Aishly Tromp is a 26 year old girl born and raised in Aruba. Growing up she always knew she wanted to pursue her passion for fashion, and she thought the best place for this was, where other than New York City. So she researched and applied, and found a major called Fashion Marketing. She recalls her experience in New York as a culture shock but also loving the culture mix that there was to be found all over the city. “You meet people from all over the world”, she explains. It’s a unique energy living there, you get inspired every day. Highlighting that her favorite things were shopping, the trends, fashion and that everything is so fast paced. So being back on the island that is the one thing that she had to adjust to and bring herself back on island time where everything is a little more relaxed.
After interning at a PR company in New York and also volunteering as much as she could at fashion week that takes place twice a year in New York, she grew and learned so much in the industry. She got involved as much as she could, even with other events as well. Networking is definitely key. “What you see on TV during fashion week is just 10 times more chaotic” she adds. After recently returning to the island she is now using all her experience and knowledge, currently working as assistant manager at Kate Spade. Kate Spade recently opened as of last year in the Renaissance Mall here in Aruba. Aishly knows the brand very well from New York. Since working in retail stores in New York, which are at a more fast pace than Aruba, she finds a good balance in her work here as well as keeping up with her blog called The Fashionably Late.
The Fashionably Late is an up and coming, fun experience blog that she currently runs and shares with people from all over the world, like Asia and Europe, as well as the Caribbean. She shares trends, as well as her own personal style and outfit posts. She recently also got an opportunity to style for the Exclusivo Magazine photoshoots and also help out with their social media. She would like to keep using The Fashionably Late blog to keep the fashion going in the fashion community of Aruba. “Aruba has the potential to be an island known for its fashion”, she says. She advices anyone who is passionate for such a career, that it is not all glamour all the time. It can be a very competitive and aggresive world to work in. You have to be able to work long hours and multi-task. It’s a fast paced industry that is always changing, and you have to keep up with the fashion trends that change just as quickly. But if you have the love for it, it will all be worth it at the end of the day.
As for her future plans, she would like to continue working here in Aruba, but is also open to new opportunities if they arise internationally. She would like to keep expanding her blog, be involved in more fashion related things other than just marketing. Do more styling as well as collaborating with other people who are also joining or are already in the industry such as youtube channels, which is also trending now. She would like to go more into e-commerce as well. And as for her current plans for staying here in Aruba she adds: “I think it’s a community where we should all get together and collaborate and put Aruba’s name out there that we are fashion people”. Last but not least, she would ultimately like to be her own boss by the time she is 40, but until then her hard work continues to be driven by her passion.
Don’t forget to check out her blog The-FashionablyLate.blogspot.com and instagram AISHLY_XO.
