Initially, I was becoming more and more convinced that I had made the wrong choice. The amount of new tasks that I had to learn at the beginning of this placement was absolutely terrifying and I felt extremely daunted by every single process which made up my responsibilities, each feeling unnecessarily complicated and lengthy. For example, when carrying out a small task of returning samples from photoshoots, it wasn't as easy as simply writing a docket with a brief description of the samples which had been returned that day; instead, returning samples required a series of back-and-forth emails, detailed images, the use of GPS systems, scanning, hanging, steaming, ticking boxes, checking lists and cross-referencing. The scale of my responsibilities seemed immense and even though my role at Forever Unique had also held a lot of responsibility, I still felt overwhelmed. The fashion cupboards which I had experienced at Fabulous and Look magazines had a very fast and fuss-free approach to returning samples, so it was a huge adjustment to get used to the way things are done at Coach.
I was glad that I had the support of another intern, who had been there one month longer than I had. The attitude of the PR team and the rest of the office staff (made up of marketing, wholesale and customer service staff members) gave me a lot of cause for concern in the early weeks. I felt like I was being judged for making small and honest errors which an intern should typically be expected to make while they learn a new routine. It was almost as if I had been brushed off as useless straight away without being given a fair chance; out of the team of four on the PR team, the two more senior members wouldn't look me in the eye or approach me, let alone even know my name. There was a turning point where I started to feel a lot more comfortable around the team, after the other intern ended her placement suddenly due to personal reasons and I was left alone to carry out the tasks that we had shared. Once I had proven my capabilities and my worth, I think I gained the team's respect and they started to treat me better as a result. I only wish that I had been treated better from the beginning so that my overall experience at Coach could have been a much more positive one right from the offset. This isn't to say that my experience at Coach was a negative one overall, but I do feel that it is such a shame to know that in order to gain the team's respect, I had to forgo the one hour lunch breaks that I was entitled to, start early and leave late to complete tasks, and speak to no one all day everyday (other than to be briefed with work-related tasks) for quite a long period of time despite being sat in an office full of people. This is my only criticism of the placement. Having more than just a superficial, thirty second chat about what I did at the weekend or being called over to share in someone's birthday celebrations rather than being overlooked would have made all the difference to my morale.
Two highlights of my placement at Coach were the opportunities to experience luxury in-house PR during fashion week - where we had to record an immense amount of coverage and produce a number of reports throughout New York Fashion Week - and press day, where I got involved with the preparation process and engaged with a number of high-profile journalists, stylists and editors on the day. It was extremely helpful to be able to put faces to the names of the people who I had already been liaising with and distributing samples to for the past couple of months. Something I have noticed and loved during my time at Coach has been the realisation that everybody knows each other in this industry - or at least, within the luxury industry between PRs, journalists and stylists. I never realised how great breakfast is an an opportunity to meet and discuss upcoming business opportunities and collaborations, but the ladies on the PR team seemed to start the day at least a couple of times a week with a "breakfast", where they met stylists, seemingly to schmooze and flatter their way into being featured in upcoming shoots! This was a real eye-opener into the way that PRs form relationships and stay in touch with stylists and journalists, and a true indication of how the cogs of PR turn into coverage and then awareness and exposure for the brand.
Ultimately, my time at Coach as PR intern has been a defining moment in figuring out what kind of role I want to pursue post-graduation. I definitely have the work ethic to succeed in the PR industry; PR, I've found, does not have an 'off switch'. Moreover, it can be unpredictable and things can go wrong. In-house PR is definitely a very stressful environment, but stress and pressure are two things that I have found to be motivators for me. I also have the attention-to-detail that is required when scanning for coverage and the organisation to efficiently run the fashion cupboard. My memory skills are great, so my knowledge of the names of stylists at particular magazines comes in very handy. I also love being able to interact with the independent and cultural magazines that I have adored for years, such as Dazed, Wonderland and LOVE, who are a great fit for the Coach brand and feature regularly on its online and print platforms. I do have one fundamental concern about my suitability for a role in PR however, which involves my ever-increasing need for a creative outlet in my work. I've found that the balance of creativity has been a difficult thing to find this year; my role as Marketing Intern at Forever Unique was far too creative as my responsibilities had evolved primarily into creating graphic content, whereas the most creative thing that I have achieved at Coach has been gift-wrapping. The fashion cupboard is where I feel most at balance, because this offers me the ability to put my organisational and communicative skills into action, but I also have opportunities to see how stylists concoct brilliant ideas on set first-hand.
Because of this, I am almost certain at this point that I would like to pursue a career as a contributor towards a magazine on a styling and editorial basis. I never would have believed during my first and second years at university that I would want to become a stylist - this wasn't a task that I had especially enjoyed previously. Freelancing could be an option for me, because I'm intrigued by the flexibility and increased opportunities that this could provide. A number of stylists at Look magazine worked full-time but on a freelance basis, and their roles seemed to be filled with a really rewarding mix of editorial and styling opportunities. It certainly feels very affirming, at this late stage in my placement year, to feel one step closer to knowing what I want to do with my life after university! I could never have reached this conclusion without doing a placement year.
Post a Comment