Full name: Haydn Ramey
Hometown: South Lyon, Michigan
Major and Class Standing: Apparel and Textile Design, Senior
Social Media Handle: Instagram: @stylebyhaydn Instagram: @haydn_ramey
Internship Company/Organization Name: Rohit Kamra
Location of Internship: Remote
Program Type: Global Remote Internship Program
My title was Fashion Design Intern in which I focused on designing textile prints for Rohit Kamra’s collaboration with the brand Anthropologie. This project focused on women’s wear silhouettes, such as feminine dresses and skirts, and consisted of developing prints using Adobe Photoshop and Illustrator, selecting silhouettes, digitally rendering prints on garments, researching trends and new design concepts, and designing based on a mood board presentation.
My daily routine as an intern began around 10:00 AM EST in which I prepared for either a zoom meeting or email conversation at 10:30 AM EST with my supervisor to discuss any changes to my work from the previous day as well as the new assignments moving forward. After receiving feedback, I started on my work and completed 4+ hours each day (Monday-Friday). If any questions came up, I used WhatsApp to contact my supervisor, and by the end of each day, I would send a professional overview email including all of the work I completed and any changes from previous work.
I found this internship by exploring different opportunities offered through MSU and the College of Arts and Letters Excel Network. I was originally looking at the study away opportunity in New York for fashion; however, when I saw the global remote internship program, it intrigued me knowing I would be able to work for a company of an entirely different culture. Once I applied and was accepted, I reviewed my resume with Maggie Harris via MSU Handshake in order to fix the layout and wording, and used the introduction meeting with my internship provider at CAPA to my advantage before going into the interview process. I wanted to ensure that I was prepared to answer any questions about my experience and know what would be expected of me during the interview.
My favorite part of my internship experience was not only being able to have so much creative freedom when it came to designing the textile prints, but also being able to see my growth overtime, and by the end, having over 30+ prints and renderings that would be sent to the Anthropologie team for selection. This process was really rewarding in the sense that I felt independent, and my supervisor’s positive feedback made me motivated to continue in the industry I love.
My least favorite part about the internship was getting used to not having a set schedule for the week and having due dates constantly be switched. In my courses at MSU, there were always set schedules for the entire semester and due dates rarely changed. With this, not being sure of the work I would be receiving each day was somewhat stressful for me; however, it was all a part of the learning process.
My internship experience has given me some important insight on my intended career path within the fashion industry, and my supervisor explained some of the expectations when it comes to timelines for collections, prints, as well as the most efficient way to go about approaching printmaking for a high-end fast fashion company like Anthropologie. I am interested in this type of company for my career in the future, and her insight has allowed me to practice these in my work as an intern. Although I enjoy textile print design, I more so see myself as an assistant designer within the industry, working on a broader span of tasks within the design process from initial sketches to final product.
The main skills I have learned throughout my internship experience would be taking an existing motif and digitally altering it to make it completely new, making a print look overall merged, defining a color palette, and using rendering techniques in photoshop to create a more realistic look such as shading and highlighting. Not only have I built upon my technical skills, but I’ve also developed stronger interpersonal skills such as time management and communication skills. Since this was a remote position, being more independent and communicating with the company was even more important.
The advice I would give to students interested in seeking out internship opportunities would be to always remain extremely open minded. The main goal of an internship experience is to see growth within your personal and professional self and continue learning within your industry in any way possible. So, don’t go into the process expecting to get a position exactly like the one you see yourself pursuing after graduation. This will seriously limit your opportunities. Instead, receiving a position that is at least in your industry is already great experience and will provide a stepping stone to where you see yourself in the future.
