Placement years are one of those decisions that can feel like a leap of faith. An extra year. Away from campus. In a role you've never done before. But for the students who take it, it often becomes the most defining part of their degree. Nelly Tomlinson is a Fashion Business Management student at the University of Westminster who spent her placement year as a Buyer at Ralph Lauren, working in the childrenswear department. By the end of it, she was buying merchandise for some of the brand's biggest global sponsorship events and working across both retail and wholesale channels.
In Gemini Issue 3, Ellie Rooney sat down with Nelly to find out how she got there, what she actually did day to day, and what advice she'd give to students thinking about doing the same.
Can you tell me about the company you work for and your role during your placement year?
I am a Buyer at Ralph Lauren and I work in the childrenswear department. It involves buying all the current season's clothes and send them out to stores across Europe. I only work in a small team which means I have quite a lot of responsibility, which is quite lucky really. One of my responsibilities is 'special events' which means I buy all the merch for any event that Ralph Lauren sponsors such as Wimbledon, the US Open and the Australian Open.
What were your main responsibilities and how did they evolve over time?
Whilst I have quite a lot of responsibilities now, it did not start like that at the beginning. Originally, I was supposed to do admin, which was just refreshing and updating documents essential for the department, and I also liaised with stores. I worked directly with Ralph Lauren stores as opposed to wholesale stores such as Harrods and Selfridges. I also work closely with allocation teams. I built up a lot of trust and maintained good quality work which allowed me to have extra responsibilities as time went on, and now I work within Wholesale too which is great as I now have cross-channel experience.
Did you face any challenges when applying to your placement? How did you overcome them?
Something I found challenging was the mentality of the fashion industry, whereby you need to have a previous internship to get another one. I was declined for a lot of roles because I did not have any previous internship experience. I just kept consistent and kept applying through various ways and was lucky enough to get Ralph Lauren.
How has your experience compared to what you learned during your degree?
I learnt ten times faster and ten times more during my placement year compared to what I have so far in my degree. I think it's just because at university, you talk about everything in theory, and there isn't as much opportunity to put those things into practice. My degree gave me a foundation of knowledge but working within the industry and getting my hands stuck in is what allowed me to really gain an understanding of everything.
Would you recommend your placement at Ralph Lauren to another student?
Absolutely, at Ralph Lauren they invest so much time into their interns, whilst also paying them a fair wage, so yes, I would recommend it. Everyone was really welcoming and friendly, however, in terms of the fashion industry, I don't think that's something you commonly find.
What advice would you give to students looking for a placement?
My advice would be to network, to get to know different industries and get experience where you can and talk to whoever you can. That way, you can find where you belong and where you feel most welcome. For example, I went into PR before I went into Buying, and I realised it just was not for me.
"My degree gave me a foundation of knowledge, but working within the industry and getting my hands stuck in is what allowed me to really gain an understanding of everything."
This piece features work first published in Gemini Issue 3, the student magazine produced by Level 5 Fashion Marketing & Promotion students at the University of Westminster.
