Today the creative director for Hudson sent me around the city to purchase samples of jeans in stores. She handed me her company card and told me to keep the receipts so that she could get reimbursed for the expenses. I was supposed to pick out some specific styles, but then she told me to spend as much as I needed on other things that I thought represented future style trends/good examples of fashion design. I felt so official shopping specifically for Hudson. I loved that the women trusted MY opinion when it came to trend forecasting and buying what I liked. By the time I headed back to Hudson, I had dropped $700.
When I got back, everyone loved the styles that I picked out. They take these styles into consideration when designing and gain inspiration from the fit, fabrics, or prints. I love when they send me running around the city because I am definitely getting the hang of the subways. Also, I really like getting out of the office, even though it’s a lofty, well-lit show room. My own enormous Mac computer is perched on my desk too, so I kind of feel like a big deal even though I know I’m just an intern. The women who are above me don’t treat me like a puny little intern though, and it seems like they actually trust me with some very important company matters.
I have never been asked to hang/tag samples, fold things, organize, make copies, or run to get the designers coffee. I came into this summer thinking that all of the above were things that interns are expected to do. Most of the time, I think it’s what you see happening in the industry. Firms bring in unpaid interns to do little jobs that ultimately need to be completed, but the designers don’t really have time for these things. Often, internships are about “gaining experience,” yet not a whole lot of experience is gained by organizing filing cabinets if you ask me. I’m glad they don’t look at me as someone who is there to do their dirty work. I feel like they treat me as an equal, which is really refreshing.
I’ve been chugging along creating “line-sheets” for Hudson’s buyers. Basically, these line-sheets are like catalogs that are given to the clients that Hudson sells their finished garments to. From here, the clients choose which styles/quantities they’ll be ordering for the next season. The catalog (as well as a very persistent sales team) is the main method through which buyers are introduced to the collections. They need to look g-o-o-d. I’ve actually overheard the ladies that I work with talking about how great of a job I’ve been doing on these catalogs. I set up a completely new template for them, and have been working on the line-sheets non-stop for the entirety of the last week. Not to toot my own horn, (toot, toot) but their catalogs have improved SO much in my short time there.
They have me coming in from 9:30-5:30 usually, but they are pretty flexible. I know I can leave at 5:30, but I actually enjoy the things I’m working on, so sometimes I get so involved in it that I don’t realize it’s getting late. I’ve actually stayed until 7:00 before! I have finally finished their current line-sheets, so now I’m actually moving into the design realm, which is really exciting. The Sr. Designer is going to walk me through the design process starting with market research and ending with ordering samples. I’m really eager to soak it all in and get the most out of my time here.
Always,
Alena Netia Horowitz
