your dream, but in the case of me and fashion, they didn’t understand it and probably still don’t,” Bennett said.

Post-college, Bennett worked as a marketing assistant at ADT Security until she migrated to New York City in 2012 for a graduate degree in Fashion Management and Entrepreneurship at LIM College. She’s since worked at InStyle Magazine, COSMO, and now Vogue Magazine as the magazine’s Commerce Writer, a task and position she adores.

You’re in New York, the city of dreams. How’d you get your start in fashion, and what was it about the industry that attracted you?

I always loved clothing, runways, and the theatrics of it all. In college, while everyone else was texting in class, I would be in biology scrolling through what used to be Style.com looking at all of the collections. Back then, I was taking things that came naturally to me for granted. The year between FSU and LIM, I worked at ADT Security in Boca Raton as a marketing assistant. At the time, I was making $25 an hour, which was a lot to me back then, especially since I didn’t have any bills. The Vice President’s wife at ADT was working for InStyle at the time. He knew I was interested in fashion, and he asked me, “why wasn’t I trying to work in the field if that’s what I loved?” Those discussions with him and his better half’s intel are what assisted with moving me along. She helped me with getting a meeting at InStyle for an internship, so I flew up to interview for the internship; I did not get the position. Everything that could have gone wrong did, and truthfully, I wasn’t ready. I wasn’t polished, my resume was a wreck, and I wasn’t prepared. I wound up keeping in contact with one of the editors I had met, and that relationship was what helped me as she reached out and let me know InStyle was looking for freelance fact-checkers, which is a job that is exactly what it says.

What challenges did you face when you were getting started?

I was very inexperienced when I started out, even with getting ready to graduate with an MBA. I had never had any magazine internships. The biggest challenge was working on my craft, skills, and becoming a better writer. It all started with a blog where I was pretending, I was already writing for InStyle. Pitching was a challenge too because it’s difficult gauging what content will and won’t work from the outside looking in. My first writing gig was with a blog based out of the UK, and even with that, it wasn’t easy. Out of every 10 stories I pitched, it seemed like just one would land and be green lit. I was just getting paid $20 a story. You’re asking me about challenges, and when people read this, I need them to know not to take being ignored when emailing individuals personally. “I usually receive 300 emails a day, so some are going to be overlooked.” Simply continuing to email, and ideally, at some point, they will hit you up. I faced a lot of rejection and became comfortable with it, which helped me along the way.

You’ve carved out a career as a writer, but what is it about E-commerce writing that excites you?

It’s one thing to say I wrote this story, it went viral, and we got this amount of page views from it, butfor me, I love E-commerce because I can say this is the amount of money I helped the brand make with this story. E-commerce is a new sexy, trendy way for companies to earn revenue, and I love being a part of that. Alongside that duty come times when stories may not play out in the manner in which you figured they would, and afterward that falls on you. I’ve loved E-commerce on my own before that term was even created or before it went mainstream. I love online shopping, and I have no issue glancing through 300 different black dresses on the web if that is the thing that I need to do to locate the perfect one.

When I was completing my MBA, I did my capstone on a personal shopping experience called Shop with Alexis. Though I never actually started that business, it feels like people are shopping with me as I write these stories.

Tell me about one of your toughest moments in the industry and how you prevailed.

You know I’ve been blessed in the fact that I haven’t had low moments and haven’t been disrespected because I’ve heard stories of my friends and others in the industry who have experienced that. I also think about the industry’s layoffs, and I think God that hasn’t been a part of my story. I think my toughest moments have been growth opportunities. It’s hard not comparing yourself to other people. It’s a problem I have and one I’m actively working on. When you see your peers, friends, and other people getting promoted and you aren’t, it messes with you, especially when someone who entered the company after you passes you by. Those moments are the toughest for me because you have to find a way to assert yourself and show people that you want a leadership role and want to elevate your career.

As a Black person and a Black woman, have you felt seen since your journey started, or did you have to fight for recognition?

I’ve certainly felt overlooked, and that is at the pith of what I was saying previously. I don’t prefer to say or believe it’s because I’m Black, and I try not to look at this through the lens of racism. Instead, I like to focus on “what could I have done better,” so when the next opportunity arises, I can hopefully be top of mind for whoever is hiring for that role. However, the sad reality is you and I both know we have to work harder, show up earlier and leave later than everyone else.

You’re at Vogue now. Can you tell me how this opportunity came about and what this means to you?

When I first started out in fashion, Vogue didn’t seem like a goal I would achieve. It seemed unreachable and unobtainable. In 2019, I applied for a Commerce Editor role that Vogue was hiring for, and by that time, I had already been working in that same role at InStyle for three years. I applied, had a couple of interviews, and didn’t end up getting the position. About a year and a half later, I received an email from Human Resources at Conde letting me know that an e-commerce writing role had recently opened at Vogue and the publication wanted to know if I’d be interested. I had just started working at Cosmo a few months prior, which they acknowledge. I was doing amazing work there and being championed in so many ways, and then this opportunity appeared.

What has been your greatest achievement so far?

I am really proud of being able to say I laid the foundation for commerce content at InStyle. I feel like I left my mark. Before I started there, they were making some money, but what they made in an entire year before I started, we were making in two weeks by the time I left, so I’m incredibly proud of that. I’m working at Vogue now, and I’m hoping to grow revenue streams from content commerce just as much!

What is your ultimate career goal?

Job wise; Global E-Commerce Director at Conde Nast. That is the objective and what I’m focusing on. I believe in multiple streams of income, and I think for Black people especially we can’t just have one source of income.

What are your thoughts on all the pledges made about Black inclusiveness from the industry last year, and do you feel change is happening?

I don’t really care about the pledges that were made. What’s most important to me is the work that’s being done or will be done going forward. There’s a lot of talk but what we need is results. I hope the change will be real and not for people or organizations to just say things to make them look good. People need to know they have to be Anti-Racist. What are you doing to actively make sure the content and campaigns you’re building and creating are anti-racist? There’s a long way to go, and there’s so much that needs to change. Companies scream they hire Black people –sure for entry-level positions, what about people at the top of these companies and mastheads.

February was Black History Month; I would love to know what this month represents for you.

It’s an opportunity for us to highlight and celebrate the impact African-Americans have had on American Culture. I have to admit I get annoyed by it being the one time a year people decide to take the opportunity to learn and celebrate our impact. It’s something I celebrate 365, but I do love seeing us being given the light and platform that we deserve. Would love to see this support year-round, though.

Is there any ancestor of ours you wish you could’ve met and why?

I would love to meet someone directly from my lineage. I identify as African-American; however, all I wanted for my birthday was an African Ancestry DNA test. We’ve been taught that our history starts at slavery which we know isn’t true. This test can tell you what country you’re from and the exact tribe, so my results came back as Nigerian Fulani. I would love to go back and meet my great-grandmother from my Nigerian Fulani family before they were being forced into America to talk to her and learn about her life.

Are there any Black Creatives known or unknown that you would like to bring to the CFDA’s attention?

One of my Instagram friends in my head: Jolie Saudia. Her handle on Instagram is JBD Apparel. She’s such a fly individual and makes stunning pieces out of knit; she unquestionably should be included in this series. KÍLÈNTÁR are doing amazing things with corsets in an exquisite and sophisticated way. I love what they’re doing and want to wear their tops every day.

IG: @_alexisbennett