On the topic of interns
To start at the beginning; after finishing at lisof I worked as a shop slave (technically shop assistant, but “slave” was a more fitting a term) for a year. After that I was fortunate enough to secure a position at a Cut Make and Trim factory (CMT) that produced clothing in downtown Joburg. The owner; my first patterns lecturer, Erica de Greef, guided me exposing me to all the different elements in this insane industry. I worked under her guidance for the next four years learning more about the gritty, practical aspects of fashion than I ever thought existed!
The local fashion industry is fairly small and well guarded. Sure, anybody can walk into Golden Glow (a fabric wholesaler in Fordsburg) and buy fabric.. in theory.. In real life; it’s tricky. Who to speak to, how to tip, what to ask for, what to avoid, who has the best quality, best price, who is the most reliable, how to find out what fabric is being brought in just after the buyers return from the East and so much more. Having a mentor helps you avoid some very expensive mistakes. Don’t get me wrong; I’ve made my fair share of f#ckups, but it could have been worse.. On my own I would have struggled to survive one season.
On that note; I’ve also been blessed with an amazing financial guide. Very few aspiring fashion designers value the importance of being able to draw up a little spread sheet showing their predicted income and expenses. Most fashion diplomas/degrees have only recently started adding business as a possible subject for students to take and then, in most cases, it is presented in such an abstract way that students don’t realise the value of it.
I want to say that I’ve been lucky, but I’ve also put in a fair amount of work.. luck and hard work do seem to go hand-in-hand.. But either way, I wish to continue the cycle of sharing. For the past six years I’ve accommodated interns from the various fashion design institutions/institutes in and around the country. Some helpers have been more successful that others; some have been chased away and some became close friends.
It is a huge risk letting these creatively charged, excitable and oh-so-young personalities into my space, into my creative bubble, into my secrets that I’ve spent the past decade gathering. I’ve been hurt, had designs stolen and copied; down to the pleats inside the pocket! But I still feel internship is a vital rite of passage between student and designer.
I currently have a little troupe of helpers, some have become valued employees and some are still busy completing their degrees; which, on paper, will leave them more qualified than me. Yet I feel that the time they spend working in the industry is more important. Some days are a bit mad; I’m not the most enthusiastic micro-manager of people and rely greatly of them to find something they are interested in doing within my operation and run with it. I prepare worksheets that cover everything I feel I can teach, but it does rely greatly on interns taking initiative. And that does become tricky. The entire reason for you being here, taking up energy, taking up my time and mental space is for you to learn, to work and to grow. The only way to sustainably succeed in this industry in this industry is to work your perky ass off.
I want you to thrive, to grow as designers, as entrepreneurs, to contribute to the industry. This little rant is also in no way aimed solely at my current interns, but at aspiring fashion designers and student in general. Appreciate what we as hosts, as mentors can teach you. Not by buying present at the end of your internship, but by using this opportunity, by learning and growing and working. There is precious little that is more rewarding that seeing my interns fly...
