the intern update

it's been a while since i've let everyone know what sort of things Ashley at TWB Co. has been getting me to do. We had our short little adventure in PR and marketing, but now it's time to get down to the real heart of the business. we've got to get cracking on the sourcing aspect.

a few weeks ago, we went to an antique mall in freelton to look out for great peices that can be used in the wedding industry. Ashley is starting a new wedding blog, which comes as no suprise to me because she's always been passionate about bridal. when i first started with her, she shared that if the demand for her swimwear wasn't so high, she would have been designing bridal gowns. Ashley doesn't want to end her successful business though, so she is doing the blog on the side as a creative outlet. I met her other intern that day, Lauren, who is a fashion arts student at Humber and will be graduating this year. Ashley and i focused on finding great pieces for the blog and Lauren had the camera in hand to sharpen those photography skills. I also had my eyes out for vintage postcards for a PR idea Ashley had for TWB.

but waaay before any of that happened, Ashley had me check out any manufacturing companies that specialize in swimwear, so for next season i think she's going to look into that. for those of you that were curious, we found most of these places in montreal. other than that, we took a trip down to Terra Cotta down in the arts & design district of toronto. i met the owner, Barbara, and some of her staff and Ashley shared hew designs for the upcoming season. in line with my product development course, i also got some real life experience with spec sheets; i took measurements for the sample size and Lauren recorded it.

this past friday, we hit up the fashion district on tycos to visit with a wholesaler. Alexis & Co. carries alot of great brands like BB Dakota and Jack BB Dakota, !iT Brand Jeans, Lucy Love, and Alternative Apparel. Lauren and i helped Ashley shop Lucy Love and Alternative to pick out pieces from their various lines to carry in her store. it was a lot of fun, but dealing with a wholesaler can really be stressful. think a d2d salesman on speed. we tried some garments on for fit, selected the popular colours for the season and offered our sales experience to let Ashley know what pieces will sell. we delt with Alexis' husband and he was so impressed with Lauren and i, he let us pick out a tshirt from the cash and carry section. i picked out a sweet tshirt by Alternative which after markup etc would retail at around $50. i'd say that's a pretty sweet grab.

i also just want to add that the end of april will mark the conclusion of my adventure with Ashley. come may, i am embarking on a new intern journey! stay tuned