First fashion internship experience

An essential part of completing my undergraduate degree was to (1) write my capstone and (2) either complete an internship or community project. Although I studied economics and sociology I have had the tendency to relate my study to the fashion industry as much as possible. One way in which I succeeded to do so was to research topics in this field that can be related to one of my courses. Because it was not required for the internship to be related to my capstone—merely related to your field of study—I saw this as the perfect opportunity to get some hands-on experience in the fashion industry. Although it took a while to find an actual internship partner—because my internship requirements were a bit different from the standard—I ended up at a fashion agency named DEUXDIX where I had the time of my life.

The agency acts as a mediator between buyers (i.e. retailers) and sellers (i.e. fashion brands). Clients come to the showroom to view pieces of the upcoming season, get advised by the agents, choose the designs they like (including sizes, fabrics, and colors), and finally place an order at the fashion brand through the agents. Stylists visit the showroom to borrow samples for shoots, before they are shipped back to the brands. The difference between an agency and a PR firm, is that fashion agencies are not involved in the branding side of a designer. Agencies focus more on the sales side of the industry than promoting the brands they carry.

To this day I can still say that this has been the most pleasant work experience I have had so far. I woke up everyday eagerly to go to work and enjoyed executing all the tasks handed to me, whether I had to play a barista for clients, be a fitting model, style the showroom, or handle press related affairs. To give you an impression of what I dealt with on a daily base (with much enthusiasm), I included some pictures in this post.

No day there was the same for me. One day I would be strolling around the fashion district to pick up samples (très Andy Sachs), and the other day I would be clearing out 10 boxes and to hang the latest collection. Luckily the company was very small, which meant I could get a variety of tasks assigned to me and more responsibilities than I probably would have had if I interned at a large company.

Ah to reminisce! Hopefully I will receive more opportunities to work in the fashion industry and especially at a company where I will be welcomed with open arms and feel at home at again. This internship convinced me that work does not need to feel like work, if you work on something you truly love and are passionate about!

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Sefanja Rubina

p.s. I got an A+ for my internship report, proving that fashion can be easily related to academic related issues!