Logistics Intern 2/3

Hi again! 

Since I made my first post a couple of weeks ago, I have been exploring the world of transportations and hauler management. As with the majority of fashion brands, my internship company does not own any own vehicles and all transportations are outsourced to different haulers depending on where the customer is located, if it is a B2B or a B2C customer, the volume of the shipment, and so on. Since the transportation industry is continuously changing with new innovations and new actors on the market current contracts needs to be continuously overlooked in order to evaluate if more efficient solutions are available. 

The past week, I have been looking into our possibilities of expanding the use of electrical trucks and analyzing which destinations this would be a good solution for. This has been a really interesting investigation, since there is more parameters to consider when it comes to electrical trucks compared to the "old school" ones. Access to loading stations is one parameter since that is still not available everywhere. Therefore, it is not obvious that closer destinations is a better fit than destinations further away since the efficiency of having fully electrical routs is highly dependent on that there is loading stations along the way- which is not always the case. Nevertheless, it feels really hopeful that we are moving towards a less polluting transportation industry and that both haulers and contractees are invested in its development so that we together can create a more sustainable future. 

Building a sustainable fashion community (1/3)

 Hi everyone! 

It has been a while since we all embarked on our own individual adventures. For some time I have had a business idea in the back of my mind. Slowly but surely taking shape. Therefore, I decided to start taking it seriously by dedicating my field study to developing it further with the help of Drivhuset. 

For a couple of years, I have been a sustainable fashion enthusiast both personally and professionally. What I have noticed over time is that a lot of people are interested in learning how to enjoy fashion sustainably, but often don´t know where to start as there is a lot of misleading information out there. People have expressed that they feel overwhelmed and demotivated after hearing all the negative stories. Therefore, I decided to make it my mission to bring joy and inspiration back into sustainable fashion by making it a more accessible and light-hearted topic. I want to do this through organizing frequent inspiring workshops, events, lectures and discussions, blending the academic, professional and consumer.

 

The past weeks I have been refining my idea. Who is my target audience? What value can I bring? And how can I make such a social initiative profitable? Drivhuset has provided invaluable guidance in approaching these questions. Last week, the other entrepreneurship students and I finished a 4-day crash course in starting a business, gaining insights into researching the target market, competitors, branding, financing and pitching. It was great to have the opportunity to work with our ideas while getting real-time feedback from experts! 

Finally, I had the chance to go back to The Netherlands, my target market, to interview my potential target audience. I had very interesting conversations about their views on the topic! The upcoming weeks I am going analyse these conversations to better understand how young adult consumers consider sustainability in fashion and how it influences their consumer behavior. 

I am excited to share these new insights with you! 

Hanne

Performance Marketing Intern #2

 Hello!

This is my second blog post when working as a performance intern in the work wear company! The last few weeks have been some big changes in the company's business strategies for the US, so most of the marketing operations have shifted the focus to local marketing with a local marketing firm. By experiencing the shift, I have really witnessed the power of cooperation within in and between organizations. Every week we have a weekly meeting where three parties from Sweden and the US are together to update and discuss the digital marketing goals, content, budget and performance. For example, the B2C managers will provide sales data, and the marketing agency will take care of organizing the creatives and then later discussed by the whole team to decide what to modify. The process is not an one-time or one-person decision, but rather a continuous team effort within and between organizations. 

This change also made my focus shift from the US market to other B2C market like Canada. By looking at the data from sales from each month/season and the best selling items, I was helping to identify the better solutions to modify the emails and websites to better the customer journey. In the investigation, I found that there are many people viewed a product but not so much bought it, so we discussed how to improve the purchasing rate and lowering the abandon cart rate, such as providing more information on the website and emails to help with the purchase decision. Some plugins have also been tested to see if can help with this problem. 

