Information Exchange

Information exchange is an event organised by Fashion Studies tutors gathers final year students to share their placement information from last year. Before we attend to the event, we have prepared questions ready for interviews, and we need to interview at least 6 people which I have done 8 interviews!

I first interviewed Katrina Williams who went to Ossis for 5 weeks, she did party preparation for business meeting and had a big responsibility for pattern manufacturing when her manager went travel. Second place she went was Anna Scholz for 9 months, she did various work in the small company and also got paid for her travel and lunch.

Shushma Malmi went to Debbie Bryan ‘I dress myself’ which the company is based on eco-friendly clothes design. She started making badges, screen print art scene, then she gradually has more responsibility on ordering in and check products, updating website; photoshop work, and orgaising studio. She said the best bit about her job was designing cuff ling and she find the whole thing very technical.

Krisha Haveliwala manages to have the best work experience out of her 3rd year. She went to Vogue in USA and mainly in charge one section of the website and her favourite part was get to play with clothes and listen to U.K radio1. Her best experience out of all is involved in working with Sex and the City scene where she meets several celebrities that I have never heard and I forgot to write down. She compared her experience as ‘Devil wears Prada’ movie where everything was intense, no break, and has stressful people around. It was 3 months unpaid but it has been her best and worse experience of all.

Laura Fox went to four work placements such as Papillion Bleu for 7 weeks which is mainly doing research for them. 69 magazine for 7 weeks as a researcher for trends, write question and help choosing colour palette. Her favourite placement last for 4 weeks was Burberry, where her job is an assistance technical, helping pattern and productions. Her most proud moment was her socks design went into ASDA super market that she worked for George Company. She find Burberry people help her gain more learning out come because they wanted you to ask question rather more than George where she wouldn’t dare to ask as they’re so busy.

Hayley Lyttel’s first job was working for Can Can which got more insight of their supplier, learning to do book work and did window displaying. BC international was her second placement where she gets good insight of factory - seeing the work there, and it was very demanding roll. She said there was no creativity which is based on knowledge of strict you have, big responsibility, a lot of pressure and get into production movement. The interview was intense and she wishes she have more Illustrator work. She got paid £50 per week for 9 months and mentions that ‘neither of them I want to goes back’. Her advice was ‘applying as much as you can and always go for the best one’.

Sam Andrew works for Topshop for a year, she mainly into jersey design where she helps designing prints into CAD. At first she didn’t know how to use it (Her CV said she can) but they manage to catch up and found out that she couldn’t. So they taught her how. She felt that she learn so much more from this experience than university because there is more technical stuff in CAD skill. She also went to Native Clothing design Ltd and got paid £50 per week which involved in shop assistance.

Jennifer Cormack-Hough has one placement at Jennifer Sanderson for 3 weeks; international design consultant for furnishing and home products and this mainly involved in Textiles. Her role was to do magazine research and picking interesting images and scan them into design file which is very time consuming, and she also did draft pattern design. She finds most of the time is not challenging but maybe if she stays longer then it could be different. She did considering going back because she wants to do more womenswear.

Lastly Ceri Barlett is my final interview. She first works at Riess (1year and 4 months) where she already know so much about their store and doing percentage up or down. She accidently got client who asked her if she can do interior stylist for Daily Mail and she delighted to accept it. Then Daily Mail was second placement where she styling furniture and jewellery a lot for 9 months. Good thing about her job is having variety contacts like press contacts, and best thing is getting free stuff and having power to take control of photoshoot; organising the material and furniture by ordering them. At first she got paid £50 per day then £35 per hour.