Devil Wears Prada meets Liberal Arts Student

Submitted by Rachel Flinn '14

In the beginning of June I took my first train ride into New York City to make sure I would be able to find the building of the Jones Group which is where I would be interning in the licensing department the whole summer. The Jones Group is a leading fashion group that designs and markets apparel and footwear to a portfolio of over 40 brands. I found the building without any problems but I still had a nervous feeling about my first day. I got to work early for the first day of orientation and was greeted by about 40 other eager and excited college juniors from a variety of schools ranging from Cornell to F.I.T.  I suddenly felt very nervous because I realized I had no previous experience to help me make it through this first day!

As the day progressed we were given a lot of information about the logistics of the internship program and it all seemed overwhelming. By the end of the day we were told we would meet our manager from our prospective departments. I was hoping that Margaret (a Kenyon alumnae who helped me through the application process) would be there to greet me but instead a young girl came down and was so welcoming and excited to meet me that it made all my worries go away. This first day was a direct indication of how my summer would go: nervous, learning constantly but in a welcoming and constructive environment.

The first day in the licensing department turned out to be one of many unexpected and jam packed days. I was greeted by everyone in the department and introduced to the President who told me right away to “never refer to her as “she” or “her”. Her name was Mary Belle and she ended up being one of the most influential and resourceful people I got the pleasure to work with. At first I thought I was on the set of “Devil wears Prada” because I did not know anything about the licensing department let alone the fashion industry aside from what I personally thought was appealing. I ended up learning retail math, how the production process works from design meeting all the way to final product, attended numerous meetings with licensees, and even gave two presentations at the bi-monthly staff meetings.

Everyday was a valuable experience for me at the Jones Group. I also began to fall in love with the work I was doing and genuinely enjoyed learning the ins-and-outs of the licensing world through hands on work and collaboration with licensees and departmental coordinators and vice presidents. I also innocently offered my help on a project that would prove to take over 20 versions to finish. I learned not to rush my work through this experience but overall I learned that it is good to take a risk and try something new. Much like the project I took on, the whole internship was a learning experience for me. I was nowhere near familiar with the licensing world nor the project but Kenyon taught me the skills to learn and adapt to situations.

Along with the invaluable amount of knowledge and experience I gained through my internship with the licensing department at the Jones Group, I also made connections that I will have for a lifetime. I was able to personally connect with each and every member of the licensing team and even went back for a performance by one of the women from the office in October. All it took was a genuine interest in learning, networking with a Kenyon alum, and the willingness to try a new thing and I ended up having the summer of a lifetime and finding a possible career path.