Day in the Life: as a Production Intern
Day in the Life: as a Production Intern
Keren Sondi has just finished interning as a Design Development and Production Assistant at Orlebar Brown, where she “worked closely with the design development and production departments maintaining a fabric library, regularly contacted factories for fabric information and sometimes met them (either in person or over Zoom) to discuss new fabrics or any issues with production.” She acquired the internship after undertaking FMR’s Fashioning Emerging Professionals programme, learning from Katie Rawle, the Head of Designer Initiatives and Membership at the British Fashion Council. “My skills, connections, and professionalism have grown tremendously from both my mentorship and internship, and I also got to go to my first fashion show which is something I’ll always treasure,” shares Keren. “My time at FMR has shown me anything is possible and provided me with a solid foundation for a successful career within the industry.”
It was hard for Keren to pinpoint what her favourite moment of the internship was, having met the President and CFO of Chanel – “Orlebar Brown was acquired by Chanel in 2018, and the business had recently relocated office, thus the President of Chanel, Bruno Pavlovsky, and the CFO, Philippe Blondiaux, came to visit our new headquarters. The experience was so exciting and inspirational, and the day culminated with a lovely social gathering in the garden.” – and senior employees from other departments of the company. All in all, Keren loved that she was given the opportunity to meet industry leaders; “It was incredibly insightful to be able to talk to established people within the industry about what they do and why they do it, and I left with a lot of valuable advice and confidence that I’m sure will be of great aid to me in the future.”
To learn more about a typical day in Keren’s role, find below a recount of her working day.
“I was deeply inspired by the story of the co-founder and creative director, Adam Brown, and how he came to envision Orlebar Brown. Adam taught me the importance of a hero product (that being tailored swim shorts in Orlebar Brown’s case), sticking to a vision and a cause, how to create effective branding, and how to cultivate a strong and passionate team – all of which will be valuable to know if I ever establish my own brand one day.”
9am: I arrive at the office, usually with a Tesco croissant in hand, ready to start the day. I would make myself some hot chocolate, and then spend the next hour responding to emails from suppliers regarding fabric and base technical information.
10am: Using the fabric and base technical sheets the suppliers have sent, I will update the seasonal range plans with any new information, such as fabric composition, origin status, and price. I will then file any new fabric samples sent by factories into their respective folders, and send out any colour standards to suppliers.
11am: I don’t often have meetings, but when I do, they’re usually around this time. I will either meet with various suppliers about new fabric developments or updates on production, or I’ll sit in on other ad hoc meetings making notes.
12pm: I will spend this time updating other Excel spreadsheets with information such as garment weight, raw material names, and supplier details. I never realised the importance of Excel before my internship, but now I can’t go a day without it!
1pm: Lunch break! Usually, I’d go for a cheap and cheerful Tesco meal deal, but sometimes I’ll treat myself to something more fancy from a small cafe or other shops.
2pm: Once I’ve refuelled after lunch, I’ll begin to tackle any more laborious tasks such as weighing garments, building spreadsheets, receiving PO samples, or sending out purchase orders to factories or warehouses on NetSuite.
3pm: I’m usually still doing the task from the hour before. Popping in my headphones and listening to some upbeat music helps me to stay motivated and finish my task as quickly as possible!
4pm: There are regular fittings with models to ensure that the samples we receive are up to standard. I will sometimes attend fittings, write notes on behalf of the designers and garment technologists, and assist in measuring the samples to check they are within tolerance and there are no faults.
5pm: As the day approaches the end, I’ll send out any remaining emails, organise my planner, and then occasionally finish the day with a cheeky drink with my colleagues in the garden.
6pm: Home time! I’ll bid my colleagues farewell, some I’ll also leave with, and I’ll make sure to have a relaxing evening to prepare me for tomorrow!
Find out more about the Fashioning Emerging Professionals programme here.
