Working in the fashion industry can be brutal. The long days, late nights, and cutthroat competition can make balancing a fashion career and motherhood seem impossible.

But the reality is that women everywhere are finding ways to make it work. While there’s no magic answer for every situation, there are many ways to balance a career in fashion with being a mom.

In today’s episode, you’ll hear from Karrie Foley. Karrie has a successful career as a freelance fashion designer, and has done it all while raising four young children. She’s here to share some of her secrets for success!

• How Karrie got started working in the fashion industry
• Why a “top” fashion design school isn’t always the best option
• How Karrie managed to grow her career without living in New York or LA
• How she kept working after the birth of her first child
• What she did to get back into the fashion industry after taking three years off!
• How she jumped across fashion design categories and avoided getting pigeonholed
• What Karrie believes have been the keys to her continued success (Hint: You can do this too!)
• How she landed a great job right out of college
• Why it’s worth it to be kind in an unkind industry
• How Karrie is balancing her fashion design career with motherhood today
• And more!

From a young age, Karrie Foley knew she wanted to work in the fashion industry. Like many young aspiring designers, she dreamed of attending Parsons or FIT. But when the time came for college, her parents encouraged her to stay open to other options. Karrie ultimately settled on the University of Cincinnati, and that decision would have a profound effect on the direction of her fashion career.

When she graduated, Karrie was able to turn an internship with Limited Too into a full-time job. From there, she went on to work for other big brands, including Disney Stores and Lane Bryant.

When Karrie became pregnant with her first child, she knew things would have to change. As a full-time fashion designer, she’d been working long hours that she knew she couldn’t sustain once her baby was born. She originally planned to resign. But her hard work, and her great relationship with her boss, lead to a rare part-time position. That gave her the opportunity to work in the fashion industry while raising her first and second children.  

Karrie did eventually take time off when she had twins. But when she was ready, she managed to jump back into the industry--with multiple offers!

Today, Karrie works full-time hours as a freelance designer for Thirty-One Gifts. She puts a lot into her job, and still makes time to be there with her kids. While she doesn’t have a perfect life, Karrie shows us that it’s really possible to balance motherhood with a successful career in fashion.

• Karrie’s Instagram
• Karrie on LinkedIn
• Karrie’s Facebook
• University of Cincinnati DAAP School of Design
• Thirty-One Gifts

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Download my Freelance Price List just for fashion (it’s free!): sewheidi.com/price