I
am in Hong Kong for an extension of my six-month co-op in New York. There, I
worked for Nation Design, a design and wholesale manufacturing company. I met
one of the factory owners, where Nation Design manufactures, while at a fashion
show in New York and he suggested I come to China to learn the other side of
the business. My internship in Hong Kong/China is split into two. First, I will
work at Tungtex (Holdings) Co. Ltd., which is similar to my co-op in New York.
They both design and manufacture apparel but Tungtex is totally vertical and my
co-op in New York manufactured their merchandise all around the world. The second
part of my internship will take place in mainland China, at another
manufacturing company called Bonsai. There I will follow a designer around while
she manufactures her collection for Spring 2013.
I
arrived in Hong Kong on November 1st, stayed two nights in a hotel while I found an apartment
for my one-month stay in HK. I was advised by a few students and family members
to wait upon arriving to Hong Kong before paying a deposit. It was suggested to
see the apartment first because sometimes the apartment will not be the same as
the photos showcased online.
Hong
Kong is twelve hours ahead of Philadelphia (now 13 with the day light savings),
so my first morning I was wide awake very early and ready to start apartment
hunting!! The first three apartments where a huge letdown and I was nervous I
wouldn’t find somewhere suitable to live until my meeting with a serviced
apartment company that helps students find housing, Wing-Wong Holdings. The
first apartment I saw through this company was still very small, dirty and
smelt like mold! AHH! I know.. But the second apartment was a huge relief.
Still small, but clean, an appropriate price, great location and roommates were
friendly and about my age.
My first day at the internship at Tungtex (Holdings) Co.
Ltd., in Kowloon, Hong Kong, began with a meeting with the General Manager, who
I had been exchanging e-mails with for several weeks. She gave a tour of the
office and introduced me to many of the employees. Soon after, there was a
meeting with a fabric sourcing manager from Aritzia, a Canadian apparel
company. (One of her previous positions was at Anthropologie at the Navy Yard
in Philly! – small world.) The fabric sourcing manager and a group from Tungtex
discussed how the Aritzia’s clothing, which was manufactured by Tungtex, had
sold in previous seasons; strengths and weaknesses. They also discussed the
issue of increased price in silk, which is Tungtex’s main distributed fabric.
Silk’s driving cost was due to the bad harvest of the cocoon in September and
is short 15%, rising price for buyers of silk.
In
the afternoon, I observed a meeting at Tungtex that was held in Chinese. It was
the company’s monthly meeting, where each member of the sales department
showcased and discussed the garments they were working on for each company.
Tungtex designs and manufactures for Anne Taylor, Ted Baker, Aritzia, to name
some.
Today,
I researched through two of the best fashion websites I have ever visited; WGSN.com and Stylesight.com,
trends for Spring/Summer 2014. I was given three separate categories to find
textile and style trends. One category was modern, science and sports. Second
category was retro, California dreaming, raw and travel. Third category was
exotic, floral, romantic and tropical. I put various photos in files for the
design team to pick from for inspiration.
As
for Hong Kong …. It’s really a cool city. Lots of shopping… many, many designer
stores in the city and in the malls. The food is delicious, although I am a
pescartarian (no poultry or red meat). The food is fresh and inexpensive. The
subway system is very easy to get around and clean!! I take the subway to and
fro work everyday, from Hong Kong Island to Kowloon . It costs $1.60 USD or
$12.50 HKD. The ratio from USD to HKD is approximately 1 to 8.
More
to come….!
Christa
WOW! What an amazing opportunity! What has been your favorite part about Hong Kong so far? Do you think you would consider working overseas as opposed to in the US after graduation? By the way, I miss you and Dawn on campus!
ReplyDeleteChrista, how has it been adjusting to life in Hong Kong? Are there big language barriers or culture differences that have been difficult to adjust to?
ReplyDeleteThat is amazing! What an experience to be getting! Did you learn any Chinese prior to your departure?
ReplyDeleteHey sorry just seeing these responses! I would live overseas after graduation, at least a for a few years - but never know, maybe longer! The company I am interning for now is connected in the U.S. They design and manufacture for Anne Taylor, Banana Republic, Talbots, Guess by Marciano.
ReplyDeleteAdjusting to life was hard the first week. Since HK is 13 hours ahead of Philadelphia, I would wake up every morning before anything was opened and then be absolutely exhausted by 6pm HKT! I was so excited to be there but felt like I was only either; figuring out an apartment or going to work and then passing out. But after 1 week, and it was exactly one week - I somehow got on Hong Kong's time and schedule.
I really love Hong Kong - best part since my blog is I joined a few meetup groups (through meetup.com - started by an American guy). I started volleyball last weekend and it is so much fun!! In Hong Kong, there are several of outside courts which hold vball, basketball, track, and swimming events. Weather has been between 85-70 degrees! And many of the young local people and expats play sports after work and on the weekends... Then, after the games we go out to dinner. It has been a great way to meet people and get involved. I met someone who used to work in the buying department of Target at one of the games - we exchanged contact information - incase I wanted try for a job at Target! I eventually want to be a buyer, so that's a good connect!
As far as language barriers.. most people speak English. Sometimes it is hard to understand when they speak English because they have a heavy accent. But its getting easier. There is no hot water in my kitchen, which is an adjustment. I boil hot water to rinse my dishes after using soapy water. Also, my apartment is in the middle of food markets and there is A LOT of meat displayed everywhere (bloody too, hope that's not too descriptive..) But I don't eat meat so it is hard for me to stomach seeing so much of it. My first week, I just tried looking down when passing..now my eyes are able to gaze over it. So, nothing is too hard it just takes some time to get use to..
Didn't learn any Chinese before leaving. In Hong Kong they Cantonese and Mandarin in maninland China. But I have picked up a few words since I have been here.. And it's finally starting to sound like individual words when people are speaking instead of sounds...
Anna I miss you too!! So excited to hear all that you have been doing with QVC and now Vera Wang!!