The Office
Sunday, April 7, 2019
Your first few internships and jobs in the fashion industry will all have a similar setting- the office. Unlike the show, you probably won't have a funny boss or co-workers that actually aknowlegde you, or a fun work setting. (and if you do, you are so incredibly lucky) These people mean business! In my experiences, often times the loudest noise is the sound of your own breath, or everyone on your floor stampeding to a meet with the namesake designer. There rarely is an in between.
Regardless of the kind of setting it can be, here is what nobody tells you :
HOW MUCH TIME YOU ARE GOING TO SPEND ON YOUR ASS.
40+ hours a week on your buns hun. Just let that sink in. Those jeans you can only wear when standing? Not an option. You know 20-40 minutes later the top button is coming down and soon enough so is that zipper pull. Choose your outfit wisely. You are gonna be with your desk chair so much it'll become an external layer of skin.
MUST HAVE SNACKS.
Since its SOO BUSY, you most likely will be working through lunch, taking a late lunch, and eating your lunch with your best friend- the chair. RULE OF THUMB: always. have. snacks. on. hand. It saves you time from having to step out and waiting on checkout. Also, if its raining , snowing, or too cold, you just did yourself a favor. Pro tip: Declutter the cabinet next to you to store your stash. And don't let all of your coworkers in on it. Hungry people become more alert when they know someone in the area has sugar nearby... then they take on seagull mannerisms and start squawking and inching their way towards you.
The shoes you wear.
Honestly this may all sound like a common sense situation, but the reality of it is that it isn't. The day your ass gets a break your feet won't. Its even more crucial to have a great pair of shoes on for the day or to leave a pair of shoes at work. One to look fancy and professional and like you know how to do V-lookup and pull your categories sales in 5 seconds, and the other to go on that coffee run. The higher the heels the higher the level of pain. Pick your pair wisely. One of my bosses kept an average of 13 pairs of shoes under her desk... and now I know why.
LETS GET PHYSICAL.
Literally. You don't realize how tight your body gets from lack of movement. I felt stiff and immobile so often that I started doing hot yoga weekly. (also to help loose the constant snack weight) Any sort of exercise will do, but I've resorted to yoga at Y7 because for an hour out of my week, I'm off a phone/computer screen, sweating my ass off, and just being at peace. It requires nothing but yourself in a dark and candlelit setting. It also helps me sleep better at night. I do strongly recommend doing something to get that heart rate up and going from time to time, and not just those arguments with the co-worker that never quite seems to know whats going on.
I've been interning for four years now; one year was spent remote/hybrid, and the other three in person. These are deff my biggest callouts for anyone who isn't familiar or doesn't know what to expect.
For all my seniors graduating next month, WE FINALLY FUCKING MADE IT. For everyone else, eventually you will too. I'm so stoked to leave the title of intern behind me and replace it with associate or assistant.
Questions, comments, or concerns? Feel free to drop it low in the comments below. Next time I'll be writing is when I let y'all know who I ended up working full time with. Currently I'm a little heartbroken about having to reject my dream company, which absolutely nobody on the planet prepared me for, but the perfect fit is out there...somewhere.
Opening image by Kieran B.
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