Think Charlie’s Angels but make it fashion… 

For those of you who are unaware of Oscar De La Renta, he is a world renowned Doinican fashion designer. De La Renta has boutiques all around the world and a very prominent fan base. Every summer Oscar De La Renta hires several interns in various departments and three of TCU’s very own students Emily Anwar, Brooke Debaise and Caroline May received the opportunity during the Summer of 2019. All three took on jobs they thought they would never tackle, faced the busy city of New York and made memories that will last a lifetime. 

So how’d they do? Let’s find out!

_{Fashion is about dressing according to what's fashionable. Style is more about being yourself.}

On the Job:

_{How did you get your job at Oscar De La Renta?}

EA - I had a contact from a friend of mine who worked at Oscar de la Renta the summer before, so I emailed the contact a brief introduction of who I was and why I wanted to work for them as an intern for summer 2019. After a few emails back and forth and a Skype interview, I got the job!

BD - I contacted the company directly after hearing what their internship program involved from a friend who had worked there the previous summer and because I knew how iconic and well respected the Oscar de la Renta brand is in the fashion industry. After interest in my education and experiences, I did several Skype interviews with the wholesale department and the sales team while I was studying abroad in Florence, Italy. I was extended an offer in March of 2019.

CM - There is a class called career development that is required for fashion merchandising majors to take before we do our summer internship. In this course, there was a day where a panel of students who had completed their internships the summer before came to talk to us about their experiences. One of the students had completed the Oscar de la Renta Wholesale Internship, and it sounded like something I would enjoy. I got the contact information from that student and set up an interview with her supervisor. I was offered the job a week later.

_{What was it about the job that interested you?}

EA - I have always loved the connection between fashion and business, so working for a luxury brand in New York City has always been a dream of mine. I was so fascinated to see how a successful company, like Oscar de la Renta, balanced the business entities alongside the creative work with the designers.

BD - The brand itself and being able to work in the wholesale area specifically were what attracted me the most to this opportunity. However, I was very interested in spending a summer in New York City since it is the heart of the fashion industry because I knew I would have the chance to learn more about fashion as a whole. I also really appreciated how those in charge of hiring me gave me a full understanding of what the position would entail and how I could apply what I have learned here at TCU.

CM - I have always known I wanted to pursue a career on the business side of fashion postgraduate, so I thought this would be a great way to get experience in the luxury sector in the industry.

_{Was it as glamorous as it sounds?}

EA - Yes, and no. Some days were glamorous, like when we got to go to Bergdorf Goodman and help administrate a private viewing for top clients. Other days, the hours were long, and the work was hard, but that's also what made it such a great learning experience. I feel like most girls, myself included before I did this internship, believe that working in fashion in New York City is one big fairy tale, but at the end of the day, you are there to work, grow and learn from hands-on experience!

BD - Truthfully, yes and no! The clothes are very glamorous, as is the majority of the clientele who visit the corporate office. However, in terms of the actual job duties, it was a lot of administrative responsibilities, which cannot really be defined as glamorous.

CM - Yes and no. The office and dresses were stunning, and it was absolutely breathtaking to see the garments being made and the final products. I also got to work on photoshoots and see some of the wedding appointments, which were very exciting. However, most of my time was spent on the computer instead of watching dresses be constructed. Although it wasn’t as glamorous as design or styling internships may have been, the business side of fashion is what really interests me, so staying on the computer doing wholesale projects was actually my favorite part.

_{What did a typical day at the office look like?}

EA - There was never a routine "typical" day in the office because every day was different. Most days, everyone would promptly file into the office with their coffees in hand, ready to take on the day. We would continue to work on projects that were assigned to us throughout the week. Some days were dedicated to creating quick-books on the computer and others we would spend all day upstairs in the showroom organizing, tagging and tracking down various sample pieces. There was never a set schedule, and we were always ready for anything they needed us to do.

BD - While no day was typical, I mostly found myself doing a variety of tasks like updating spreadsheets, creating selling reports, assisting in bridal fittings, identifying and sending out samples and packing trunks to be delivered to various clients.

CM - Days at the office varied depending on what tasks were most urgent or if a different department needed extra help. When I got to the office every day, I would check in with my supervisor and see if there were any urgent tasks that needed to be done. If not, I would work on the computer making buy collages, evaluating best and worst sellers for different accounts, etc. Often, I would help the merchandise coordinator find samples to send to retailers or to give to the Public Relations department. Over the summer, I was able to work with several different departments within the office, so I got to figure out if I had any other interests for the future other than wholesale.

