We are pleased to announce that PVH (the corporation behind major brand names such as Tommy Hilfiger & Calvin Klein) are the next winners of our ongoing LCF Careers Industry Partner Awards, picking up the Project Collaboration Award for their amazing work with LCF and our students.
PVH Corp have supported BA Fashion Cordwainers Fashion Bags & Accessories and Footwear courses over the last three years by delivering student sponsored project briefs to these groups. The creative projects are based on the Tommy Hilfiger brand and have allowed the design cohort to work with a leading industry partner to develop their commercial skill set, whilst positioning themselves for placement and graduate opportunities at the company’s head office in Amsterdam. The team at PVH have been amazing to work with and offer so much insight and guidance to the next generation of LCF Talent and we continue to work with them on exciting new initiatives.
LCF News got in touch with PVH Intern & Graduate Recruiter Kristina Bolling to find out what her average day to day looks like working with many talented graduates and student interns. She also offers some great advice for future students who are looking to work in fashion retail head office based roles. Many congratulations again to Kristina and the PVH team.
I get up… around 7am. I think about the day ahead during my mornings like: what I need to do during the day, things I have to remember, tasks I didn’t complete the day before etc. Every morning my partner and I sit down and have breakfast together, talk and just take the time to be together. This has become a priority for us as our work days are quite long and we don’t see each other that much during the weekdays – so it means a lot for us to spend time together during the morning.
I biked to work today, like I do every day. Even though I only have a 5 minutes bike ride it is a nice way for me to get some air and wake up properly. I also think being from Copenhagen (THE biking city) it is the most natural form of transport to me. Plus I hate waiting for the bus/tram/train, I am way too impatient. So my morning bike ride is my ritual.
The first thing I do when I get into the office… is to turn on my computer, check my calendar and get updated about the meetings for the day.
My days… vary a lot. However this morning I was busy scheduling the Recruitment Days for our internships in Marketing & Communication which we will have three of in November. It will be the first time we recruit this way for interns. It has been an interesting project to run. First, getting the business on board with this new way of recruiting and then making sure that we have the right candidates on the day. Hopefully we are able to implement this model for other business areas as well.
Intern & Graduate Recruiter Kristina Bolling
For lunch… we have a lot of options. First of all we have People’s Place which is our own café/restaurant/bar where lunch is served every day. They offer a great organic buffet. People’s Place also has a Deli where you can grab a sandwich, salat or soup if you prefer eating at your desk. Lastly there are all the cafes, delis, restaurants surrounding the office as we are located in the heart of Amsterdam. Today I went to People’s Place to have lunch with a friend/colleague from another department who I haven’t seen for a while.
This afternoon… is spent mostly screening. We currently have 50+ internships open, all that need to have someone start Jan/Feb 2015. So we have a lot of CVs to go through, interviews to plan and contracts to make. It is my intern and I who are responsible for filling these vacancies. We try to high five every time we have made an offer as it makes the process more fun when you remember to celebrate the successes.
Further I planned the last details of my visit to London next week. We have been travelling a lot lately to visit different schools/universities across Europe to promote our graduate and internship program. It is great to meet the students and talk about our company and talent programs.
At the moment the days are quite long as we are busy with all the vacancies, planning the Recruitment Days, travelling etc. So I finish between around 7-8pm. I try and tidy up my desk before I leave as it makes the following morning easier to start.
This evening… my only plans are running. The office is located next to a beautiful park, Vondelpark where I go running a couple of times a week. For me this is the best way to digest everything that has happened during the day and get some energy for the rest of the week.
I’m having dinner at home with my partner. He loves to cook and I love to eat the food he makes. Normally we have dinner quite late as we both get home late. So dinner is often enjoyed between 9 – 10 pm. The menu today is Bolognese and Aubergine. During the week we just need something fast and easy as we don’t have a lot of time in the evenings.
When I get in the door… I just have to shake off the day and digest all the impressions. I try not to think too much about work in the evenings but just be in the moment with the people around me.
The highlight of the day… was to call the candidates that we would like to invite for the Recruitment Days. They were so excited about making to through to final stage. It’s always nice to pass on good news.
Letting candidates know they have reached the final stages is always a highlight.
My advice would be… You need to be curious. Curious about people, where they come from, where they would like to go. I would not say that there is only one route into recruitment but as you have to do with people on a daily basis it is essential that you like and are comfortable meeting and talking to people.
It is important for companies to offer work experience… because it is key for students to get the opportunity to get out there, work more practically, understand how it is to work in a professional environment, what to expect and what is expected from them. From a recruitment point of view we always look to where the candidate has done an internship/part time job as it tells something about their work mentality and capabilities. Also it is the best way to understand if someone will be relevant for an entry level role and has that right cultural fit.
We have worked with LCF for the last couple of years. We have done competitions with the students in Footwear and Accessories. The winners got an internship in our office in Amsterdam. So far it has been a great success. The LCF students are very skilled and commercial minded which is what we are looking for in our candidates.
When undergoing work experience with us students can expect to learn… a lot of hands on experience! Our interns have the opportunity to get insight into how a big, international, multi branded fashion company works. However we also believe that it is up to the individual intern to get as much out of the placement as possible. The more proactive, enthusiastic you are, the more you will also get out of your time with us.
Kristina & her team at a University recruitment fair looking for new talent.
Also highly commended in this category were:
- Woolmark
Woolmark partnered with LCF for the first time this year on their ’50 years of Woolmark’ anniversary project. Focusing on the BA (Hons) Bespoke Tailoring course the project enabled our students to work individually to create a bespoke collection of tailoring garments for Autumn/Winter 14-15 featuring Merino wool fabrics. The project was a fantastic success and Woolmark were extremely generous with their time, resources and expertise throughout.
- River Island
River Island have been a consistent supporter of LCF students and graduates for many years, providing key speakers for events at the College, running student sponsored projects, and of course recruiting our students and graduates into roles across the fashion spectrum. Most recently River Island supported our second year BA (Hons) Fashion Design and Development students with a design project that resulted in the winners being placed into their design team for a full year. This fantastic support continues to develop our students employability skills and enhances their chances of finding graduate roles within the industry.
Students were asked to research, investigate and experiment with toile, designing and developing ideas under the mentoring of either designer Antony Waller of Bora Aksu BA (Hons) Fashion Design and Development students, or Design Director Franceska Luther BA (Hons) Fashion Contour students.
The work had to embrace traditional lace, but transform it into a wearable wardrobe or bespoke couture, through research, planning, development and realisation, thinking about materials manipulation, pattern generation, aesthetic consideration and application.
Stay tuned next week for a day-in-the-life from one of our placement students. A big congratulations to all of our winners in this category, we hope for many more wonderful project collaborations in the future.
- Read more about the Industry Partner Awards
- Find out more about PVH
- Find out more about LCF Careers