Haydn Ramey, a senior from South Lyon, Michigan, utilized her experience as an Apparel and Textile Design major towards her first internship working remotely as a Fashion Design Intern for the Indian fashion label Rohit Kamra.
Rohit Kamra specializes in luxury menswear. However, when Ramey worked for the company this past summer, she helped produce women’s textile prints for its collaboration with Anthropologie, a North American clothing retailer.
“This project focused on women’s wear silhouettes, such as feminine dresses and skirts,” said Ramey, “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.”
A typical day for Ramey would start promptly at 10 a.m. when she’d check in over Zoom or email with her supervisor and go over any changes or updates to the schedule. She’d then completed her work for the day and sent an email overview of the day’s accomplished tasks, as well as any changes that had to be administered, to her supervisor by the end of her shift.
“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 over time, and by the end, having over 30 prints and renderings that would be sent to the Anthropologie team for selection,” said Ramey. “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.”
Not only was Ramey able to cultivate her technical skills during the internship, but her communication and time management skills as well. Trust takes priority when it comes to a virtual setting, and that trust can only be built on efficient communication.
“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.”
“I was able to meet a few helpful mentors along the way who really helped me use this internship to my advantage and grow as a designer,” said Ramey. “These would include my mentors in the Excel Network, my advisor at CAPA, my internship supervisor, and Rohit Kamra himself.”
Ramey originally learned about this opportunity through the Excel Network’s Global Remote Internship Program, which connects students to internships around the world in their desired industries.
“I was originally looking at the study away opportunities in New York for fashion,” said Ramey. “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.”
Despite the limitations the pandemic has presented, virtual internships provide a sense of normality through invaluable student experience in a world that is anything but normal.
“The advice I would give to students interested in seeking out internship opportunities would be to always remain extremely open-minded,” said Ramey. “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.”
Written by Kseniya Lukiy
