Reading Between the Stripes
What is it actually like to work at a fashion startup in New York City?
In a sentence, my internship is a little like The Devil Wears Prada, minus the evil boss, but add pile… or ten…of colorful striped tees.
Just as it sounds, I do make my way around Manhattan between the office, the factory, and to showrooms, but since the KULE team is only four people, I am included in all aspects of the business. I’m able to work directly with the president, designer, and operations manager, allowing me to experience the behind the scenes of running a clothing retailer. I’m in meetings about partnerships with other brands, I’m helping KULE’s designer on her upcoming resort collection, and am working on rebranding the men’s line to increase sales. I am in the mix of everything at KULE and I love it.
I never thought that the startup world was my thing. I envisioned myself working in a large marketing and advertising agency with high profile clients and corporate retreats, but what I didn’t realize was that at a smaller company, I get to see the behind the scenes, like what goes into releasing a new clothing line from sketch to shelf.
I’m not in a formal internship program, so I am learning on the job and am all hands on deck. Each day at KULE is unpredictable, and I’m learning to be more spontaneous. Jumping from organizing inventory to locating a missing shipment overseas, I am thrilled to be able to be at a trending playful fashion startup in SoHo this summer.