As long as she can remember, StarCentral Magazine’s Fashionista of the Month for August 2014, Jeanne Grey has always been interested in style, fashion and make-up. Fashion runs in her genes with her mother being a fashion designer and Jeanne, to emulate her, has been pretending to design her own gowns since she was six years old, picking out swatches of textile and sketching her own models. It was a very creative environment in which to nurture her latent talents in fashion and style.

She strongly believes in doing what you love most – the fashion industry is her first and abiding love. Even if she graduated with a Bachelor’s Degree in Healthcare Management for a “real” profession, her heart and passion is only for the fashion field. As competitive and hard as it is known to be, she believes that with a strong will to succeed, hard work and discipline, she (or anyone else) can make her passion into an ongoing career.

Her career started very recently. She worked at retail since high school, but working the floor soon made her realize that she wanted to be the one who promoted the image of a brand, the mastermind of how a store creates brand image and puts together its overall creative marketing package. The 23-year old wanted to be the primary contributor as to how the public saw the brand. She has seen that desire turn into reality – she’s now the Creative Director for her company. It gives her the opportunity to realize what she dreamt of doing while she was working the sales floor. Being busy in networking through trade shows and visualizing the creative details of merchandising has opened many doors in her current career. It has also helped boost her career as a fashion blogger and stylist as well.

Jeanne is a keen student of fashion trends and she can virtually track, estimate and predict the rise and fall of trends throughout the fashion seasons. Her blogging has connected her to many like-minded young women who strongly believe in her vision and constantly inspire her. She is well-admired among them as her capabilities, values and character shine through in her blogs.

She recalls a favorite milestone in her career: it was when she was promoted as one of the company’s buyers. She called to thank her director – and this director gave her the ticket to her first New York City trade show shopping experience. Jeanne considers networking vital to her trade. It is all about whom you know and who knows you, so it is an area she works hard at. She has developed a good way of meeting people and picking those who would be valuable to her work. On this note, she has also learned never to take anything personally in her job – it’s one of the tougher fields to work in, where criticism follows you left and right. In its fast-paced environment, taking things personally is a guarantee that you’d be eaten alive.

This Filipina fashionista dreams of becoming the CEO of her own brand that has locations throughout the world. She fully intends to make it a reality and it is a factor in her plans. With regards to her fashion blog GreyLayers, she plans on working with bigger brands very soon. While the future is bright, she cannot forget the missteps she’s made along the way. They taught her invaluable lessons, molding her into the businesswoman she is today. She’s taken chances and broken rules which haven’t always resulted in her favor. But of all the slip ups she made, she honestly thinks that she would not go back and correct a single one. She says that “…it is very important to make mistakes in your career, especially in the beginning. When you are just starting out, you can make hasty decisions and take big chances since the stakes are rarely high early on. Trust me, it is far better to learn those lessons sooner than later.” By learning from her failed opportunities, she has transformed past mistakes into flourishing partnerships and opportunities. As basic as it may sound, she confides that learning from one’s mistakes is a vital part of becoming successful in all aspects of life. She concludes by giving one final bit of advice: “Do something that you love, surround yourself with people you trust, learn from your mistakes, work hard, and do not ever let other people’s opinions of you become your limitations.”

‘LIGHTNING FAST’ Round:

1. What is the one beauty product you can’t live without?

Anastasia Eyebrow kits. Eyebrows make the face. A small change makes the biggest difference!

2. What is the most dramatic thing you’ve ever done to change your looks?

Cutting my hair into a blunt bob! Every woman should try short hair at least once in her life.

3. What is in your makeup bag when you travel?

a. A very good BB cream which is easier to apply and makes up for not having to apply primers, moisturizers and foundation. It definitely helps me travel light!

b. A waterproof mascara is a must. Travelling is hectic and might not even give you ample time to re-apply. Waterproof mascara will make sure you won’t have the need to!

c. Hair mousse! Travelling never makes me want to bring hot tools ever. I like leaving my hair loose and natural without straightening or styling it as it takes up too much time. Mousse to me is the magic trick! It keeps my natural waves intact without the need for any tools!

4. What is the one “flaw” you wouldn’t change about yourself?

Being a workaholic. I work so much because I absolutely love what I do and most of the time I forget to eat. I wouldn’t change this “flaw” because it always pays off.

5. Your best guilty pleasure… Food. I am a huge foodie!

Official website: www.greylayers.com