JCI Grad Davneet Dhillon | The Social Revival

Since graduating from the Fashion Business & Creative Arts Program in 2014, Davneet has been working on various projects surrounding Visual Merchandising, Social Media Management as well as being a full-time blogger on her own Website & Instagram Page – Davneet Dhillon. She is a highly accomplished Social Media Specialist & Entrepreneur and we have had the pleasure to interview her to ask her about her experience with JCI as well as her most recent project, The Social Revival. 

What inspired you to study fashion? Was it something you always wanted to do?

Growing up I had a love for scrapbooking and I was always inspired by Lauren Conrad and The Olsen Twins. I always knew what I didn’t want to, and that was anything related to science… And anything that made me unhappy. I was always the creative type, in high school my favourite class was Yearbook.I was that one girl in high school who always had an outfit change prepared in my locker or extra accessories just in case, my locker was my mini closet. I had a passion for fashion and knew it was more than just a hobby- I wanted to make a career out of it.

I went back and forth a lot between going to fashion school at JCI or not… it was definitely scary because people didn’t really understand what a career in fashion meant, but the more I talked to my advisor at JCI (shoutout to Gina Bourne), I knew it was where I was meant to be. Attending fashion school at JCI is hands down the best decision I made, it has shaped me into the person I am today. 

What year did you graduate from the Fashion Business Program at JCI Institute? What was your experience with the program? 

I graduated from the program in 2014. Right after graduating from high school in 2013, I went straight into fashion school and graduated a year later. I absolutely loved and enjoyed every day at JCI, and that’s the simple truth. Going to school for fashion in Gastown straight out of high school was a complete “wow” moment for me. I felt like I was in New York interning for Vogue. It was so surreal and each day was something new at JCI. The best part of the fashion program is that it takes you through each aspect of fashion whether that’s styling, fashion writing, buying, and much much more.

The directors and instructors were absolutely amazing as well. They are the reason that I was able to graduate and get straight into working in the industry. I am still in touch with the director of the fashion program, Maneli Nourbakhsh, who is honestly my role model. Without her, I would not be where I am today. She has constantly helped me with choosing the right career paths and making the right decisions. And the fact that I graduated in 2014 and am still in touch with her and other instructors from JCI shows how much the school truly cares about their students and how they do everything in their power to make sure students succeed.

Since completing the program, what have you been working on? 

Since graduating from JCI, I have been working on tons of projects. I was always known as the “Tech-savvy” one throughout fashion school, and I absolutely loved writing fashion articles. Because I wanted to continue educating myself, I ended up back in school after JCI for 4 more years. I completed a Bachelor’s Degree in Journalism and Communications at Kwantlen Polytechnic University.

During this time, I worked in retail: Garage Clothing, H&M, and assisted as a visual merchandiser at H&M. I got my first gig in social media management at Crush Clothing, a small boutique located in South Surrey, and this was back when social media wasn’t a popular job, as it is growing now. This social media gig made me realize how much I loved working in this particular area, it was all things creative and perfect for me.

From there, I began gaining more experience in this field, I started working in social media management for a local designer and also dipped my feet in other areas, including real estate. At the same time, I also worked as a fashion writer and wrote for local magazines and websites, including Vancity Vogue.

With all this experience, I landed one of my all-time favourite jobs, social media management for JCI Institute! I was absolutely grateful and thrilled when JCI took me on as their social media manager. It was truly a dream come true, from graduating from the program to being an employee!

Aside from social media management, I am also working as a full-time blogger and growing my personal Instagram page and website: Davneet Dhillon. I have been putting a lot of time and energy into growing my personal brand and I am so happy that it is being noticed.

I have collaborated with many companies over the past year including Grow Gorgeous Hair, The Body Shop, Suki’s Salon, Ardenes, Luxy Hair, La Roche-Posay Canada, Mint Tools, local designers and brands, and many other companies. Blogging is not as easy as people may think it is. It takes hours to shoot content on some days and you’re constantly having to plan your feed and create both photo and video content. However, it is something I have been putting my all into and watching my following grow and people giving me shoutouts is all worth it. Plus, I have so much fun blogging, and if I can make a career out of it, as I wish too, then I’m going to continue giving it my 110%.

What have been some of your favourite jobs and or people to work with? 

Working as a social media manager has been my favourite job. As I mentioned, I was beyond grateful for this position and experience. I learned so much from working at JCI, that I gained a lot more experience working in the fashion industry.

How would you say your Fashion education has helped you prepare for the work you are doing now? 

Fashion education has prepared and shaped me in every way to do what I am doing right now. I still have all my textbooks and journals saved from fashion school that I go back to for information and ideas. Being in fashion school and having strict guidelines to follow helped me become more organized, scheduled, and really get things done in a professional manner. JCI also opened up many networking possibilities for me.

What really helped me is having instructors who care so much and guided me in the right direction. Again, the director of JCI Fashion, Maneli, truly helped me get to where I am in my career, and I know that I will always be in touch with her and others at JCI because they are like family to me.

What are your biggest prized moments throughout your career? 

My prized moment throughout my career (so far) is when I launched my very own social media marketing company: The Social Revival, founded in August 2019. This was definitely a huge highlight throughout my career and I feel as if every experience in the past has led up to this moment. I never thought I would have my own business one day, but I just went for it and I am so excited to see where this path is going to take me.

The Social Revival is an online social media marketing company that organically grows social platforms for individuals and companies. Currently, I have signed multiple clients and will be looking to build my team and grow within B.C.

I definitely have other projects that I want to work on and I feel like this is just the beginning.

To check out The Social Revival – Click Here!