disclaimer: I love where I intern! anywhere you work, there will be the ups and downs, but I am so fortunate for the opportunity I have and the knowledge I am learning at LoveShackFancy.
surprise! there's no secret that intern life is not lavish or easy, but I find myself in another world of its own in the fashion industry. unfortunately, going into fashion gets a bad rep. many people do not believe it is worthy of a life career, but rather a hobby; that all we do is create pretty clothes, to be put on pretty models, to capture a pretty picture. fortunately, after changing my major and joining the world of fashion, I have learned that there is so much more and that all the decisions in this industry effect every single person's life. yes, even you! your shirt didn't just magically appear to you at the store without a few important people in between. I'll be honest, before my internship I thought I new the gist of fashion from my few apparel classes I've taken in iowa... yes IOWA. wrong. there is so much more than you see nor hear about.
I am surrounded by some incredible and exhilarating women that remind me exactly why I decided to pursue a career in the apparel industry, especially design. yes, there are days were it's straight out of the movie The Devil Wears Prada where someone asks me to find "that one lace white top that I had 3 days ago," but thankfully it's not Miranda Priestly asking for it. in the production department at LSF, the designers and developers are here before I get in and leave after I'm done for the day. it's insane, and quite terrifying to be honest, at how much they work. but when you are passionate and dedicated to something you love, it's not work, and I admire them for that. the way they all work makes me forget that I am an unpaid college intern, broke as hell, in a city that's average meal seems to be $20 (like seriously my chipotle bowl was $10 and I didn't even get guac..) but it's all for the experience.. right?? i'll just keep telling myself that as I pay absurd amounts for a cappuccino.
but it is the best experience and new york city as a whole is one hell of an interesting one. lucky for you, you get an inside on what it's like to be an intern in the fashion capital of the world and not at just one company, but three! and not just one department or major, but three!! it's like you're basically here with us. thanks to two lovely ladies, I got an insight into their internships, along with their thoughts on living in this restless city.
Bryannah Slate ~ O, The Oprah Magazine
- major ~ Apparel Merchandising
- where do you work ~ O, The Oprah Magazine in the fashion closet
- what is your title ~ fashion Intern
- why did you want to intern here ~ my friend had this internship last summer and she sounded like she had the best internship I've ever heard of so, of course, I wanted it! I had applied, had an interview, and offer in a month
- company size ~ on the team i work in thee's about 8 people! as O Mag as a whole im not too sure we have an entire floor at hearst
- perks ~ I get to see new clothing, jewelry, shoes, etc. before it's released! i also get to go on photo shoots!
- typical day ~ doing returns and running errands to pick up items
- favorite part so far ~ I'm so excited to be on extra!!! but the photo shoot was the best part so far! i got to meet models and actresses and it was so cool to see how much was put into a couple photos
- favs ~ shopping and eating and there's always something to do
- dislikes ~ everything closes really early! I thought that stores and restaurants would be open way later than they actually are! I also don't like how crowded it can get and the subway scares me sometimes
Sarah Paul ~ ShopBAZAAR
- major ~ apparel merchandising
- where do you work ~ ShopBAZAAR
- what is your title ~ fashion intern
- why did you want to intern here ~ I wanted to work for a publication because of my involvement at Trend Magazine at school. I knew that I didn’t want to go work at a store and do Merchandising my whole internship so this was a better fit for me
- company size ~ I work with around 8 people for ShopBAZAAR and there are two interns but Harper’s BAZAAR has a large floor for the publication
- perks ~ Yes I get free stuff like makeup and clothes when they offer and when we have photo shoots we get fed. I also only work 4 days a week
- typical day ~ it is different every day which makes it more interesting. Everyday I usually do some returns and schedule messengers for other companies to pick up items from us or for us to pick up from them. I also do Affiliate Photo Uploads every day which requires taking an image from an original site, like Net-A-Porter and putting it in to photoshop to resize and change the background color. I save the image and add information into an excel spreadsheet like the style number, design, name of the product, price, and link. After doing all of that I upload the items into ICAT which is like the behind-the-scenes website for the ShopBAZAAR website
