Madeline Bergeron, class of ’08, stood in front of a warehouse of designer merchandise in New York City—a building full of bags, scarves, and jewelry all at her disposal.
This opportunity didn’t come from a genie in a bottle, but from a project in her fashionology class.
With an interest in pursuing a creative career incorporated with arts and business, Bergeron, a junior at Marist College in Poughkeepsie, NY, is majoring in fashion merchandising. Besides her fashionology course, Bergeron’s schedule includes courses in European trends, retailing, and textiles.
To gain experience in the fashion industry last spring, Bergeron applied for internships in the real world fashion industry. Michael Kors, DKNY, and Juicy eventually offered her internship opportunities. Bergeron wanted to something “fun and light-hearted” so she ultimately accepted the internship at Juicy Couture.
Besides unwrapping handbags from overseas, Bergeron was accountable for maintaining competitive analyses and forecasting trends at Juicy. She would look through fall 2010 runway shows and pick out qualities that she thought would fit Juicy’s image. Then, she would put together slideshows and present them to a team of merchandisers.
“All [of] my supervisors were really nice and willing to help. In the end, it didn’t hurt that I got a lot of free stuff,” Bergeron said.
This past summer, Bergeron also had internship at Nordstrom. Bergeron said she was impressed by how much time and money the company put into the internship program.
“I got to meet Blake Nordstrom, the president of the company. The fact that he flew out from Seattle shows that he has a huge interest in his company,” Bergeron said. “I have a great addition to my resume and a great possibility of working for Nordstrom in the future.”
Bergeron is currently studying abroad in London, England. Starting November 2, 2010, she will work four days a week for seven weeks at Myla, a designer lingerie brand sold in high-end United Kingdom department stores.
Next year, Bergeron looks forward to her Senior Merchandising Capping course and the 25th Annual Marist College Silver Needle Fashion Show. For her final project, Bergeron will partner with a student designer to create an in-depth business plan that could be executed if funded.
Last year, Bergeron won the Marist College Silver Needle Fashion Award for Sophomore Merchandiser of the Year.
After Marist, Bergeron’s ideal career would be to go into a corporate buying program either at a department store such as Nordstrom or a low-price store such as T.J.Maxx or Marshalls.
“More people should look into a career in fashion. Being in the fashion industry isn’t something you should be embarrassed about. It takes a lot of hard work, dedication, and passion,” Bergeron said.
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