At the same time, after meeting with the online manager, I have received a new lasting assignment focusing on market research. By using different tools such as search engine, blog, reviews, etc, I will help with looking for different unique backgrounds in different countries, including consumer behavior, competitors, social media, purchase channels. The goal is to build a guideline or cheat sheet to operate in the global market that is rather different than Sweden. So starting from this week this will be one of my main assignments. It is going to be quite challenging because I will have to search for a large amount of information, and probably English information will not be enough for many local markets. Finger crossed!

Ruiqi Pan

Sustainability Intern 2/3

Hello everyone!

It is so fun to read about everyone's experiences! It is my fifth week as an intern at MQ, time flies! The CSRD and double materiality assessment is going well. Researching various regulations, risks and opportunities, along with conducting stakeholder interviews, has been very interesting. We have received valuable inputs from the stakeholders which is crucial in order to consider different aspects and make well informed assessments.

Except for CSRD, there are several upcoming regulations under the EU Green Deal, such as Ecodesign requirements, Digital Product Pass and Traceability tracking. These changes are going to change the textile industry, which is very exciting and much needed. Aligned with the Ecodesign requirements, I am going to explore different design principles and strategies to facilitate the decision making on which ones to further pursue.

It is fantastic to see so much happening now, and to be a part of this journey feels incredibly valuable. This week, we also had the grand opening of MQs new store on Kungsgatan. It turned out really good, so if you happen to be in the area you should drop by and have a look!

Olivia Svensson

Design Process in the Automotive Industry 2/3

 Hello everyone,

Today is my last day at the Strategic Branding department at Lynk & Co. On Monday, I will move on to new adventures with the Color, Material & Fabrics gang across the office.

These last couple of weeks has been fun, hectic, confusing, and challenging at the same time. If you don’t know, Lynk & Co is primarily focused on China and the Chinese market. It is so much fun learning about a new customer segment that I’ve currently been unfamiliar with.

However, there are some small problems trying to trend forecast in China as a European. Does China use any of Google’s services to find up-and-coming trends? No. Can I get fashion or interior inspiration by using Pinterest? Haha, think again. Is any of the articles or websites I do eventually find written or could be translated into a language I understand? You probably know where this is going…

After several days painstakingly trying to use Google Translate to look for trends and inspiration for future design strategies, a true hero emerges. Ruiqi Pan (Rachel) asks, out of the blue, if I need any help navigating through this new landscape, and my work becomes a thousand times more manageable! We start to discuss my findings (turns out, my translations are very wrong) and she gives me a lot of new relevant information that I have used in my work since.

So a BIG thanks and shout out to you Rachel for helping me through this, you have no idea how much you’ve contributed!

So I guess this week's lesson for you kids is that if you don’t know Chinese, Google doesn’t either, and you’re much better off asking someone who actually know the freaking language, culture, and trends.

See you in a couple of weeks!

Karl Sedeborn Holst

Entrepreneurship Program 1/3

Hey everyone!

I hope you're all soaking up the sun and making the most of this time.

A few weeks ago, I started my journey into the entrepreneurial world.  The first meetings and seminars felt like my dreams could finally be taking shape. 

With the support of Drivhuset, I could be moving through the challenges of entrepreneurship with newfound clarity and purpose. They not only guided me through the process, but became my mentors in helping me realize my vision.

In those first few days, filled with excitement and anticipation, I learned some important lessons. In particular, I discovered the importance of patience and careful planning. 

Collaborating with like-minded people, sharing our dreams and fears, and diving into the facets of business planning were moments that meant a lot to me.

But in the midst of all the learning and planning, I found one lesson to be very defining - my "why". The driving force behind everything - the reason why I chose this path. I want to make a difference in the lives of young artists and designers, to make them feel seen and heard, and to encourage them.

That's why I'm currently interviewing emerging creatives to gain insight into how best to support their success and understand the significance of customer experiences in selling their products.

I'll be sharing the details of my business idea in upcoming blog posts, so stay tuned for more updates and insights as I continue this exciting journey!

Have a great weekend! :) 

Kristin 

Blogpost 2/3

Hi everyone!

