(Cover) - EN Star Style - Whitney Port says the fashion industry is cutthroat.

The 26-year-old American beauty shot to international fame in hit reality show The Hills, and in 2008 debuted her own clothing line called Whitney Eve, which confirmed her status as a true fashion expert. The talented designer says that even though the fashion world is depicted as being ultra glamorous, people are sometime unaware of the hard work that is involved behind the scenes.

Being in the fashion industry seems so glamorous, but what people dont realise is that it can be cutthroat and requires such hard work, she told Teen Vogue.

Whitney worked for Teen Vogue from 2005, but left in 2007 for a job at Peoples Revolution, a PR firm heavily involved in the fashion world. The business is owned by Kelly Cutrone, who Whitney has since kept in close contact with. Whitney credits the fashion publicist as helping her to navigate her way through the pitfalls of opening her Whitney Eve line, and recommends that someone starting out should always look up to someone wiser.

Its important to have someone wiser who is willing to look out for you and be a voice of reason, she revealed.

Despite her success so far, Whitney still has her feet firmly on the ground. The star wont let herself get complacent as she realises she still has a long way to go before she establishes a stable presence in the fashion world.

Even though Im living my dream, Im continuing to grow as a designer, she said. Theres still a lot of work to do. (C) Cover Media