September 2023 marked the start of an unforgettable journey in both my academic and professional career, as I entered my first-ever internship working for one of the leading lingerie retailers in Europe, Hunkemöller. I remember many details of my first day at the headquarters in Hilversum. The bright and colorful offices, the Hunkemöller-themed goodie bags all 70 interns received, and most importantly meeting my team, whom I would be working with for the next 5 months. While all of this was extremely exciting, I couldn’t help but feel out of place surrounded by interns who were extremely passionate about fashion, loved design, and had plans to work in the retail world, with many of the interns having worked in the Hunkemöller stores first before transitioning to interning at the H.Q. However, as soon as I began working with my team and getting into the groove of my position as the Digital Marketing Operations intern, I quickly learned to love the daily routine I had adopted.
A typical day at the office started around 9 am. I’d walk into the HQ and be warmly welcomed by the lovely receptionists, and head over to the Marketing department, which consisted of a giant open-plan shared workspace that was shared by around 10 teams. My team, the Digital Design team, found themselves hidden in the very back of the department, with all the other creative teams, such as Visual Merchandising, Art Direction, and Film/Editing. I would greet my colleagues as I walked past the other teams, before finally settling at my desk. As much as I tried to be the first to arrive in order to claim the most comfortable office chair, my hardworking colleague, a talented Junior Digital Designer, always managed to make it to the office before me. We would grab a coffee together at the coffee station before finally settling into our work and welcoming the rest of the team before our daily 9:30 morning meeting.
Part of my job was to lead these team meetings, which would happen twice a day at 9:30 and 13:30. Because the biggest part of my job was making sure the creative briefings were complete and clear for the designers, I would take this time to update the team on any new briefings that were submitted, check in on the briefings they were currently working on and what their progress looked like. The rest of my day would consist of coordinating visual and print production for creative projects as needed, monitoring the planning process to ensure deadlines were met, and finally acting as the contact person for different departments within Hunkemöller HQ who needed to reach the Digital Design team. Looking back, I find that the responsibilities I was given taught me the importance of timeliness, organization, and discipline when working. If there was time, I would also assist in the process of digital design creation when requested, which personally was my favorite part of any day as it allowed me to use programs such as Photoshop or Figma, which I was unfamiliar with before my internship, but was taught how to use by my supervisor.
When reflecting on this experience and acknowledging that the fashion industry still isn’t exactly where I see myself working, or where I wish to work later on in my career, I can’t help but still feel grateful for this incredible opportunity which not only brought me lifelong friendships and professional connections, but also allowed me to clearly understand what my professional capabilities aspirations are, and what I wish to do in my career.