When I started my internship as a fabric sample assistant, I had been a rush to quickly find a placement. The job had appealed to me as it would be working with fabrics in the fashion industry, alongside the bonus of it being a paid position. What I hadn’t anticipated, was how much I would gain and learn from this experience.
Going into the internship my fabric knowledge was limited. I only knew the basics on different weaves, but I was yet to discover the extent of the fabrics that were available. Getting to handle the fabrics and being fed a constant stream of information about each type, meant that I was quick to pick up not just which fabric was which, but I also learnt the different terms using to describe different techniques in weaves. Some of these terms are Lurex, Decoupe, Samite, Cloque, Jacquard and many more! Whilst my placement has been going along, I have been noting down all the new information that I have learnt and over the next week, am planning on creating my own ‘fabric bible’ as such! This will give me a reference point in the future when buying fabrics for my own collections.
As mentioned, being so hands on with the fabrics, allowed me to learn the skill of identifying which ones are which. This was a skill that I didn’t previously have and am grateful to have learnt as I can see this being an imported asset to my skillset. When buying fabrics from retail shops, they can have a lack of information on them but with now knowing more about fabrics by touch, it will help to me, especially with working out the quality of a fabric.
Although my fabric knowledge was limited at the start of my placement, I felt that from previous jobs, I already had the skills to execute tasks given to me. During last summer, I had worked in an e-commerce role, which had helped give me a good understanding on how to action customer requirements. Having this understanding was a big benefit in the this internship, as I was dealing with customer sample requests and it was good to practice these sorts of skills further. I think that having customer experience, whether it be face to face or e-commerce is essential for any working environment. I have been able to gain this experience in a range of different roles, all of which have set me up in different ways for the future.
Alongside all the skills I have developed over the past 9 weeks, I have also gained a valuable insight into the background of the fabric wholesale industry. This has prepared me well for taking on my upcoming internship at Teatum Jones. They buy their fabric from wholesalers and with my new knowledge of that side of the industry, I may be able to assist the team in that area. It will also help me as I go on with my career into other jobs, where I am sourcing fabrics myself.
Overall, I couldn’t be happier with how the past 9 months have gone! With my new bank of skills and knowledge, I am looking forward to taking on my next internship shortly!
