During her internship with renowned fashion house Karl Lagerfield, postgraduate student, Monika Jakimaviciute, had the fantastic opportunity of attending events such as London Fashion Week, meeting many great people along the way.
Here, she talks to LCCA about her experience and everything she learned on her industry placement.
Feeling more confident about the experience on her CV, Monika already feels as though she’s in a much better position to chase jobs she once deemed unobtainable. Monika reflects on her internship proudly; her previous experience is all PR and marketing related, whereas working at Karl Lagerfield gave her great insight into everything that goes on in-store and behind the scenes in retail.
“The internship provided me with lots of product knowledge and taught me visual merchandising practices,” Monika explained. “[I now know] how to successfully design merchandising displays to attract customers to the product.”
“I’ve even had training in tailoring and how to provide each and every customer with the best personalised items and the best shopping experience - or in this case, ‘The Karl Experience’.”
The first two weeks of Monika’s internship brought intensive training, covering many different aspects of retail, from merchandising to sales. Monika also read a huge amount of literature, learning all about the clientele and the man behind the brand.
“Karl has many books about his photography, himself and his dearest cat, Choupette, which were interesting insights that really helped me understand the brand and its ambassador,” Monika said.
As her internship progressed, Monika’s day-to-day activities came to consist of completing invoices and picking price points, exploring the retail process, dealing with clients, and merchandising the shop floor. Alongside this, she also attended informal sessions with managers, learning about the industry and how to advance in her career.
Monika’s internship was secured through the LCCA Careers Department. “Our careers advisor, Carmen, has been very helpful sending us any internship opportunities that arise, and giving us CV, cover letter, interview technique and other workshops, providing us with the best possible tools to progress in the industry.”
Monika’s advice to her fellow fashion graduates? “Do as many internships as you can. Not only does this boost your CV, but it also provides you with a lot of industry knowledge. One never knows what could come in the future from working for these various companies. It is a good networking opportunity.”
Talking of her student experience, Monika said: “Studying at LCCA has provided me with a lot of industry knowledge and has educated me in something that I have wanted to learn about for so long - fashion.”
“I found that the course explores every single angle of the industry, from e-commerce and sustainability, to visual merchandising and brand globalisation. It is great to cover such a wide spectrum; it aids us in our future fashion journeys.”
Monika plans to work for the British Fashion Council after graduating from her MA in Fashion Retail and Luxury Management.