Natalie Jeruchimowitz pursued her passion for creating custom swimsuit designs and advanced her technical design, pattern-making, and sewing skills while gaining experience in media content creation and marketing.
Why did you choose this internship?
For my internship, I chose to start a swimsuit business called Swim by Nat because I love fashion, sewing, marketing, social media, and being creative. I chose this as my internship because I had full creative control of what designs I wanted to make, the patterns I used, the website, social media content, and more. I also chose this internship because I wanted to expand and challenge my current design, sewing, and graphic design skills.
What kind of work did you do throughout your internship experience?
I completed a variety of activities throughout my internship. I designed a logo, directed the creation of a website, created social media content, designed fabric, created a swimsuit design, sewed a bikini, made business cards, made stickers, conducted research, and had meetings with people in my network. This was such an amazing experience, and I am excited to continue my swimsuit business even after this course. I hope to expand by creating more designs. I am really proud of myself that I was able to accomplish so much in these past few months.
How was the internship related to your Applied Humanities degree?
This internship was related to my Applied Humanities degree because I have a fashion studies emphasis. In my classes, I have learned about sewing, the fashion industry, different terms for clothing pieces, and more. I want to pursue a career in the fashion industry in the future. This internship experience has definitely solidified that dream of mine.
What was your favorite part of your internship?
My favorite part of my internship was getting to see the progress I was making. A highlight of my internship was getting the fabric that I designed in the mail. That is the moment when this whole process of starting a swimsuit business felt real. It was meaningful to me because I was able to see something tangible in my hands that I had been designing for weeks. I felt confident and excited for the next steps moving forward once I had the fabric to work with.
How has your internship experience influenced your plans for your future?
My internship experience has influenced my plans for my future because it confirmed what I want to do for a career. I love fashion and business and I definitely want to do something creative in the fashion industry and continue my swimsuit brand. This internship experience also solidified that I enjoy doing things with a purpose and passion. By pursuing my passion I was able to discover my love of marketing and having the fun experience of creating content to promote my bikini.
What advice do you have for other students as they begin their internship?
Some advice that I have for student’s searching for an internship is to not be scared to step out of your comfort zone. Throughout my internship I was worried that I would get criticized or that people would not like the designs I created. I tend to be an overthinker. I realized you never know how something will turn out until you try it. Follow your dreams!