Not many creative leaders can say their career started in a warehouse, but for Dajana Hazle, that's exactly where it began. Spotted by a company owner while picking product during her final year at QUT, she went on to build a career defined by seizing every opportunity in front of her — from steaming clothes between shifts to eventually taking over a photography studio when no one else was positioned to do it. Today, leading an eleven-person team across art direction, graphic design, copy and styling, Dajana's journey is proof that in fashion, showing up and saying yes can take you further than any plan.
What was your first role after graduating, and how did you land it?
Content Editor for online retailer SurfStitch. I was working in the warehouse picking product while I was finishing my degree as I had just moved to the Gold Coast. As my degree came to an end, the owner of the company came and found me in the warehouse and said “I heard your about to graduate a Communications Degree, I think we have a role you’d be perfect for” and away I went!
What does a typical day look like in your role?
My team is now 11 people across 4 creative fields being – Art Direction, Graphic Design, Copy & Styling so always very varied, staying across the needs of all and ensuring the key brand creative direction is maintained through all marketing touch points. Lots of team WIPs, lots of meetings, store concept builds, social media deliverables, web design, photo shoot planning, lots of reviewing and signing off & lots of research / planning / brief responses.
What major shifts do you expect in the fashion industry over the next 5 years?
The impact of ai will be enormous and those in the creative and fashion space who don’t learn how to use it to their advantage will be left behind. I have heard so many creatives scared of the impact of ai on their roles, but we are already using it in so many ways that enhance and allow us to build on our creative ideas rather than take from them. Ai will always need true creatives to direct, brief & guide it with their ideas, so this is where creatives should focus their energy.
how you (or your team) use AI in your day-to-day work?
Our team primarily uses AI in the concepting phase — bringing early creative ideas to life visually when the right references simply don't exist yet, which has been a game changer for getting management sign-off. We're also exploring AI tools to speed up photo editing and handle repetitive rollout tasks like batch resizing of images and video.
What types of roles do you think will exist in the future that don’t exist now?
When I graduated QUT, social media as a department and a career didn’t even exist. It is such a huge part of my role now and I was only really able to cross into it from my study of PR. I don’t have an exact answer, but this is the kind of context I can give from my experience.
What advice would you suggest to recent graduates hoping to break into fashion industry?
Put yourself out there and always look for opportunities to grow. I moved from Content & Copy Writing into Styling & Studio Management simply by volunteering to help with shoots in my spare time — so when the Studio Manager left, I was the natural replacement. It completely kick-started my career progression.
What is one skill that you couldn’t live without and why?
The ability to get things done quickly and efficiently. I've recently adopted a 'don't create to-do lists — just do it' mindset, tackling tasks as soon as they land. I trust my intuition and avoid overthinking when I know I have the right foundations to make a call.
You can connect with Dajana on LinkedIn.
Author
Victoria believes that every alumnus has a story worth telling. Naturally curious, she asks the thoughtful questions others often don't — creating stories that connect, inspire and reflect the depth of the QUT Alumni community.