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Working in the world’s fashion capital will undoubtably make my C.V stand out, and I’ve benefitted so much from meeting and becoming friends with such talented people.
Building connections helped to secure the placement
Fashion Design student Elisedd Howells undertook a placement of a lifetime at couture designer Randi Rahm in New York.
“I secured the placement at Randi Rahm after keeping in touch with one of the designers I’d worked with on another placement at a Fashion Show in Paris last year – I know how important placements are for building my C.V so I was so excited when myself and fellow student Anna managed to secure the placement at Randhi Rahm at her New York offices.
Randi Rahm is the head designer at 501 Madison Avenue. Her brand creates haute couture garments for high end clients. Living and working in New York was a completely different experience than visiting as a tourist. Commuting in and out of Manhattan as our daily routine was surreal. Our daily walk-through Times Square and constant subway trips became part of our lives for two months.
We were often sent to the NYC Garment District to collect samples, colour match fabrics, search for specific accessories. We felt like true New Yorkers in the fashion capital having Starbucks on the subway and searching for fabrics in the Garment District! The Garment District is huge, and the variety of fabrics was overwhelming and showed that there are no limits to your designs in this city.
Find your courseGaining confidence and skills in New York’s fashion scene
The placement has strengthened my pattern cutting skills considerably as we had the opportunity to work alongside an extremely talented pattern cutter who has worked in the New York fashion industry for years. Working with this luxury couture brand has also developed my understanding of how fashion brands operate, and the production process of each piece included in a collection.
The placement has also really developed my confidence. Throughout our internship we worked on the bridal collection and had the opportunity to see the garments develop from initial design to the final piece in the bridal show.
It was challenging as the bridal show date came closer, there was no time for mistakes but dealing with this kind of pressure has made me more confident that I can work in the most challenging of environments.
Working in the world’s fashion capital will undoubtably make my C.V stand out, and I’ve benefitted so much from meeting and becoming friends with such talented people in the fashion industry and listening to their advice. I feel far more confident going into my final year and am looking forward to creating my graduate collection that will hopefully kick start my career in the fashion industry."
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Interested in Fashion?
Fashion degrees at the University of South Wales examine and nurture the connection between commerciality and creativity. We aim to produce visionary fashion graduates who are ready for successful careers in the retail and fashion world.