Introduction I initially chose to do a placement because I wanted to gain more experience in the fashion industry before I chose a more specific direction in which to forward my career. Learning new design and garment manufacture skills and developing the existing skills learnt throughout my education were a priority, so I hoped to find an internship where I could utilise these and also learn from professionals to improve. I hoped by using these skills in a professional environment I could show my potential as a designer, and gain positive references and build my confidence working as a designer. Starting my own business appeals to me for my future career as a designer, and although this was an option, I hoped to learn more about running a business from an existing designer before I attempt this myself, so I could be more aware of the different aspects. Both the designers I chose to intern at are small companies, and although they successful as fashion labels, are still both run by one person, the designer, which I hoped would provide me with insight and knowledge of different methods for if I decide to run my own business. I also hoped this insight would help me to decide if setting up my own brand would be something I would pursue. As I am currently unsure of a career path to follow after I finish my degree, I hoped by experiencing a range of interning roles, and observing other professionals, I would be able to narrow down my options further, either by eliminating the roles which do not appeal to me or by finding where I feel most suited in the industry. I also hoped to make new connections and network through an internship, both other interns, as these are my peers in the industry and will also be my competition when applying for jobs, and also meeting professionals who are already working, as they will be able to help me find jobs and make contacts. Broadening my cultural knowledge and experiences was an aim when choosing my internship, as I chose to go abroad for several months, hoping to observe any differences in the design industry from in England, and also because having previously interned in London, I wanted to challenge myself and become more independent. Finally, I hoped living and working in a new environment, surrounded by other designers, fashion, art and culture would inspire me in my future work, in level 7 and after my degree finishes.
Bas Kosters Studio I chose to apply for an internship at Bas Kosters Studio after finding out about the brand when researching designers in Holland showing at Amsterdam Fashion Week. The designs immediately struck me as creative and very unique, unlike any designer I have previously worked for. One main attraction was his use of colour and prints in every collection. This appealed to me as I saw this as an opportunity to learn more about print design, a technique that interests me but I have not tried before. When researching the designer, I also found out he considers himself multi-disciplinary designer. I wanted to learn from this, as I hope in the future I will broaden my skills as a designer so I can work in various disciplines, so I thought observing how he works would be interesting and possibly teach me aspects such as project management and collaborating. Another reason for choosing Bas Kosters studio was that when researching using the internet, and during my Skype interview, I got the impression that the studio would be a fun environment to work in, and there would be several other interns. During my interview with the designer, it was also apparent I would be needed to use my technical skills, and would not be expected to run errands or carry out menial tasks, which can sometimes be expected of interns. A positive work environment is important to me, as I see this interning time as a valuable tool to develop my career. While interning I carried out a range of tasks, mostly part of the production process. Almost all of the garments and accessories, both for retail purposes and the press pieces, are made by interns working in the studio. I was responsible for 3 couture pieces and several of the prêt-a-porter garments which were worn during fashion week, as well as sewing garments for retail. Garment manufacture is one of my strengths so I was pleased I was able to use my skills, and I also learnt a lot working with other interns as we were able to share our skills with each other, and I learnt a lot of techniques from the seamstress. Having the responsibility of sewing garments which were going to be shown at London Fashion Week was a great privilege and this made me more confident with my sewing skills. However, I found it unusual that interns with varying technical skills were entrusted to manufacture the garments for sale, as the quality was not always as high a standard as I would want for my own brand. This could damage a brand’s reputation and in the future, if I was to have my own design company, I would have the garments professionally made, or ensure a higher standard of quality control. Most of my internship was spent working towards the London Fashion Week show, which I got to be involved in backstage. This was a great experience as I had responsibilities including setting up the show room, ensuring 2 of the models were in the right clothes and make-up, and generally working as part of the team to make sure the show ran as planned. This was a highlight of the internship, as I felt a great sense of pride seeing the garments I made in the show. These have since been featured on various fashion websites and articles including Vogue’s website. I was also proud to have one item I made worn by Bas in the show, as he was a model himself, and it was improved my confidence knowing that the designer was happy with my technical skills, and also that a garment I worked hard on was in the spotlight.
