Update from Marc Jacobs

Hi everyone!

My apologies for the late posting!  These first few weeks at Marc Jacobs were crazy.  I started my internship on the eve of Market, which is basically when the lines (rtw clothing, handbags, collection handbags, etc.) are beginning to be finalized and buyers from around the world are coming into see previews and place their orders.  Those first two weeks were nothing short of staying till 8 or 9 (not exactly the best idea since I'm commuting back and forth to New Jersey every day), working on the weekend, and ordering large amounts of food for the office to share.  Since I'm in the business planning department, I have been working since day one with people to edit reports and help finalize these plans.  I have also gotten to see orders coming in more recently from around the world, which has been really interesting.  Being able to see the differences (and similarities) in what people order for different countries (or even between regions of countries) is fascinating.  The orders from Asia were my favorite though; I've been studying Chinese throughout grade school and now at Penn and I love looking at trends and what's popular, especially in China, Hong Kong, and Taiwan.  Some of the words on the order documents even came up in Chinese, which was a huge excitement for me.

My daily tasks can include anything from editing these orders and matching them with our reports to organizing sales reports from various stores around the country.  I also put together and edit books to display past lines and present lines, with pictures and colors of each item (these are always fun to look at).  One of the more exciting things I've gotten to do is attend a sales meeting with representatives from different departments.  I listened as they discussed how the brand was doing in different department stores as well as against various competitors.  I also got to attend a viewing of the Resort 2011 line for Women's Ready To Wear at the off-site studio (normally this would be held at the headquarters, but this summer they are doing renovations). This was probably my favorite day, because not only did I get a sneak peak at what will be in stores starting in October, but the merchandisers and designers also explained their inspiration and reason for the pieces they created and the colors and materials they chose.

The energy in the office and the people who work here are great too.  Everyone is so fashionable (as you would probably expect) and no outfit I've seen so far seems too outrageous for the office.  All the employees are so obsessed with the brand--which makes for great dedication and loyalty to the company.  So far I'm absolutely loving every minute of being here.  Even if there are a few minutes of down time, there is something always coming up that needs to be done.  One thing I've learned is that you can never offer yourself and your assistance too often.  Even if it is something as simple as offering to do a coffee run, everything is appreciated.  And every task you're given is another opportuntity to learn something new! 

More updates to come!  Until next time,

Alex