Elle Stancill
BA (Hons) Fashion Business and Promotion
Coming from an industry background myself, I know how important work placements are! That’s why we dedicate so much time and effort to them throughout our courses.
Our second year students have recently completed their own industry placements across a mixed range of fashion businesses, providing them with a huge amount of experiences, developing their CVs and of course, their university projects.
Employers want to know their staff understand the business environment as well as the theory behind it. Our students go out into industry and do just that.
It’s a chance to build CV experience, create contacts and apply the knowledge they’re gaining here to the workplace. That’s why we push them to do it.
Elle recently took on a work placement of a different nature. She spent three weeks with Fashion Blogger Kavita Donkersley at She wears Fashion. Hear about her experience and top tips!…
Sophie Johnson, Lecturer in BA (Hons) Fashion Business and Promotion
Name: Elle Stancill
Course: Second-year BA (Hons) Fashion Business and Promotion
Where did you undertake your industry placement?
I worked with UK-based fashion blogger Kavita Donkersley for the She Wears Fashion blog at her home in Sheffield for three weeks.
How did you secure such an interesting internship and what made you choose She Wears Fashion?
I secured my placement by exchanging a few emails with Kavita. We arranged to meet for a coffee in Sheffield and I started to talk about what I wanted from my time with her and what work she was able to give me.
I initially thought of She Wears Fashion because I knew she was based in Sheffield, which is where I am from, but the main reason I reached out to Kavita is because hers is the first fashion blog I started reading! So I’m really familiar with her style and the way that she writes her posts.
What support did you receive with finding an internship?
I was given a list of contacts from my lecturer to help but it was pretty much independent, as we all had different areas of the industry we wanted to find out more about.
How did you feel on your first day and what did you do to prepare?
I was nervous to start because I knew it would just be me and Kavita working together, so I was worried that three weeks working one on one would be overwhelming! To prepare I looked over her last few blog posts to see what kind of posts she was writing and to see what kind of recent collaborations she’d done.
What kind of work did you do for She Wears Fashion?
I was really lucky in the sense that Kavita let me get involved with all aspects of her blog! I was responsible for keeping an inventory of what brands were sending her and what was planned for them (e.g. a Lookbook, an Instagram post etc…) I was responsible for scheduling social media posts, helped with photography and styling for shoots and even wrote a few blog posts for her which have been published.
Kavita’s collaborated with an impressive number of international brands. Which brand projects did you get to work on during your placement?
I got to work on projects with Feel Unique, Sally Hansen, Boohoo, Anita and Green, Refinery 29 and Pass my Parcel.
What was THE highlight of your placement?
The highlight for me was definitely our trip to London! Kavita had been receiving lots of emails about meetings and events so we scheduled in a two-day trip so I could accompany her and get a better insight into what it’s like to work with brands as an influencer. I sat in on a meeting with Refinery 29, went to a styling event with Pass My Parcel, went to the Be Public Relations showroom and also went to a Christmas themed event with Boohoo. It was so exciting to be able to be involved in that side of her job and meet people within the industry!
Why do you think it’s important to do an industry placement while studying for a degree?
It’s important because you can get a true insight into what it is really like to work within the sector that you choose and it may even rule out jobs that you thought were your dream career.
What were the TOP THREE things you learned from the placement and did it inspire you for the future?
The main things I learned were how generous brands are with sending products to bloggers and the amount of money they invest for influencers to promote them. I found that being a blogger is a lot more complex than it looks and was surprised by how much goes into it behind the scenes. I was definitely inspired by my time with Kavita, I would love to start my own blog when I can get a decent quality camera as styling is my main passion.
What advice would you give to future students on how to land a great industry placement?
Don’t be afraid to get in contact with people!! Even if you don’t think you will be successful with them, just send the email anyway the worst they can say is no. Also, don’t be afraid to go for something a little different if it’s what you are passionate about and make sure it is something you will enjoy!
Find out more about BA (Hons) Fashion Business and Promotion
