LIM College

This entry is not about my Senior Co-op internship at Barneys, but I wanted to share a great fashion industry experience that I recently had.

Last week I worked at the Coterie trade show for the spring 2012 lines. I helped out Latitude Showroom at this event. My friend Jen, who interns for Latitude right now, got me this amazing opportunity. It was a good thing that I already had a lot of experience selling lines to potential buyers.

I used to intern for Select Showroom, where I gained most of my knowledge about writing PO’s (purchase orders) and all the steps involved, from preparation of an appointment to completion of the sale. I attended the Project trade show in Las Vegas during that internship and I developed connections with other showrooms and buyers. Everything you hear about the importance of networking is completely true!

Networking also includes getting to know people your own age, because they are all interning for companies you may want to be at one day. For instance, since Jen got me this opportunity to volunteer and work at this show, I got to meet a new company and show them how I'm able to conduct sales for a line I knew little about. They filled me in briefly on the history of the line and what deliveries they had. Since the line just started last fall many buyers have not heard of the brand yet, so it was a challenge to get people to buy.

They put me by myself in a booth at the show. It showed they had confidence in me even though they didn't know me. This definitely made me a little nervous, but I did my best and got to write some orders!

When leaving the event Jen and I actually ran into Betsey Johnson!! It’s great to see a designer who cares about her product and how it’s selling! True designer! Below is a picture of Jen on the left and me on the right side of Betsey Johnson -- we're about to take a picture.