Lilly Pulitzer Last summer, Lilly Pulitzer, a woman’s and girl’s clothing company, conducted a contest called the “Path to the Pink Palace.” The contest was designed to match universities against one another in weekly Facebook voting polls set-up like a NCAA tournament bracket.  Thousands of votes poured in, and the University of Kentucky faced-off against Clemson University in the championship showdown.  The CATS came out on top, winning the first year competition!  The prize to the victor was a coveted visit from Lilly Pulitzer Dream Job Team members (head recruiter, human resource associate, social media associate, and digital communications manager) to recruit on campus and set-up in person interviews for a wide array of internships and full-time positions.  The Lilly Pulitzer Dream Job Team makes yearly “Jeep Tour” visits to universities and flagship stores along the east coast.  This year they were looking to add a new recruiting stop to their list, and luckily that stop was Lexington.

While excitement buzzed around campus about the anticipated visit from Dream Job Team members, the Department of Retailing and Tourism Management, with the help of the Merchandising, Apparel and Textiles Club and the Hospitality Management Association, coordinated and hosted several events for the Lilly Pulitzer employees to meet our students. 

Lilly Pulitzer The first event was an educational forum for all students in the School of Human Environmental Sciences to hear about Lilly Pulitzer as a company, what their jobs entail, and the history of the company. Student had an opportunity to ask questions about career possibilities.  In addition, Caroline Wright, Social Media Associate, spoke to the MAT 414 Merchandising Strategy Analysis class.  She discussed how Lilly Pulitzer’s merchandising and distribution system worked and how they branded their company in comparison to their competition.

After all events concluded, 18 University of Kentucky students made it through a pre-selection application process and received interviews with the head recruiter and human resource associate.

With the visit from Lilly Pulitzer’s Dream Job Team, our students were able to explore and better understand what corporate retailing involved and how to network with potential employers.  Ultimately, students applied classroom knowledge to a real world retailing example.  We enjoyed having the Dream Job Team on our campus and we’re hoping Lexington becomes a staple stop on their yearly tour!

Check out our students having fun with the Lilly step and repeat!

Lilly Pulitzer

Lilly Pulitzer

Lilly Pulitzer

Lilly Pulitzer

Lilly Pulitzer