#MyInternTheory: A First Internship Story Of A Fashion Designer!!

Hello Friends,

Honestly I never had done any internship in life so far. So I wasn’t that excited about this activity. But as I talked to my Fashion designer niece about it…she said “How don’t you ask me to share my experience?”

Well…that’s great idea!!!

She mailed me about it. Guess what I completely fall flat.  It’s really interesting to read story. Now I feel what I have missed in life. An internship exp. Well... Let it be.

Meet my My Darling fashion Designer niece Jyotsna (Nick name Mitali).  She stays at Cuttack (Odisha). She has shared her Internship story. It’s really fascinating. Read on…

HIIII YOU ALL!!!!!!

 Am Jyotshna , a fashion designer. Here am sharing my internship experience which I did in 2010 (0ct-dec) at Bangalore Central. That was my first internship I did during my graduation time in Fashion Designing.

Before last Semester exam I had to do my one month internship tranning programme and submit it to my university. It was my first experience so I was all EXCITED!!! In my hangout routines I and my friends started talking about what field to choose and where to go for a better learning experience. Few of my class mates, well’ of course close buddies and I started discussing the internship topic to have a proper plan. I was new to Bangalore as I had gone there first time to do my graduation in Fashion Designing from Bangalore University. So neither I had any idea about apparel industries, nor about big malls or any buying houses to apply for my internship for a high class experience. Luckily I had very close local friend (you know how important it is to be a Kannad in Karnataka!!!) of mine had few indirect references in big malls and few well known apparel industries.

In my academical career I always had given major priorities to my internship sessions because I believe this is your “end output” of your best learning opportunity you get from your college and universities by giving your best input. Also it teaches us “the art of utilizing any single opportunity to use it as a golden opportunity for what you pay them your money and time”. MY field is very vast and very very challenging but can be majorly divided in three basic categories as explained below.

At the beginning we all stood stumped as we really couldn’t choose which field to select as per our comfort and ability to excel in that field. It was actually difficult for me as I had a wish to choose designing but due to no reference, I had to change my comfort zone.  So I was very depressed.

My Friend Kala was watching me.  She knew me very well that i was very serious and particular about all these practical and projects. So, she came and said “Jyotsna if you don’t mind will you join me? So that we both can do our internship in Bangalore Central” together. I was blank for couple of seconds and then asked her tell me about the "mall" first.  Then she explained me that Bangalore Central - owned by Future Group - was one of the very prestigious malls in Bangalore. I was relaxed and said “Yes” because finally  at least I got a "brand mall" to do my internship. Also I felt learning is important more than that utilizing the current opportunity is most important. So I said a big YES!!! And set my mind completely to use that particular opportunity as that was my only option at that point of time.

Next I went and discussed with my project guide and talked with my friend Kala who had offered me to join with her.  Then we started planning for it.

Now next challenge was what topic to choose.

This is very important as your all hard work depends on justifying your topic at the end in your project report. So I started picking best project reports from my college library and went to different colleges (including NIFT Bangalore) to get some inspiration before giving my final project topic to my project guide.

Finally I chose the topic as “MERCHANDISING MIX IN YOUTH CLUB AT BANGALORE CENTRAL-2”.

Guys, you just don’t believe how that experience had actually helped me a lot to grab many good company job offers in my campuses and really “raised my standard” as a designer  and my CV value.

Finally it was the day of interview and we got ready to attain it. We were given time by the HR Head to be present in their back office at sharp 9 a.m.  Me, my friend Kala and one of our class mate Chaitra, we three had gone for the interview.

I was called first and I was very cool in front of him even though it was my very first interview with such an expert persona. He was HR head of that mall and he took our interview directly. I entered and he offered me to seat, I conveyed thanks and sat. Then got ready for really unexpected questions which used to be out of box in my field.

He asked me “how you are Jyotsna?”

 I said am good sir. How are you??

By seeing my comfy smile, he asked, you looking very cool!!

I quickly responded it’s all because of you Sir as you are very soft spoken that’s positivism from you making my surrounding very comfortable for what now am bit self confident..

He was impressed!!!!!!!!!

Then he bounced his tricky questions.

After many question and answer sessions finally he winded with a simple yet the trickiest question of that interview. He asked if I would select you only and rest of your two friends will be rejected then what will you do? Will you grab this offer to get a high class training experience or you will choose to be with your friends and try in some other mall or industry to be united with your friends?

Hmm…really! Really a trap!!

I answered  “Sir I will never lose this offer if am getting selected and Yes at the same time after I get confirmation letter from you I will request you to accept their applications too. Else I will help them and I will be with them till they get a golden opportunity like me…

He smiled and clearly said a Yes!

The mall was consisting of total of 520 brands out of that 324 were pantaloons brands and rest 196 was other international brands.

My mentor Head in VM training was Mrs. Lavanya Ma’am.  She was young but was a very talented woman who was VM head in entire zones of Bangalore at that time. I learnt a lot under her guidance about visual merchandising, styling techniques, retail marketing, marketing strategies, dealing with customers, create new strategies to make highest sales target and many more.

Note- A message to all youngsters. I won’t say that to learn something you need to spend hours and hour’s time in front of book. Try always learning from your practical exams or experiments and specially do not waist your timings in the name shake of internship. Believe me if you want to become something then you have to utilize each small or big opportunity in a right way at the right time. Be a bit responsible and bit adoptive then see where you will go. Definitely you are going to create a new and unique bench mark in your coming success.

My bench mark styling techniques 

I met the owner of FUTURE GROUP. Who is none other than Mr.Kishore Biyani @kishore_biyani. And I was lucky enough that I could serve my innovations in front of him and could impress him and my small contribution added value to his quality of marketing and during my training period he reached maximum sales target. I met with many NRI customers many foreigners...It was a marvelous journey when a girl from an “upper middle class” family give advice and suggestion to “high class fashionable peoples” and shows them different styling techniques and etiquette so that they can understand it in new innovative ways.

During My internship period pantaloons was under future group with its own admin later on it owned by Aditya Birla. Group

Like me make your every experience as meaningful!!!!!!!!!Never worried if you’re loosing something at that point of time when you expect something you like.  May be something great is waiting for you so have patience...Later during my MBA time I had two projects one was mini and another was final project. I completed my wish and for mini project I did my project on merchandising and for final project I did it in designing, that to I did my designing project under H&M brand (worlds number 1 brand in kids wear specially).And my first VM internship gave me a great learning experience with a great awareness about brands and its uniqueness. Now as a designer I can meet the expectations of customers, as well as brand demands effectively because of a good knowledge experience from my internships…

This all about #MyInternshipStory #MyInternTheory

Guys..hope U good reading times (well…if not then I’m not a conventional writer at present… You Know. Still learning to design Words. ha ha ..)  

“I’m sharing my first internship experience for the #MyInternTheory activity at BlogAdda in association with Intern Theory.”