Treva Wygle serves as house photographer at NY Fashion Week event
“Some people want it to happen, some wish it would happen, others make it happen.” – Michael Jordan
By AMANDA KIMBLE
TheFlashToday.com
For Treva Oliver Wygle, the last week has been a dream come true.
The De Leon resident, raised in Hico, recently returned from New York City. In a few unforgettable days, Wygle tackled a whirlwind itinerary. Like most southerners visiting Manhattan, she returned home with memory cards loaded with photographic images.
“It was always a dream of mine,” Wygle said, a slight chuckle in her voice. “Growing up, I always said I was going to live in New York one day.”
A native Texan, Wygle grew up in Hico and currently calls the small town of De Leon home. While she may not be planning to pack up her business and trade in her zip code anytime soon, Wygle can finally say she’s been to “The Big Apple”.
Wygle can also say that less than five years after opening Plan-It Ink, a marketing, design and photography business, she successfully worked her way all the way to the end of the catwalk.
Her trip to Manhattan wasn’t all about sightseeing. It was about one of the biggest events in the fashion industry – New York Fashion Week. The event is one of the “Big 4,” which includes similar events in Paris, London and Milan.
And the American event, founded in 1943, has earned its spot among the bigs. According to Women’s Wear Daily, New York Fashion Week generates almost $900 million annually – more than the city’s famed marathon or the 2014 Super Bowl.
From the avant-garde and the high end of haute couture to trendy and progressive, Fashion Week puts the talents of fashion designers on runways across the city, displaying everything from functional to fabulous to buyers, the media and the public. This year’s headlining shows included big names like Ralph Lauren, Vera Wang, Boss, Calvin Klein, Michael Kors and dozens more.
Photographers, videographers, fashion bloggers and media personalities from around the globe line up twice each year – in February and September. They hope to capture perfect shots of the latest fashions and share the experience with millions of television viewers and magazine and newspaper readers, as well as visitors to their personal websites, galleries and blogs.
Wygle’s portfolio, found online here, was impressive prior to February 19. But it now shows she’s more than just a small town talent. She has fully evolved from a simple shutterbug. Alongside striking images of local graduates, newlyweds and newborns, visitors to her website find an album packed full of models, makeup artists, hair designers and fashions you may never see strutting down Washington Street or around the Comanche County square.
“The fashion world is an amazing, crazy place,” Wygle said. “There are so many different ideals of fashion. Being from Texas, there are so many things you will never see and could never wear here.”
But you can see that Treva Wygle is officially a fashion photographer.
So, just how does a woman who runs her design business with a single part-time assistant go from constructing websites for small town businesses and capturing life’s special moments to sashaying her way into one of the premiere events in the fashion industry?
The answer is simple – with an equal dose of confidence and determination.
“I found an opportunity on LinkedIn and I went for it,” Wygle said.
The social networking site, linkedin.com, heralds itself as the Internet’s largest professional network with more than 400 million members in 200 countries and territories around the globe. Through that network, PLITZS Fashion Marketing, sought a New York-based photographer to capture its ninth annual PLITZS New York City Fashion Week.
Wygle didn’t hesitate to send her resume and samples of her work. There were only “so many spots available,” and one of them was hers.
“I just decided I was going to do it,” she said, knowing hundreds would apply and most – if not all – of them would be from New York.
“I’m one of those people,” Wygle said, with an emotional crack in her voice. “When I want something, I go after it. I wasn’t going to simply apply. They were going to see more than my profile picture and know more about me than they could read on a piece of paper or a (computer) screen.”
Making dreams come true takes a personal touch, and anyone who knows Wygle, a bubbly brunette who always has a smile on her face, knows she’s a master of personality.
“I picked up my cell phone and I called,” she laughed. “I wanted it that bad. I was determined and they needed to hear my passion.”
So, Wygle dialed in the area code and seven-digit number and went to work using years of media and marketing experience. She sold her No. 1 asset – herself.
“I told myself this was something I wanted for my portfolio,” she said. “I wanted this experience. So I made the call, and coincidentally, I got the top guy. He told me what he needed, and I understood what he was saying. I told him what I wanted, and we just clicked.”
Wygle’s resume, which includes stints in the newspaper business, time at the Stephenville Chamber of Commerce, editor of Erath County Living magazine and other experiences, also includes a single day of game-changing experience.
“They brought me in as house photographer,” she said, with the remnants of Fashion Week adrenaline pumping out every word. “I really love and want to continue to work in the (fashion) industry.”
But the house of PLITZS and Plan-It Ink are not the only places her recent runway work will be seen. One week after shooting alongside photographers from around the world, Wygle learned her talent will be showcased on the World Wide Web in the For The Love of Style eMagazine.
“This has been a real pinch me moment,” Wygle said. “It has been an amazing experience that allowed me to meet so many amazingly talented people.”
ALL PHOTOS SHOWN WITH ARTICLE ARE TAKEN BY TREVA WYGLE||PLAN-IT INK
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