- favorite part so far ~ I really like to do Affiliate Reporting and Affiliate Product Uploads because they are most involved with Work on the website. I can see the images I have worked on in the new arrivals page for ShopBAZAAR.com so it is awesome to see that my work is being shown and that I am actually doing something important for the company. I also really like ecommerce so it is a good fit for me
- what do you hope to learn ~ I want to learn more about how ecommerce works and hopefully know how to use ICAT completely by the end of my internship. There is so much that goes on behind the site and every little thing makes a difference so I want to understand it all
- dress code ~ casual smart. I usually wear nice pants and a t shirt or jeans and a t shirt or nice shirt. But, always a jean jacket because it’s cold in our office
- first time in nyc ~ No! I came here in high school with my family and then I came here this past spring break for the ISU field study
- how long to adjust ~ not very long cause I have been here before so maybe like a week? It is going by so fast though so I feel like I just went right into it
- favs/dislikes ~ favs - food, shopping, always doing something new, always being busy, great picture opportunities, walking everywhere Dislikes - I’m exhausted all the time, there’s not enough time to do everything, mean people lol
- food ~ fav food places so far: frying pan, milkbar, the ivy for buffalo wings, ess a bagel, le cafe coffee, sweetgreen
- shopping ~ Shopping - brandy Melville DUHHHHH. Also lots of cool stores I follow on insta and only shop online are here so I can go in and shop now
- tips on living ~ anywhere you live is going to be a new experience and is going to be cool. There will always be pros and cons. I love my location in Marymount because it is quiet and very safe and close to work but I do wish there were more restaurants and shopping nearby.
Elise Lee ~ LoveShackFancy
- major ~ apparel design, technical design focus
- where do you work ~ LoveShackFancy
- what is your title ~ production intern
- why did you want to intern here ~ I followed LSF on instagram way back at the beginning of my freshman year and was mesmerized by their clothing. when I changed my major halfway through freshman year, I told myself that one day I would intern for them and made it my mission!
- company size ~ the company is a small team, split between production and retail/showroom. in the production department where I work, there are 8 employees. however, it is growing at a rapid pace and just opened their first store in the Hamptons!
- perks ~ other than being immersed in beautiful clothing all day and the fully stocked snack pantry, we do get the occasional free sample from the showroom! what better than free clothes and free foooood
- typical day ~ i usually get to the office around 9:45 and get settled into the "intern space" (which just so happens to be right next to the snacks.. coincidence?) every day is different really. some days I'm sewing on new clothing labels, others I am helping organize the development design packet for the summer 2019 line (my fav). i like that my days are always different because it keeps me on my toes as to what I will be doing that day.
- favorite part so far ~ besides getting my first free top, I love that I have been able to help put together the development packet! of course, i am not doing the designs, but they have tasked me to update pages, color in tech flats, and even print and put together the packet for the owner herself, Rebecca Cohen!
- what do you hope to learn ~ I hope to learn more about technical design because that is my major, but learning about what it takes to start and run a business, especially a young one, has been very interesting.
- dress code ~ luckily our dress code is very laid back, but i find myself copying the LSF style of boho chic, which makes me feel like im in a wonderland while at work.
- first time in nyc ~ yes! and i love it, although it is filled with some very interesting people.
- how long to adjust ~ for me it only took me a couple days to remember streets and directions, but the subway is a whole nother story. after 3 weeks I think I somewhat have gotten the hang of it, other than the occasional mistake.
- favs/dislikes ~ the food! the food prices:/
- food ~ i have a lot of food allergies, so it's nice that they have a lot of vegan and gluten-free options here
- shopping ~ urban. brandy. top shop. that is all i need
- tips on living ~ don't be afraid of the city being "too big." it's broken up into so many different parts that, to me, it doesn't seem that large.
huge thank you to Bryannah and Sarah for taking time to help me write this post!
go check out there Instagrams and give em a follow
@bryannahslate @sawahpaul97
and check out Sarah Paul on youtube and Bryannahs fitness insta @fitgalbrybry