Internship Spotlight: Madeleine LaValle

Name:  Madeleine LaValle

Major:  Merchandising, Apparel, and Textiles

Expected graduation date:  December 2018

Internship Location:  STYLISTICO (New York City, NY)

Please describe your typical day as an intern:  During my typical day as an intern at a fashion showroom, I am tasked with pricing and organizing any new shipments of merchandise we have received from our European brands. When we were busy with appointments during Resort 2019 market week, I would help dress our models in any looks the buyers wanted to see. After market week settled down, a typical day for me consisted of creating a lot of PowerPoint presentations that organize our merchandise by season. I've put together presentations on our best sellers, competitive analyses, and buy books for our department store clients.

How are you using and applying classroom knowledge in your internship?  

Merchandise Planning and Control (MAT 315) definitely gave me an idea of the basic use of retail math. The very first task I was given at my internship was pricing merchandise using a 25% markup. This class ensured that I knew all about wholesale and retail prices, markups, markdowns, and discounts.

What is one key thing you have learned during your internship?  

I learned all of the work that it takes to make a fashion showroom run successfully. Communication is one of the most important parts of the workplace. Our sales directors must constantly be in contact with our clients to ensure that their orders are being fulfilled on time, or to collect feedback on their experience with us. Even though I work at a small company, our employees are always communicating with one another to discuss clients, merchandise, and how we can be improving.

If you could share one piece of advice for other students who are preparing to complete an internship, what would it be?  

Ask questions!! This is the main thing I have tried to improve on during my whole time at my internship. If you know from the beginning that you should be asking questions, I think it will take less time to come out of your shell. Ask questions if you're not sure where something is, if you're doing something right, or if you want to know anything and everything about your company. This is the best way to ensure that you're getting the most out of your internship experience.