E! News: Tell us how your career began.
Nikki Ogunnaike: I started out as a Fashion Closet Assistant at Vanity Fair. Before that, I had internships at ELLE and Glamour. I always knew I wanted to work in fashion, but wasn’t exactly quite sure where. As a Fashion Assistant at Vanity Fair, it’s a lot of assisting, helping people with their schedules, and putting in their requests for items they want to shoot for the magazine. I worked for a year and then realized I really wanted to write. So, I left and I went to InStyle magazine. For three years, I worked as an Assistant Editor and as an Editorial Assistant. I was able to really sink my teeth into writing feature stories. Pieces like the top 10 jeans to wear for your body or talking about different types of fall trends. It was amazing because I got to do a lot of different things across different departments of the magazine. I had also noticed around this time that the internet was gaining steam. Fashion websites were getting more and more popular and magazines were starting to invest in their own websites.
E!: How did you get your job at Glamour?
NO: I had told them honestly that I didn’t have any digital experience but I was a great reporter and writer and I learned very quickly. So, if they wanted to take a chance on me, then I would be an amazing hire for them. I remember having a conversation with somebody that I was interviewing with and they asked me if I had any questions. I said, “How can I make your job easier?” I think that’s what sold me…I went to ELLE.com and basically did the same….I worked [there] for almost five years. Now, I’m at GQ as a Deputy Fashion Director. I think in dipping my toes in all of these different parts of storytelling, it’s really gotten me to where I am today.
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