THE STYLE SERIES: How a fashion school dropout broke into the industry with a Teen Vogue internship, made her way up Vogue's corporate ladder, and eventually struck out on her own — including a gig styling Solange's visual album

Mecca James-Williams got her start at Vogue.Mecca James-William

• Mecca James-Williams started her career in the fashion industry interning at Teen Vogue.
• She worked her way up to become the first assistant to Italian fashion editor Giovanna Battaglia Engelbert.
• After years as a marketing assistant and stylist, James-Williams is preparing to launch her own styling business.
• In an interview with Business Insider, James-Williams talks about launching her career without a college degree and what scares her the most about striking out on her own.
• This is part of Business Insider's "The Style Series," highlighting fashion entrepreneurs around the world.

Mecca James-Williams knows how to work for what she wants.

She made her way up Vogue's corporate ladder, becoming a marketing assistant and eventually a stylist working with some of the most important people in the fashion industry.

After dropping out of fashion school, James-Williams took the industry by storm, landing jobs at Vogue, Condé Nast International, and Opening Ceremony, before becoming the first assistant to Italian fashion editor Giovanna Battaglia Engelbert.

Now, after years of working for other people, James-Williams is launching her own company. One of her first big clients was Solange; James-Williams worked on styling the artist's latest visual album "When I Get Home." More recently, James-Williams styled a shoot for the Wall Street Journal. She's also involved in the newly launched Black in Fashion Council, which advocates for diversity and inclusion in the fashion industry.

In an interview with Business Insider, James-Williams talks about imposter syndrome, branding herself, and working her way up the corporate ladder.