Impressions within Fast Fashion I

- The average life of a garment is two weeks. -

Hallå!

It is the beginning of the fourth week now, as an intern at a fast fashion company. Many people asked me how it is to work for a company that sells garments, sometimes in the two-digit area. 

- "Your colleagues must be tacky, pretentious and as cheap as their products or?"

Well, no. They are not. My impression is quite the absolute opposite. I worked for a premium luxury brand before and therefore I think I have the ability to compare and I have to state that the level of professionalism is the same. Right from the beginning I was set on a rail-track of learning and my colleagues do everything they can in order to teach me the fundamentals of retail expansion, construction and design.

And that is what I did for the first three weeks of my internship. I took notes and learned. How does a fashion brand evaluate a city location or a country? Or a shopping center? What is the minimum lease-time? My mentor told me on a business trip to Copenhagen to always look if people have shopping bags in their hands. More important even, is to check what are people looking at. Are they looking at the brands on the sides? Or are they focusing on what lays ahead? Where is the next central station?

The first time I saw the cost of a store in its initial stage I nearly fell from my office chair. The amount of work and time put into it, even for a fast fashion brand, was enormous. 

I'm starting to see the connections between theory and practice. However, I also see the gaps and there are plenty. This blog post is the introduction and I will explain more deeply what I mean by gaps in my next entry.

Over and Out.  

Sven R.