Raegan Reed

Responsibilities

My responsibilities throughout this internship have covered a variety of aspects in the fashion industry. One of these key responsibilities was analyzing and interpreting sales statistics to merchandise the store highlighting high traffic points for increased sales. Daily responsibilities also included the e-commerce standpoint and marketing through social media. Throughout this experience, I discovered a strong interest in visual merchandising while creating aesthetically pleasing color stories with all the new products.

Accomplishments

My greatest accomplishment throughout my time at Maria Vincent was the experience of attending market. Since I am wanting to pursue a career in buying, attending market fulfilled all the expectations. It was an amazing learning experience to work with designers and their designated sales representatives, and to see the wholesale showrooms and fashion shows. Being able to combine all the knowledge of forecasting trends and understanding buying patterns to purchase the Spring and Summer 2022 products was my greatest accomplishment.

Learning experience

One of the greatest lessons learned from this experience was how to manage time effectively. Prior to this internship, this was one of the areas I struggled with most and was never able to get a grip on. This experience has taught me the importance of how to manage and prioritize my time so it is spent in the most productive ways possible. I now plan out my day, both work and social life, by the hour so I know how each hour is spent so time does not slip away.

What advice would you give?

The best advice I could give to future students is to get out of your dorm, apartment, house, etc. and to meet people. The time you have at Iowa State should be used purposely and intently because it goes by so quickly. By putting yourself out in social settings and situations, you are open to meet numerous people. You may not realize it at that moment but that can turn into strong networking and professional connections that are highly beneficial in the long run. A perfect example of this is how I obtained this internship through a girl I met through Greek life 2 years prior. She became a good friend who reached out and asked if I wanted the opportunity for this internship before it was posted to the public.