PLM Design Team- Christina Lombardi
What did you do while you interned?
During my internship at Eileen Fisher I helped out in the Product Development department. I sat in on fittings, helped to create PDM Packages and assist in daily needs for the Technical Designers. Shortly after my internship started I was re-located to the Creative Center and became a part of a new streamlining process called the Design Development Flow Process. This role and process was to evolve working in a more simplified way of communicating with our internal teams and external teams prior to the PLM system.
What department are you at?
I am currently a part of the Design team but am in a smaller niche team called the PLM Design Team.
What do you like about your internship program? What do you like about your job now?
The internship program was slightly different when I started then it is now, but I have to say that I really enjoyed how welcoming everyone was and how every team was so open to teaching about their roles here at the company. It is an enriching opportunity to have the transparency of how styles flow from start to finish and how many hands are involved.
I enjoy working closely with the product and shepherding it from one team to the next while overseeing any questions that may arise from the factories. It’s certainly a learning opportunity to work with the external teams and watch the product evolve from concept to dupes.
What are the challenges that you have overcome while being an intern/ on the job?
Some of the challenges that one could face as an intern would be, not fully understanding which team holds onto what portion of the product at any given point in the season since we work in multiple seasons at one time. I was grateful to have mentors who were excited to help and teach.
Another was the learning curve of understanding the “urgency” around product and what takes priority at different stages for the specific teams I work with.
Lastly, was learning how to communicate clearly to our teams that do not speak English as a first language and learning how to articulate an email that will translate easily between.
What is the advice you would like to give interns coming into the program?
Some advice I would love to share is always listen and take notes and ask questions, even when you are second guessing yourself. Never feel shy to reach out! We all come from very different backgrounds so it’s interesting to hear how people ended up in certain positions here at the company.
What attracted you to Eileen Fisher and the internship program?
I was attracted to Eileen Fisher as a company because I knew of her growing up in the area. It was nice to see how involved she is with the community and her values on sustainability. I also took a liking to the fabrics that we use here in house, I have always enjoyed working with natural textiles and not many companies can afford to do so. (that was an added bonus!)
I accepted an internship here since I was a recent college graduate and was looking for more exposure to the industry and what specific area was the “perfect fit”. I was also attracted to the values of the company and the culture. I knew it would be a wonderful opportunity to learn and grow at this point in my career.
How was the environment compared to your previous experiences/ internships?
The only other company I interned at was a children’s wear company that was a small team of 4 people, designer/merchandiser, her assistant, fabric coordinator and the CAD artist for graphics. I don’t think I can really compare it since it was such a small sector of a large corporation.
I did work through college at a family owned boutique that caters to the same customer whom shops at EF. It was a wonderful experience to learn and hear how women feel in their clothing and their comfort in accepting “trendy over classic “and her motives to buy certain pieces.