For six months as an intern in the Olsen knitwear design department, Vivian had the opportunity to actively support the design team and experience what the everyday work-life of our designers was like. In this blog article she shares what her internship was like, and which experiences are among her personal highlights.
I had high hopes for myself during my internship in fashion design at Olsen. I sincerely hoped that it wouldn’t be one of those internships where you only have to copy files and make coffee for people. I really wanted to gain as much experience in design as possible in order to expand my knowledge. What can I say … my expectations were exceeded by far!
Fashion design: Love at second sight
I have always been fascinated by fashion design, but since I was not the most skilled with a sewing machine, I decided to study graphic design instead. That was fun, but it didn’t fulfill me completely. So I followed my gut feeling and enrolled for a second course of studies, this time finally in fashion design! It’s a decision that I do not regret. I really enjoy the whole process of developing a collection and realized that, with some time, even I could make friends with a sewing machine.
My start with Olsen
I have known Olsen since I was a child. For me, the brand always stood for high-quality and beautiful knitwear from Hamburg. I was very pleased when I got accepted for the design internship at Olsen. I immediately recieved a warm welcome by the whole team, especially by Julia and Mona, two designers from the knit department where I was employed. I immediately took them to my heart!
The daily work as a fashion designer
Over those six months it never got boring. No two days were the same. My tasks ranged from researching trends and creating mood boards to extensively testing different knitting qualities and yarn colours. For the latter, I spent a lot of time in our “”light box””. Bright daylight is simulated in it so that the different colour nuances can be better recognised and assessed. For each collection, certain colour standards are defined in advance and these must correspond precisely to the yarn colours.
Of course I was also encouraged to help Julia and Mona with the design of some knitwear styles and bring forward my own ideas. I am especially proud of the sleeveless knit sweater, which I designed alongside with Julia. I think the design is totally innovative and I’m already looking forward to wearing it in autumn! It will be available at Olsen in September.
On an undercover mission
Another highlight of my internship was the in-market store check, which I accompanied Mona to once. It’s a bit like shopping, except that you don’t do it for yourself, but rather on a professional undercover mission. You visit different shops to get inspiration and stay up to date. Since the feel of knitwear is very important, it is very important to be able to touch different types of knitwear in person.
From intern to shirt designer
As a design trainee at Olsen, I took in a lot and felt so comfortable that I didn’t want to leave! Fortunately, this was a mutual feeling and was offered a job at the end of the internship. Now I’m a permanent member of the team and design T-shirts for Olsen. Even now, I’m still learning something new every day – my job never gets boring!