FASHION AND BEYOND

Lesson 1 Reflection

Q: What am I most proud of and why?

A Reflection of Interview Two.

1. How I'm spending my mentor-ship time.

At Co, I am an intern. Apart from doing normal tasks such as helping around anyone who needs it in the loft and keeping the loft clean, I spend a lot of my time working with the press rack and log. My job is to ensure that stylists who want to pull from our collection properly fill out an accountability form will all of the correct style numbers. When the stylist returns those items, I again must ensure that everything is returned, nothing is broken, and I have to log what the items were used for, who wore them, and if they were photographed or printed in a magazine. This is one of the ways we keep track of influential marketing within the brand. I also shadow in on marketing strategy meetings and do a lot of research for upcoming events.

2. How I found my mentor.

My brother is my mentor and he actually convinced me to come intern for him over the summer. After meeting everyone in the loft, I soon became interested in fashion marketing especially and have been grateful to learn a lot from the others who work alongside my mentor.

3. How comfortable am I with my mentor?

At my internship, we keep it very professional.  Although the other team members know we are related, my brother and everyone else still treats me as an equal. None of them are afraid to teach me and guide me into the right direction. I love interning at Co because it doesn't just feel like I'm only there because of my brother. I've seen other interns let go because they simply were not the right fit for the brand. Being dedicated and available to everyone makes others more comfortable and trusting towards you.

4. What went well in this interview?

Although it was a fast interview, I got some interesting stories on how Jonathan found his passion and walked alongside with him on his reflection of how he got to where he is now. It was definitely interesting to hear his evolution and I learned things I previously did not know about him. With that being said, I'm ready to interview a different person in order to provide new content for my research.

Click here to view a transcribed version of this interview.

Foreshadowing...

Status Update on Mentor

• I am still with my same mentor, Jonathan. This month he has given me new material to read as well as research assignments. We have scheduled an interview date and we are both very excited for the second interview.

 Topic Focus

• I am most interested in social media marketing as it is currently the biggest trend in fashion marketing. Furthermore, I think Public Relations and Fashion Marketing are often included within each other, so I'm looking to further research their correlation. 

New Sources?

• Like aforementioned, I'm looking to narrow my search results to deeper investigate public relations and how greatly it correlates with fashion marketing. Furthermore, one of my previous articles briefly talked about the fashion marketing theory, so I am definitely going to investigate this theory and it will probably lead me to more similar theories.  I find new sources by researching briefly mentioned, interesting bits in my research articles. It kind of feels like looking up the definition of a word in the dictionary and then looking up the word they used to describe the first word, so that's fun. 

Possible EQ

• What does fashion marketing aim to achieve?
• How essential is fashion marketing to your brand?
• What is the most successful fashion marketing technique that is versatile to all levels of fashion?

If you haven't already, check out Co Collection's Spring 2016 Look Book

Q: Update your Senior Project Hours log.

 

Spring 2016 Ready-to-Wear Co

 

1. What has worked well for you concerning senior project this year?  What has made it a positive experience for you?   

Being around very creative individuals has motivated me to dive into my project, go to mentor ship, and network with other creative people who could further my project. Also, the amount of support I have been getting from people in the industry has been overwhelming. It's very reassuring to know that I have a whole team behind me who only wants me to succeed. The overall vibes surrounding my project have been good and I am grateful.

 2. What are you finding difficult concerning senior project?  How can you adapt to make that portion work better for you?  How might the senior team help?

Since my mentor ship is in LA and I am afraid of going long distances on the freeway, it has been a little difficult getting to my mentor ship. I make sure to make the busier days when I will be more likely to learn something important. However, some parts of the season are slower than others so it is just about finding the right days and getting there, especially now that school has started. 

Click Here to Listen to A Snippet of My Interview

1. What is the most important thing I learned from the interview? Is there anything I would do differently for other interviews?

• I learned more about my mentor's perspective on the industry. He introduced new ideas to me and gave me more things to research. I feel that overall, this interview was beneficial to advancing my research efforts. I would probably, however, ask more questions in the future.

2. Did I get additional resources and contacts? What is the most useful? Why?

• Jonathan gave me an abundance of additional contacts. I am grateful to have the opportunity of having a mentor who has networked and built relationships with other people that would be helpful to me.  
• The most beneficial would be Scott, the former owner of Band of Outsiders. Since Jonathan previously worked for him, he is willing to help me reach out and possibly set up an interview. 

3. What makes my interviewee qualified to help me?

• Jonathan is a graduate of UC Berkeley. He majored in Media Communications and Sociology. Previously, Jonathan worked at Band of Outsiders, where he gained new knowledge and experience of the fashion marketing world. At Band, he handled social media accounts as well worked on different marketing projects for the brand. Currently, Jonathan is the Press and Marketing Assistant and Studio Manager of Co Collection in LA. Co is a young, five year brand that is growing rapidly. Not only is Jonathan able to be apart of that growth, I as well have been given the opportunity to watch the company grow and really study the marketing techniques that are so important to the growth of Co.

I chose to interview my mentor, Jonathan, for my first interview. Listen to a snip below.

On set for Co Spring 2016 Look Book Shoot

Stephanie Danan for PORTER Magazine

1.  Who do you plan to interview?  Why?

I plan on interviewing the co-founder of Co, Stephanie Danan. She has successfully marketed her business and has had her clothing styled for well-known celebrities and models on the cover of well-known magazines.

2.  Five questions will be assigned to all seniors to ask.  What additional questions do you plan to ask?  Ask open-ended questions. 

• Where do you typically find inspiration?
• Are you limited in ways to market your brand? 
• How do you find creative new ways to market your brand while keeping the overall elegance of your clothing?
• What are the major ways you market now and are they different from past years?
• What are your plans in terms of marketing for the future collections? 
• What do you feel works best for your company and the target audience?
• How do you make your marketing strategies relevant to your audience?

Jonathan on location for the Co Spring '16 Lookbook at the Samuel Navarrow House in Hollywood.

 

1. List the contact name, phone number, and organization of the person with whom you volunteered.

1. I interned / mentored under the supervision of Jonathan at Co Collections in Downtown LA.  

2. What qualified this person as an expert in your topic choice?

1. Jonathan graduated from UC Berkeley with a degree in Media Communications. He has worked on numerous projects that revolve around marketing such as working on lookbooks and updating the company’s social media accounts. Although Jonathan oversees my internship, I work alongside five other Co Members that oversee different aspects of the company. I am fortunate to essentially have six mentors that have all contributed to my interest in fashion merchandising.

3. List three questions for further exploration now that you've completed your summer hours.

1. How has social media changed fashion marketing?

1. Who does a fashion marketing expert need to work with in order to target the correct demographic?

1. How are targeted demographics decided?

4. What is the most important thing you gained from this experience? Why?

1. The most important thing I have gained is the experience of working amongst insanely talented professionals. Everyone who works in the loft is very good at what they do. They have acquired the company’s aesthetic and are able to produce work that seamlessly flows together to  keep the company progressing.

5. What is your senior project topic going to be?  How did mentorship help you make your decision?  Please explain.

1. My senior topic will revolve around fashion merchandising. My mentorship allowed me to work in different aspects of the fashion industry such as marketing, design, production, and press. I gravitated towards marketing the most. I love this aspect of fashion because it is such an essential part of starting and branding your own business. I feel that this will be a valuable mentorship in which I can take the skills that I will learn and apply them elsewhere.