My name is Leo Dumas, I am a third-year bachelor student I communication science. Between late February and late August 2021, I conducted an internship at the sustainable textile start-up the Movement. The Movement is a young company focusing on bringing more sustainability to its industry. Their prime focus lies in the manufacturing of sustainable fabrics and the development of a traceability technology which can combat greenwashing.
I was hired as a communication and marketing intern, with the main purpose of working on developing the branding guidelines of both Polylana (sustainable textile) and Aware (traceability technology), as well as sharing it with partners and making sure all content about our brands respected such guidelines. These guidelines including, how the logos of the company could be used, the proper terminology to use with our brands and how to be as transparent as possible about our business. I very much cherished this experience, as I got to witness how a brand truly defines itself.
I also took on an important role within their PR department, working on monthly newsletters and organizing possible press coverage such as interviews with textile magazine and booking podcasts opportunities. This work was my favorite part of the job. It allowed me to enhance my writing as well as my research skills. It also gave me the opportunity to meet other individuals within the world of fashion and sustainability. A world I am now seriously considering for my future career.
Throughout the internship I felt very much valued for my young and fresh perspective, which was a very pleasant surprise. I was expecting to be treated as more of an office secretary, with little hands-on work in my field. It is what I had heard from certain students, and it had become a source of stress for me. However, I was completely wrong, the whole team treated me as an equal and very much valued my younger output. Being from a more technologically savvy generation, my perspective was often asked when it came to social media campaigns, and re-designing the website.
I was also very lucky to work in an office and not have to take on an intern role from the constraints of my own home. The Movement put in place great strategies, so that we could work closely as a team while still feeling safe in-midst of a pandemic. I very much appreciated this experience, seeing colleagues cooperate and adapt to make the best of a bad situation was very inspiring. It also taught me a lot about the creativity needed to face these sorts of challenges.
Overall, I would say my internship experience was positive. I got to work hands-on with professionals and really explore what the marketing and communication department was all about. I am very thankfully to Feico van der Veen and the whole The Movement team for having welcomed me as their colleague during this Internship.