Dena Giannini graduated from UM in 2010 with her sights set on the highly competitive fashion industry. Giannini doesn’t fit the stereotype of fashion socialite yet since graduation has become the wardrobe assistant on Andy Cohen’s Bravo TV show, “Watch What Happens Live!” and has worked with a plethora of editors and stylists at major titles and brands like Glamour, Entertainment Weekly, Vogue, TeenVogue, W, InStyle, Rolling Stone, Maxim, Victoria’s Secret, Anthropologie, Ralph Lauren and Neiman Marcus. So how did she break the mold and find success? Giannini was born with visual expression in her blood. Her mother was a theatre fanatic and professional triple threat and her father was in the radio and music industry. She began her UM career as a broadcast journalism major but realized that the on-screen world wasn’t for her after an insightful internship with MTV co-founder Les Garland. Fashion became the obvious choice. Giannini’s passion for the craft runs deep: “I always loved how fashion incorporates art, design and new and interesting things to create a story.” During her sophomore year, Giannini made the bold decision to transfer to the Miami International University of Art and Design (MIUAD). At the school, Giannini took advantage of every opportunity presented to her and volunteered at fashion shows, assisted the producer of Miami Fashion Week and absorbed as much as possible.
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GIANNINI Freelance Stylist
She then applied her new understanding of the fashion industry at a summer internship with TeenVogue in New York City, where she worked under the influential editors Taylor Tomassi Hill and Sarah Frances Kuhn. In the city, Giannini connected with freelance stylists and began to assist them on the side. The rest was history. After spending an extra semester at TeenVogue, Giannini returned to UM to complete her bachelor’s degree with an emphasis in visual journalism and art. “Learning about composition, lighting, graphic design and layouts really strengthened my eye and made me a better stylist,” Giannini said. “You have to know how to balance things and how to self-start so that you can make projects happen and maximize every project’s potential,” Giannini said. To her, the keys to creating a meaningful career are to work with people you enjoy, learn from experience and constantly challenge yourself. “It’s always crazy busy,” Giannini said. “I travel a lot, work the longest days imaginable and I absolutely love it.” - Sarah Bromley