Interview with Sarah, on the Fashion & Luxury Management Course, on a work placement in New York
Sarah is a second-year student on the Fashion & Luxury Management master’s course at LISAA via e-learning. She is currently undertaking her second-year work experience in New York as an assistant to the bookers at a modelling agency.
LISAA: CAN YOU TAKE US THROUGH YOUR ACADEMIC EXPERIENCE?
Sarah: I always wanted to direct myself towards fashion studies but my ideas weren’t very clear so I preferred to start with a bachelor’s in Information and Communication where I took several management classes. Once I graduated, I wanted to continue with management, combined with fashion and luxury. In my first year at LISAA, I had the opportunity to undertake a six-month work placement at a media publishers. This enabled me to refine what I wanted to do and try something different in the second year.
WHAT IS YOUR ROLE ON THIS WORK PLACEMENT?
As I had contacts in the US, I tried my luck in New York for this work placement. I found a Collection Management work placement when I arrived there but my poor level of English stopped me from being able to continue and I redirected myself towards a work placement in the booker team in a modelling agency, through a friend.
I’m really pleased with this work placement and it has enabled me to open doors and create connections with other contacts. The projects of the team are varied: recruiting models, taking their measurements, creating their portfolios and photo books, managing admin (visas for foreign models, ID papers, official papers concerning the details of looks…), photo shoots, etc. This work placement is for a duration of six months and is very good experience. It has also, obviously, enabled me to improve my English.
WHY DID YOU CHOOSE A COURSE IN FASHION AND LUXURY MANAGEMENT?
I think that I could really enjoy the profession of Collection Manager as it is linked to design, management and marketing at the same time. For this profession, knowledge in all three fields and a good sense of organisation are needed. So I found the master’s in Fashion & Luxury Management suited my goals.
WHAT WOULD YOU LIKE TO DO AFTER YOU GRADUATE?
My work placement at the modelling agency finishes soon and thanks to the new contacts I have been able to make and my improvements in speaking in English, I met a fashion designer who launched her own brand two years ago. I have therefore come back to my original goal of finding a work placement as a styling assistant to find out more about the profession of collection manager.
This fashion designer will have me work on all the stages of the new collection: designing, production, communication (web, creation of a site, etc.) and events (shows). This experience will still be in New York, for a yet-to-be-determined duration.
