As the time draws near for my internship at Raven + Lily to begin, nerves and excitement are growing! The entire spring semester was spent in hopes of being rewarded this internship and the adventure is about to begin. As an apparel design major I was required to get an internship working in industry, but I did not want to intern in the high fashion world. Going into the search for an internship I knew that I wanted to find a company that was incorporating design with social justice, and I found just that! Not only is this an opportunity to experience ‘the real world’, it will also be a chance for me to work with people who are making a difference in the world. What drew me to applying for an internship with this company is their goal of empowering woman while using design. I have a passion to help other women and am so honored to be working with a company that provides jobs for women across the world.
I am an Apparel Design and product development major, so working with jewelry will be a new and exciting experience. Raven + Lily designs jewelry, scarves, journals, soap, and other accessories. I am excited to see how designing jewelry and accessories differs from working with apparel. This past semester I created my senior collection, consisting of five looks and a signature piece. When designing garments, there are many factors that have to be considered that would be different than designing for jewelry.
I’ve been preparing for my time at Raven + Lily by reading some of the books on the ‘suggested readings’ list that they sent. I am currently reading ‘Half the Sky’, a book written by a couple who see a major problem in the world and are speaking up for those without a voice. This book not only tells the stories of women who have been victimized, and the horrors of sex trafficking, but they offer ways that people can get involved and make a difference. The book explains that girls who get an education are far less likely to become trapped in a life of poverty or prostitution. They also recount the stories of women who have come out of horrible situations and started new lives for themselves. This book has been very eye-opening to me and I would suggest it to anyone hoping to help other women around the world.
I also have been reading over the Raven + Lily story, learning about the women they partner with, and looking at the up and coming look book. While reading over the internship manual, I have found that I will be involved in many different things throughout the summer. I will be spending a lot of time researching trends, color stories, shapes, and styles that will be popular in the next year.
What I am most excited about is getting to design my own piece and see it through to completion. The reason I chose to major in apparel design is my love of creating and the ability to draw something and later see it come to life. I will design the piece, source the materials, and get to see it all the way through production. This will be my first time to ever design or create jewelry. I think this experience will be very important because I will see all the steps from design to production that are involved In a business. My hopes are high for this incredible opportunity and I cannot wait to see what my time at Raven + Lily brings!