Time flies. Each passing day at the internship I find myself learning and growing. One of the key takeaways from this internship so far is the importance of adaptability. In this continuously changing industry, being able to adapt quickly and effectively seems essential. Whether it's responding to shifting consumer preferences or navigating within the team, flexibility is crucial. As I reflect on my own learnings within the company, I'm grateful for valuable lessons I've learned in relation to fashion management being a part of the team meetings- I feel more and more confident as a part of the team and the whole company.

Malucette Adventure 2/3

 Hello !

I hope everyone is doing well !

The last two weeks have been very busy for MALUCETTE Start-Up and for me.

First of all, during the week of 8 to 14 April, I only prepared packages (and yes, you have to get them to the customers you can deliver to as quickly as possible!), which means nothing has changed on the CSR side! On Friday the 12th, MALUCETTE moved to new premises, which meant moving all the stock of menstrual underwear, swimwear, shelves and so on! The weekend did us good ;)

In the second week, we made the new space our own and I love it so much! It's a hub for startups from all over the world (fashion, 3D printed jewellery, photography, gaming, NFT etc), very artistic and great for meeting new people and artists (I love Paris haha).

As for work, I've finally moved into customer service! I have been calling customers who have made appointments on CALENDLY (a website for making appointments by phone) to get information about their orders. They're very understanding when I explain the status of their order and the company's internal situation. Some are a little less understanding, whether it's through calls, emails or comments under Instagram publications and even in messages. On the phone, customers are immediately calmer and more relaxed because they know there's a human presence. But as I said, whether it's through social networks or email, customers are more aggressive. Luckily we also get some really nice emails and messages :) .

On the CSR side, I have an appointment on Monday 22nd April with the CSR manager of one of the companies we work with, based in Portugal. I want to make contact with this person to understand their values, bring transparency to the clothing manufacturing process, etc. Get all the information I can about the company MALUCETTE works with, why, how... .

I have another meeting scheduled with another clothing company, this time in Tunisia, for the same reasons. We haven't found a date yet, but it won't be long now. 

Take care of you!

Leelou

Production Internship (2/3)

Hello! :)

Just finished my fourth week at Fjällräven, which has been hectic due to half of the production team being out traveling and visiting suppliers all around Asia, the rest of us who are still in the office are assisting with their daily tasks, which include contact with suppliers, conducting quality testing and product analysis, evaluating samples, updating production schedules and systems etc.

I'm starting to feel much more confident in how I handle different scenarios and have gained a lot more responsibility. It has been challenging because new problems arise every day that need to be solved. However, it's extremely rewarding when I resolve them and feel self-reliant, no longer needing assistance from my supervisor or team members all the time. It feels great to finally begin to understand how such a large international company can function so effectively with all its different aspects, and there's still more to come. Everyday I'm learning something new, which makes the whole experience so great.

Hope you all doing well, and good luck on your internships!

Exploring CLO 3D for Enhanced Digital Product Development (1/3)

 

Hi everyone,
I hope you're all doing well. This marks my fourth week in the field study program, and it's been quite a journey so far. Together with my colleague, we've been delving into the practical applications of CLO 3D, aiming to uncover its potential while creating educational materials for the University of Borås' Digital Business Lab to showcase its capabilities.
In these initial weeks, our focus has been on getting to know CLO 3D through self-directed learning. While this approach has been fulfilling, it hasn't been without its challenges. Mastering the technical intricacies requires not only skill but also constant motivation and effective self-planning. Having my colleague studying alongside me has been incredibly helpful. Our collaborative efforts have not only kept us motivated but have also enabled structured planning sessions to tackle hurdles encountered along the way. Looking back, teamwork has been really important. We've discussed challenges openly and worked through them together. Through these open discussions and shared problem-solving, we've navigated through the complexities of the software, gradually uncovering its functionalities. Each challenge has presented a learning opportunity, prompting us to explore diverse learning materials and adopt varied approaches to fully understand CLO 3D. It'll be great to show everyone how useful CLO 3D can be.

Until next time, keep exploring!
 
Best regards,
Thilini