by Leo Adam Biga

With all the fabulous things Alice Kim 's done in New York City and now her entrepreneurial foray in Omaha, she says what she's proudest of is helping people. At InStyle she says she found great satisfaction "helping small designers get nationwide recognition." The fashion business is all about networking, and Kim worked hard cultivating and nurturing relationships with designers, photographers and publicists. At Trocadero she's parlayed old contacts and made new ones. She's also availed herself as a go-to resource for young people with designs on their own NYC fashion careers. Several area women who came to her with their aspirations ended up as Trocadero interns. Each is now pursuing life in the Big Apple. They credit "Alice's Fashion Finishing School" with preparing them. "It was a great experience to learn from someone that had actually been in the industry and really knew what it was about. She's been a great mentor and a kind of guardian angel," says Hannah Rood, an account executive with LaForce-Stevens. "We learned so much about things like sense of urgency and attention to detail that have carried over into what I'm doing now." "Alice's influence continues to impact my life," says Kathleen Flood, an associate editor and blogger with The Creators Project. "When I was working for her, she was not only a boss and mentor, but a friend, and even an older sister figure at times. “Now that I have my own interns, I'm starting to teach them little tricks she taught me." "She definitely expanded my vision of success … and has truly guided me to where I am today," says Ellie Ashford, a freelance public relations assistant at Polo Ralph Lauren. They all refer to doors Kim helped open for them. The Omaha transplants say they're keeping a pact to stay connected. As for Trocadero as a launching pad, Kim says, "I feel like I've created a special space that people really consider to be a home away from home. I offer myself as much I can." Before she'll recommend an intern to a New York contact, she says, "you have to prove to me you're ready for the big time." Kim enjoys following her former interns’ progress. "They're all leading their own lives and having their own adventures. They're doing it — they're doing what I did 20 years ago. They're living the dream."

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