Monsoon Internship

Sourced: Slim Jim Flickr

Ok, so I know that this was in June. But it is only now that I am getting around to posting about my brilliant internship at Monsoon in the Summer. Sadly, due to the company's confidentiality policy I was unable to take any pictures of my experience (waaaaah), so the pictures that I have included are taken from the internet.

Week One

So, after my long awaited first week at Monsoon I am beginning to experience the full effects of what it is to be in a full time job. A working girl, in London. And it would be an accurate statement to say that I am loving it. My first day I was a bag of nerves, although I have undertaken various work experiences before none of them have been as high profile as this or indeed as long. So there I was, about to get my first big mouthful of the feast that the fashion industry is. 

The team that I was set to be working in was the Buying Department: specifically Trousers and Outerwear. I was greeted by Athena (my mentor for the next 4 weeks) and another intern by the name of Danielle. Both were immediately friendly and any fears that I had had about the nature of the people I would be working with and the atmosphere within the work place were banished. 

The first couple of days of the week certainly were taken up by building colour palettes to send out to suppliers and clientèle, a pretty simple task which may sound boring but I was actually glad of. Whilst yearning for something important to be responsible for, I was actually grateful to be eased into my new surroundings. It really gave me a chance to learn the dynamics and ‘geography’ of the office, whilst carrying out a task that was necessary but at the same time not too demanding. The rest of the week was a mixture of small tasks really, steaming clothes and sitting in on meetings. The latter of these was an especially valuable experience for me, having no real comprehension of what it meant to be a BA before this week; I definitely feel that I have begun to understand what the job role entails. One other part of my week was sourcing product within the department and sorting out garments for sample sales.

Athena also asked me to write a PEST and SWOT analysis for the brand, as she felt that it is especially important for me to be familiar with these models if applying for a job within fashion. She went over them with me to give me pointers and I now feel a lot more confident with these, having received direct feedback from someone different to within my studies.