Words by Gwyne Cosio
Established in 2009, Billini is your favourite shop for all the latest and coolest accessories and shoes without the heavy price tag. Billini is a great brand to work for and the business itself is getting bigger and bigger. Billini encompasses all things fashion and truly puts the Billini babe first!
My internship at head office started a few months ago and wow can I say I enjoyed every minute of my journey. The head office is definitely a sight to see and defines all things blush! Being in the head office space really inspired me every week I was there! There’s always a crazy number of shoes to be reviewed for the new and upcoming collections and many shoes that need to be fitted and altered.
Billini has its own photography room, blush detailed kitchen, huge showroom, boardroom, fabric library, a handful of small meeting rooms and the office itself is massive.
On my first day of my internship, I was so thrilled to start the opportunity as I already had a gut feeling that I would really grow and learn valuable lessons, and that I did!
The tasks I had the privilege of completing involved sample and range management, product and materials sourcing, creating spec sheets, sample fittings and comments, managing the fabric card library and float between other departments in the business including marketing, e-commerce and buying.
I had the pleasure of working closely in the Product Development team, where I saw the first point of the design/inspiration process all the way through the tangible product. It’s insane to me how much time and effort the team puts in to create a new collection from scratch. From coming up with creative mood boards to fabric sourcing to finding the perfect suppliers to create the dream shoe!
No day was ever the same and I was constantly learning something new. Either about the fashion industry itself, the Billini brand or the product development process.
A lot of people got me fooled that the fashion industry is a cruel and competitive world but the Billini team really proved that statement wrong! You will find that the ladies employed at Billini genuinely care about you and your future plans and it’s just so satisfying to be greeted by your name from everyone in the office and not just another intern!
Throughout my time at Billini, I really felt like a valuable team member and part of the Billini family! If you’re aspiring to work in the fashion industry and want to get hands on and worthy experience that you will use in the workforce, then I highly recommend getting your hands on an internship with Billini.
Towards the end of my internship the team surprised me with flowers, accessories and a free pair of shoes to say thank you for my efforts. This really showed me how apperceptive and humble the company truly is. The creative director of Billini, Susannah even showed me her appreciation on my last day by telling me face to face how grateful she was, and this was mind blowing to me!
A special thank you to Bonnie and Olivia in the Product Development team for making my time so worthwhile. Thank you again to the Billini team for having me be part of your team and thank you to The Fashion Institute for making this opportunity possible!