I partially achieved my aim of learning more about print design as I observed how some of the prints were developed. I was also part of making one, as I made one of the dolls photographed to become part of a print. The prints were developed in Photoshop by a graphic design intern and then sent to a print factory. The fabrics were delivered in large rolls, and were used for the show collection and for the retail garments. This experience has led me to considerations for my studies in level 7, such as experimenting more with print design. One aspect from this internship which has helped me to narrow down my career options is that I would not want to be doing such repetitive work for a long term job. Other interns I spoke to also found they would not want to work at the studio for longer than 6 months as the work is very repetitive, and interns are not directly involved in the design process. Marga Weimans I applied for an internship at Marga Weimans because her design style of structured garments often inspired by architecture appealed to me. Her use of unusual fabrics was also something I hoped to learn more about during an internship. During my interview Marga said the time frame I was applying for was when she would be working on some art pieces for a gallery installation, so I would be working on that with her. Through this, I hoped to improve my skills in other art and design disciplines, as well as learning more about using architectural materials in fashion, and about print development which the Marga Weimans brand is known for. In the first few days of my internship I worked on some framed textiles art pieces for a gallery exhibition (separate from the main project). As there was only one other intern I felt I had been given a lot of responsibility very quickly, and this continued throughout the duration of my internship, working on the larger project, which was another gallery installation. I was very involved in the design process of several of the installations, including making models, drawing sketches of designs, using Photoshop and other software to develop designs, and attended meetings with collaborating architects and photographers. This led me to learn new skills such as SketchUp, a computer program used for 3D plans of models and buildings. I also used a range of materials, such as metal, clay, plastic, foam and other experimental materials which I have not previously used for design. Colour is a key element to all Marga Weimans’ designs, and I was involved in designing colour and patterns for some of the installations, partly supervised by Marga, which gave me insight into how she usually designs the colours and prints. I used coloured ink to paint the fabric models for one installation, and used acrylic paint to swatch various colour combinations for another installation, which I then edited using Photoshop and SketchUp to test transparency and develop model with a likeness to the polyester material which would be used. Some prints are partly designed by a previous intern who now works freelance for Marga.
I was able to observe her developing colour layers, using transparent material which she had painted and layered in various ways to produce an initial design which she then edited on Photoshop. This is a method which I can take forward to my level 7 design work. I am currently working alongside Marga and the other intern on a design which will be made in polyester, collaborating with famous artist Vincent de Rijk. I have been responsible for making a 1:1 scale prototype, producing plans using SketchUp and working out measurements for materials. Receiving very positive feedback from Marga on my design work and technical skills gave me confidence in having a independent responsibilities in a design team, and my role felt more of a design assistant than an intern, which is good experience for future job roles. This experience has made me feel confident in working independently and having responsibilities, which will benefit me when I advance my career and work in the fashion industry. I will be responsible for constructing the installations in the Groninger Museum, alongside the other intern. This will be challenging as there will be a time pressure, and will be working to a short deadline, the exhibition opening, and I will be using materials which I have not used before except in maquettes which were 1/7th of the scale. It will also mean working and communicating with external people, and overcoming language barriers. This internship has given me ideas for my level 7 work and inspired me to use materials not usually associated with fashion design, and to make more use of the machinery and equipment at my university. I want to experiment with the colour and print design techniques I learnt, and practice hand painted fabric designs. I found working in a smaller team meant I had a bigger role and could voice my opinion more. I also felt more useful as an individual, rather than a ‘worker’ in a big team, which has given me further direction for my career, as I know I would want to work with a small team, having responsibilities of decisions and I enjoy being a design assistant. Abroad Experience I chose to intern in Holland because I knew from previous trips that I liked the culture, and although I knew a little about the country, I was curious to learn more. Researching into the design style of the country, I found it was contemporary and innovative in different areas, including fashion design, with designers such as Iris van Herpen and Viktor & Rolf using new techniques and ideas, and in other areas such as architecture, with the dutch architecture company OMA co-founded by Rem Koolhaas. I hoped this would inspire me in my own design practice. Initially, I thought that speaking the native language would be essential, and planned to overcome this by learning the Dutch language while living in Holland. In fact, I found that in most of Holland, especially large cities, it is very uncommon for people not to be able to speak English. This is partly because English is taught from a young age, and also
