Burberry, life of an intern

I am currently interning for Burberry as a wholesale intern in the women's non apparel department. I love my internship there and am proud to be a part of such a classic and traditional brand. Although I am working in the accessories department, I was never much of an accessories girl. I would throw on a watch and usually call it a day. My style was more simple and understated, usually out of convenience. However interning at Burberry has changed all that. They manage to take one little pattern, the Burberry Check and turn it into hundreds of different designs. It is part of my job to identify all the different styles of the check and be able to name them on the spot. There is Nova, Haymarket, Mega Check, Giant Check, Reversible, Vintage check, Beat check etc. Every season they create new checks and new variations. It astounds me how the designers keep the brand so classic, and yet it never feels old or repetitive with the same pattern being used. As an accessories intern I work with soft goods such as scarves, ponchos, and hats,and hard goods such as handbags, belts and small leather goods including wallets and gloves.

Most of the work in wholesale is done on excel, and is made up of creating and reviewing different lists. We have to keep track of every sample and make sure they are selling properly and at the right price, so we are always tracking and monitoring their progress in our account stores. Another part of my job involves market week. After every fashion week we hold a market week in our offices (usually lasting a little over a week) where all of our buyers come to preview the collection and place an order for their stores. I sit in on these buy meetings and listen and assist. During the meetings, usually run by an account executive, most of the products are displayed and talked about. It was in this way that I learned just how many types of scarves there could be, and in how many ways you could where one. There are different lengths and widths and colors of course, but then there are the different fabrics, and the reversible patterns and the crinkle check styles and the gauze check style etc. Looking at all of the different styles and options made me want to start accessorizing my look more. If Burberry can make a whole lifestyle out of one check, then surely I can add a little bit of color to my own look as well.