Supervised experience in a pre-approved internship program in a related field of Product Development or Design. The student must work a minimum of 240 hours for a 4 credit hour internship or a minimum of 320 hours for a 6 credit hour internship, complete the student workbook, earn a satisfactory evaluation from the internship sponsor and complete a journal.
Branded Denim
During Megan Marie's summer internship experience on the Buckle Men's Denim Team, she primarily assisted the buyers for branded denim. This included daily communication with vendors for brands such as Rock Revival, Salvage, DOPE, DepartWest, Outpost Makers, Buckle Black, Affliction, American Fighter, R.sole, Crysp Denim, and Rustic Dime. Due to the amount of brands that Megan Marie assisted with-----both private label and branded-----she was exposed to various aspects and methods of following the product development process. Daily tasks included overseeing incoming and outgoing approval submits between vendors and buyers; measuring/spec-ing Fit, Pre-Production, and TOP samples and calling out any measurements that were out of tolerance; commenting on fit, details, and wash; and updating and managing tech packs or e-mail correspondence between vendors accordingly.
Approvals
Approvals were a responsibility that Megan Marie took up daily. Once received, approval submits were logged then laid out with all previous submits and/or approved CADs for review. If the incoming approvals were private label or TOP Samples, main measurements were spec-ed before the submits were laid out. Depending on the brand, specs were either entered into the style's corresponding TP file or called out in an e-mail to the vendor if measurements were found OOT. In order to protect the brands that Megan Marie worked with, any grids, TP files, or confidential information that resulted from her internship will not be posted. The following spec sheets, created in Microsoft Excel, are an example of the format that the 1st Fit, PP Sample, and TOP Sample tabs in the TP file followed:
The Detail, Graded Specs, and BOM tabs are not featured.
Seasonal Buys
Throughout her time interning, Megan Marie participated in buys for the 2018 holiday season and for January - April 2019 for multiple brands. In preparation for each buy, previous bestsellers were taken into account, the latest development pieces/washes were assessed, performance based off of AS400/iSeries distros were analyzed, and trend/development research was conducted. Depending on the brand, Megan Marie created grids or tech packs detailing each new style after each buy was complete. Wash and pocket grids were created as well. In order to protect the brands that Megan Marie worked with, any grids, TP files, or confidential information that resulted from her internship will not be posted. The following, created in Microsoft Excel, is an example of the format that the grids Megan Marie created for branded denim labels followed:
Once CADs for the new styles were finalized, Megan Marie drafted Product Orders to later be reviewed and finalized by the buyers.
Industry Terminology
Listed below is commonly used terminology when making comments to vendors or the factory.
Base Shade: Shade of untreated denim. Ranges from light to dark. Dry Processing: Often referred to as the whisker pattern or destruction treatment applied to a jean before it is washed. Processing Intensity: Expressed as a percentage (i.e. reduce processing intensity by 25%). Local Front Processing/Dry Processing/Global PP Spray: Applied after hand sanding to achieve a brighter appearance compared to the base shade. Backing: Achieved by fusing thin lightweight fabric (typically white), self denim, decorative fabric, etc. under destruction patterns. Japanese Adhesive: Secures backing to garment without affecting backing during/after wash. Whiskers: Created with resin on front and back of garment. Resin: Treatment applied to most whisker patterns, then baked, to create a molded/3D whisker pattern. This will often reduce stretch and soft hand of the fabric. Feather/Blend: Technique used so sanding treatment does not appear so contrived, especially on the local front thigh, upper whiskers, and back seat. Chevrons: Lines found along inseam at thigh area. Enzyme Wash: Softens fabric and creates good high/low or contrast. Most often used as an alternative to stone washing. Towel Bleach: Process to create a unique contrasted effect by soaking towels in bleach and tossing them into the machine to wash garments with. This process is hard to control and can come out unevenly. Oxidizing: Yellowing process that occurs on garments that were treated with a high level of bleach then exposed to light/oxygen for a period of time. Can be hard to control. Garment Dyed: Most often used in twills. Garment dyed is when the color is applied in full garment form. This often comes out uneven and looks more like a spray. Yarn Dyed: Most often used in twills. Color is applied to the yarns before the garment is sewn. Color is often more dense with this technique compared to garment dyed and more consistent Tacking: Plastic ties are applied to specific areas of the jean where "natural" creases would occur. Tacking is most commonly found at the hem, knee, top corners or at the top of the back pockets, and front pocket scoops. Contrast is controlled by removing the tacks earlier or later in the wash process-----the longer the tack is left in, the higher level of contrast; when removed earlier, the more washed down and blended the tacking will be. Tying/Veining: Technique achieved by tying the jean, most often vertically, and then washing to tying lines or "veining" appears on the garment. Intensity can be adjusted up or down by keeping the tying on longer or removing it earlier in the wash as with tacking. Nicking/Grinding/Dremmeling: Subtle breakage of yarns, smaller than abrasion. Abrasion: Similar to destruction but smaller in size. Yarns are not fully "broken" through. Destruction: Yarns are fully broken through and warp yarns removed. Larger than abrasion. Pooling: Typically seen on acid/bleached out washes where the indigo tends to gravitate towards corners of the back pockets or areas where the fabric is thicker due to construction. Bleach is therefore unable to penetrate to bleach the fabric at these areas. SPI: Stitches per Inch. Crosshatch: Term used to describe the surface appearance of the fabric when uneven yarns are used both in the warp and weft direction. Mechanical Stretch: Percentage of stretch based upon actual ability of fabric to stretch to a certain measurement. Fit specs are based on the level of mechanical stretch. This is typically only in the weft direction but sometimes applied in the warp direction.
Outcomes
In addition to the common tasks detailed above, Megan Marie also had the opportunity to sit in on vendor meetings; attend fit model sessions and make comments as they applied to the style on body; call store managers for selling/brand feedback and apply to future buys; create and maintain SKU groups; sketch and share back pocket designs for Summer 2019 brand development; and attend weekly meetings to assess overall department strengths and weaknesses. This internship introduced Megan Marie to the common fit and denim-specific terminology used in the industry, which she applied daily with her comments on fit, details, and wash. She also created and maintained many vendor relationships due to the amount of brands she assisted with.