many English and American television programmes are popular here, which is influential. It also seems to be a requirement for many jobs in Holland, which could also be because Holland has many international people living and working there, and English is usually a language people have in common. This made the experience easier for me in terms of communicating, although harder to achieve my aim of learning the language as there was less incentive for me to learn, and it was more effort on both parts for me to attempt to speak Dutch. I wanted to use this opportunity to network and make contacts in the fashion industry, on an international level as well as local, which may be beneficial in the future. I feel I have done this, as I now have contacts of designers from various disciplines, textile designers, products designers and architects, and many other interns who I could potentially work with in the future, or share skills with. Being in a new environment has opened my eyes to a different culture and lifestyle, which has creatively inspired me, and seeing new design and a wide variety of design styles has motivated me with my own work and directions for the future. The everyday life such as the cycling culture and the different architecture has given me fresh inspiration and new ideas to explore. Visiting museums and galleries which I not previously been to has led to me finding new inspiration and ideas from artists and designers, such as the bold print design of Marimekko, the use of colour by Van Gogh and Dali’s way of portraying themes in his art. When moving abroad I did not bring many art materials, as this was impractical, which led me to look for new design methods and am more interested to pick up methods from other people I work with. I have gained skills using computer software which I did not previously know, and picked up techniques from people I worked with, using materials available, such as ways of painting and making models using scrap material. Combined with influences from art galleries and museums, this has inspired me with new ways of visual communication I can use in level 7. Living abroad has made me more independent and increased my confidence being on my own in a new environment. I also now know I can adapt to situations quickly, and am able to plan work, accommodation, funding, travel and socialising independently, from a foreign country, and how to adapt quickly when plans fall through. I have gained confidence in situations when I need to use my judgement quickly and to trust people I do not know well which I think is a life skill which will help me in future travel as well as living in the UK when I graduate and go into employment.
Reflection Interning abroad has been a very good experience and has made me more confident being in new situations. Working at the Bas Kosters Studio made me feel more confident going into large group situations where I am an outsider, as although I felt out of my comfort
zone in the first week, I made good friends there, and worked well with the team, so in the future I think I will feel more at ease in similar situations.
What can I take through to level 7? Following on from my internships, I will be going into level 7 study and will utilise the skills I have learnt while interning to progress my design methods and develop innovative designs, where I hope the influences of my experience will be evident. One area I hope to take forward is use of materials which I have been working with, which are less commonly used in fashion, and which I have not previously worked with. This inspiration has come from my internship at Marga Weimans, while making many models and maquettes using materials such as metal frames, foam, clay, plastic wire sheet, and the polyester casting installation which is in progress. I hope that when the design is at the final stage and the shapes are ready to be cast in polyester, I will learn how to do this so I may be able to use this next year. While taking part in a toile crit at the fashion school in Rotterdam, I observed how the student had cast polyester in various shapes, and sculpted it to fit the body, and this had an impressive aesthetic which I would like to explore. Another type of moulding I want to research further into is rotomoulding, a method considered for the ‘Board Room’ installation. This involves making a cast and pouring the material in and then rotating the cast so the material moulds to the shape, and a hollow object is formed. Inspired from both internships, I hope to experiment with print design and other fabric design such as embroidery. Both designers I interned with used hand drawn designs combined with the use of Photoshop to edit, and printed with external companies. This method would be suitable for my level 7 work.
Working for a professional company with my own responsibilities has improved my project and time management skills due to having to work towards deadlines and reporting directly to the designer. This is something I have previously struggled with in university projects, but practice in real situations has improved my ability to plan and carry out tasks efficiently. Observing and being involved with collaborations between Marga Weimans and other artists has taught me a lot about how I can work with designers from other disciplines to broaden range of skills and possibilities for design directions and how I should contact other designers to use techniques and technology which can progress my design practice.