_{What were your expectations going in? Did it live up to that?}

EA - My expectations were all over the place because I didn't know what to expect. I expected to be surrounded by really successful and "high up" people daily, and that's exactly how it was. It was so surreal to pass by Fernando and Laura, the designers, almost every day when we were in the showroom. Everyone in the office is very hands-on. So, you would be working with people from every department quite often, and I enjoyed that because we got to learn about so many other departments within the company.

BD - Upon accepting the Oscar internship, I was expecting a very high paced/high stress environment. I found it to live up to the expectation and I often was exhausted at the end of the workday. However, I also found it to be a very rewarding and fun experience, as I was able to learn a tremendous amount about wholesaling and the fashion industry in general.

CM - I honestly didn’t know what to expect going into the internship because I had never had a job remotely similar to this. However, I expected to learn a lot about the luxury fashion industry and the ins and outs of the daily tasks of a wholesale employee. I also expected the workplace to be very strict, organized and fast-paced. Many of my expectations were met, but many of them weren’t foreseen. For example, the workplace was not as strict and organized as I expected. Because we work with so many other companies and many tasks are dependent on other departments’ time schedules, sometimes the workplace could get very hectic due to unexpected circumstances. I also didn’t expect to be able to work with other departments so closely, which was very exciting and allowed me to expand my knowledge and skills.

_{Do you have any advice for someone wanting the same position?}

EA - My only piece of advice is to understand that it's not a "fairy tale" job. As an employee, you are there to contribute to the growth of that company, and that was the most rewarding part for me. If this opportunity sounds like something you are interested in, you should definitely go for it. I learned so much throughout my internship there. I will be forever grateful for the opportunity that I had to work at such a fantastic company.

BD - My biggest piece of advice is to fully research any company that you have interest in applying to. I found that interviewers expect you to have a good understanding of the overall position and also love it when you are passionate about their company.

CM - Be yourself during the interview and be upfront about your goals for the internship. Be prepared to do any tasks that are needed for the company, even if they are unrelated to wholesale. Flexibility and willingness to learn [are] key.

_{What was your biggest takeaway?}

EA - My biggest takeaway is that anything worth doing in life is going to take time and effort! If you want to be successful you have to work hard and put in the time, and I think being in New York gave me that insight.

BD - The fashion industry like all industries is very competitive, and I found that as an intern it is important to be receptive to every assigned task and to do it to the best of your ability, even if it isn’t the most enjoyable. The internship role tends to be at the bottom of the hierarchy and can sometimes involve less than desirable duties, but it all teaches you something, helps shape your career and shows your true character.

CM - My biggest takeaway from working at Oscar de la Renta is that in order to be successful in the workplace, you must be able to communicate with other departments and other companies. Just because wholesale employees spend most of their time on the computer doesn’t mean communication skills aren’t important. Making relationships and being transparent with everyone in the workplace makes everything more efficient and is important to overall success.

_{Is there anything you would do differently?}

EA - No! I had the best time ever this summer and I wouldn’t trade it for anything.

BD - The only thing I would do differently would be to try and branch out into the other departments to get a better understanding of the roles within the company. There are so many different opportunities within the fashion industry and I would have enjoyed getting to explore some of these more directly.

CM - Looking back, the one thing I would have done differently is being more open about my learning expectations for the internship. While I loved getting to experience many different jobs at the office, I hoped to gain a little more knowledge specifically in the wholesale department. I think if I was more transparent with my supervisor about these expectations I would have gotten more out of the internship.

_{Did it impact your career aspirations?}

EA - Yes, it definitely showed me that there are so many possibilities when trying to enter the fashion industry with a business background. I always thought my options were limited, but I now have the confidence that I will be able to find the perfect fit for my career aspirations.

BD - Yes, my internship solidified my desire to work in high fashion and live in a big, exciting city during the early part of my career.

CM - The internship just confirmed that I want to work on the business side of fashion in the luxury sector of the industry.

On the Past

_{What did you want to be when you were younger?}

BD - I never really focused on any specific career choices while growing up, but I’ve always had an interest in business and fashion.

CM - I honestly can’t remember exactly what I wanted to be when I was younger. Probably a vet or something that every kid wants to be. But as I got older, I realized my strengths lie in numbers and analytics, and I’m in love with fashion. So, this career path just made perfect sense.

On the Future

_{What’s your dream job?}

EA - My dream job is to start a company on my own someday. I’m not entirely sure what it is that I want to do, but I know it will have something to do with fashion and bringing people together in a positive light. I’ll let you know when I get there!

BD - Ideally, I would love to be an executive of an iconic fashion brand.

CM - My dream job is to be a merchandise buyer for a luxury fashion retailer.