Day 6

Whew! Thursday was flustery. Friday I had a mandatory Student Ambassador training. I learned to do inventory, which is to basically check up on how much we have of everything, ranging from office supplies to boning to number of copies of this and this document. I ended up needing to buy 33 gallon garbage bags, post-its, zip-loc gallon bags, BIC mechanical pencils, tape, paper plates (Jamie was complaining he had nothing to eat off of), black and white covered boning, black tulle, muslin, black hook and eyes, about 80 copies totaling from 7 different documents, and that's all I can remember for now. I noticed they sent me to the cheapest places for the most trivial things, like the dollar store for garbage bags and paper plates, but I had to go to staples to buy the name brand post-its and mechanical pencils, because the cheap ones always came apart. I went to Steinlauf for the hook and eyes, which is known for their cheap parts (even I go there) and a place called Excel to pick up their last two bonings. The Zip-Loc I couldn't find anywhere cheap so I had to run to the last resort: Duane Reade.

Afterwards, I stopped at Rehka to pick up more beading. My next mission was to go to the Upper East Side to a consignment shop to pick up a dress and a check. The lady in there seemed to really want me to do an internship there, and said lots of high school kids interned there to learn "the real business of fashion". Upon my return, I overheard Jamie and Emily discussing the pros and cons of having a fashion show. Jamie was very upset and wishing he could put on a show, but you can't count on anything, on any press or customers as a result. He would love to put on a show, but he doesn't have the funds, he can't expect anything in return, and stores never pay. Even today, the Rehka beading called to say the price for the beading they have requested every month for $30 is now randomly $45. Though Emily tried to argue, she settled for $40, and even Jamie admitted, after she hung up, that they get the beading done what they want, when they want, and if just said "goodbye" they would be screwed. They had no choice but to comply. This reminded me of a chapter in a book I recently finished (The Fashion Designer Survival Guide) about how as a small business stores and people just won't pay! It definetely scares and shocks me how hard it is to secure payment, even after dealing with discrepancies throughout the production process.

Another example was my last assignment for the day: go with the other intern, Dena, to Lining Club to pick up 32 yds of black acetate, 18 yds of pewter acetate, and 5 yds of navy acetate. The guy tried very hard to sell us the pewter for 30 yds, because he complained that he could not sell the leftover 12 yds to anyone, he is a wholesaler, not retail! However we only needed 18 yds, and since we do it dress-by-dress we have no chance but to order by order. We agreed on 20 yds even and he never stopped mumbling about he should never do this. From his point of view, I can definetely see how working in a cramped room selling random yardages to one company would break him down. The owner also wanted me to ask FIT if he could advertise his company for students to come buy muslin and lining, but they are a wholesale company! Why would they sell such small quantities? He said I was lucky to have a job, since no one hires anymore. It really is difficult times, and no one has any money to spare. In the end, it's all about bargaining so that both parties don't lose too much.

-la vie en rose