Hanging with the #VeraWangGang

Hey, guys!  If you don’t already know me, my name is Anna and I’m a senior that hasn’t actually gone on co-op yet!  Weird, I know.  I transferred, but that’s a long story.  Prior to my current internship with Vera Wang I interned at QVC from January to May as a Design & Development intern and at a startup over the summer, Stone & Strand, which is a Wharton MBA luxury e-commerce jewelry company.  I was in charge of social media and I created graphics as well.  All of my internships thus far have been conducted while in full time classes.  It’s definitely a huge commitment and requires a lot of time management skills, but it’s incredibly rewarding.

At Vera Wang I work in the Ready-to-Wear Production department three days a week in the Flatiron District of New York City.  As of right now I am in my fifth week of my internship.  The time has definitely flown by!  The first couple of weeks have been somewhat of a whirlwind what with New York Fashion Week and then Market week.  And if you’re wondering, I did get to go to the show, and no, I didn’t have to work it!  It was a pretty incredible experience though, I even saw a Jonas brother!  Below are pictures from MBFW and a poor quality video (thanks iPhone) of the Spring 2013 collection finale:

Outside of MBFW at Lincoln Center

Right before the show

   

You’re probably wondering how I intern in NYC and still have classes in Philly.  I’m going to be honest with you, it’s not easy at all, but the best things in life are challenging.  My time management skills have skyrocketed since I started my first internship, but even more so now that I’m taking 20 credits!  The first thing I did when I started interning in NYC over the summer was sign up for Bolt Bus.  Besides being able to board before most people, every eighth trip you get a free trip!  I try to plan out all of my trips weeks in advance so I can get the best possible deal.  I typically spend $8 to $15 on a one way ticket depending on when I buy it.  I’m also lucky to be able to spend one or two nights a week in Brooklyn with a friend to cut down on some costs.  However, most days I wake up at 4:45AM because I’m one of those people that loves long showers and never knows what to wear in the morning.  I’ll leave my apartment at the latest around 6:10AM to catch a 6:30AM bus.  It’s great that I don’t need to be at the office until 9:30AM, so I definitely have time to grab breakfast and a coffee after the bus.  Also, I definitely recommend spending the $104 a month on the unlimited ride MTA subway pass.  It’s worth it.

So what exactly does a production intern do?  I’m sure a lot of you won’t like this answer, but if you are at all interested in production or sourcing, be prepared to be intimately acquainted with Excel.  Besides small office tasks and dressing six feet tall models, I eat, sleep and breathe (only at work!) Excel spreadsheets.  The production team works with the design and sourcing teams as well as the pattern makers to successfully adopt Vera’s collections into products sellable at a wholesale and retail level.  The wholesale price is a markup of how much a garment costs to make.  Included in the cost are fabrics, embroideries/embellishments, cost of labor, freight charges, etc.  The retail price is simply the wholesale price marked up.  There is a typical markup percentage that is used throughout, however, sometimes this has to be disregarded because a garment will sometimes be entirely way too expensive and will obviously not end up selling.  When this happens, the wholesale and retail prices are marked down to a price close to what is normal for Vera’s RTW collections.  As an intern, my job is to input data into the costing sheets, fit note sheets, tracking reports, create new reports and process purchase orders (P.O.s) and also help out anyone that needs any extra help.

What surprised me the most about interning at Vera Wang is how nice everyone is.  Trust me, I was a nervous wreck about starting here and I had serious doubts about whether or not I had made the right choice in companies.  But everyone is extremely friendly and patient about teaching me.  I am actually the only intern that works in RTW Production and I have very little interaction with interns in the other departments.  This was a huge deciding factor in my decision.  It’s definitely a great opportunity to shine.

The office itself is pretty casual.  We’re supposed to wear all black, but no one enforces this rule.  I usually wear black jeans or leggings and a black or grey top.  I’ve noticed the girls in PR like getting dressed up, but everyone else, not so much.

This probably doesn’t give my first four weeks of interning much justice, but it gives you a taste of what it’s like hanging with the gang.

Until next time,

Anna