Campus Life--Melani Cullen

During my internship, I had an amazing opportunity to travel to one of the footwear factories that manufactures Columbia’s shoes in Mainland China. It was a great experience seeing the assembly lines, and learning about how the company takes an innovative idea and turns it into the products we see in the retail stores. It was so cool to see the process because all the steps that go into creating the 3D objects are often over looked. I never thought about all the pieces that are sewn prior to assembly, or the actual assembly line and how a pair of shoes may by touched by up to a hundred people. Similarly, Columbia exposed me to a more personal side of the industry that people never think about.

Life outside the factory is a topic that is often overlooked. These workers don't experience the typical dorm lifestyle that we generally visualize. They have to travel to the part of the country where the factories are in order to find work, and that means leaving their hometown and loved ones behind. The workers stay for almost a year, and during Chinese New Years they return to their hometown until it is time to return to the factory. The factory provides on-property housing in a dorm like setting. It’s sad to think that the factory becomes all the workers see. They work at the factory 6 days a week, eleven hours a day, and when it’s time to go “home,” they take a 30-second walk across the parking lot to their temporary home. Unfortunately, there are times when workers have to go even longer without a day off due to peak production season in the summer.

The tour through the dorms was mind blowing. Hundreds of workers are in and out of the dorms daily so with out a doubt, everything was almost worn out in regards to the facility’s aesthetics. Even though the rooms had four sets of bunk beds, they were the size of a typical dorm room, which is not big at all. The workers were assigned individual storage cubbies that the workers could lock if they wanted to store anything of value. Each bed also had a curtain around it in order to provide privacy and their own space. Additionally, each dorm room had an air conditioner so that the workers could stay cool and be more comfortable, and there is a children’s room where their kids can stay during the day if they are visiting. There is a schoolroom where they are given lessons, and a playroom as well. Moreover, the dorm had a huge cafeteria on the ground level, which serves breakfast (1 RMB), lunch (2.50 RMB), and dinner (2.50 RMB) for an affordable price, which totals to 6 RMB a day (About $1). The dorms were nothing special and seemed very minimalistic, but you could tell the workers appreciate the things that they do have.

Melani Cullen

Columbia Sportswear

A Day in the Life of a GUESS Merchandising Manager - Lexi Baril

Last week, my supervisor surprised me by taking me to GUESS’ handbag showroom to see the new handbag collections for spring 2014. The handbag showroom is in a different GUESS office here in Hong Kong. I went with my supervisor, along with two buyers for the Hong Kong/Macau region who are on the team. Upon arriving at the office, we were brought to the showroom, which was stocked with all kinds of snacks and drinks for us to enjoy. The showroom was completely white, with clear glass furnishings and clear glass cubes hanging from the ceilings, which displayed the handbags and wallets. We went around the room and looked at each bag –  testing color, detailing, feel, and weight. Afterward, the buyers went around the room again and made their own notes on what would and would not be successful in the Hong Kong/Macau region. They will use this information to place the order for Spring 2014 handbags at the end of July.

Handbag advertisement photos line the hallway at the GUESS handbag office!

After going to the handbag showroom, my supervisor took me with her to see a fitting! She wanted to show me a “day in the life” of a merchandising manager. We went to yet another GUESS office about a half hour away. I met GUESS Asia’s fit model, GiGi. She was fitted for knit, denim, and outerwear for Fall and Winter 2013-2014. The team critiqued the fit, color, stitching, and embellishment placement of each garment – placing pins in areas that needed improvement. They took GiGi’s opinion into consideration a lot as well – asking her about the feel, comfort, and fit of each garment she put on. It was awesome to be able to see first-hand what goes on at a fitting!

Unfortunately I could not take pictures of the fitting, but one of the jackets GiGi tried on was similar to this one above - from GUESS' last winter collection!

Although it was a long day, it was so rewarding to be able to get a behind the scenes look at what a merchandising manager does on a day-to-day basis.



Lexi Baril - GUESS 

On My Way to Work...--Shirley Cheung

Part of the long trek downhill from Mid-Levels to Central station

On my way to work, I have to take a long trek downhill to get to the Central MRT station.  I can take a bus, but usually waiting for the bus takes longer.  The walk back uphill is near impossible, especially when the sun is out, so I always take the bus to come back to the hotel. I am only one MRT stop away from my job, and then I have a short walk before I get to my company. I get there half an hour before my actual start time so I can enjoy breakfast at a restaurant there.

Looking down to the region where they call Central

I was told I could walk from Central to Sheung Wan (the MRT stop where my workplace is) and it would probably save time but after that downhill trek I decided to give myself a break. Especially since I think that riding the MRT is much easier than finding my way through the messy streets and all the buildings that look the same. It is probably a good idea to invest in a detailed map or at least a guide book that shows the small streets of Hong Kong to effectively keep you from getting lost in Hong Kong.

Hong Kong is a mix of green and skyscrapers,
beautiful for the scenery, but watch out for bugs!

Other things to watch out for include the fact that Hong Kong is normally made up of tall skyscrapers but is also surrounded by vegetation that resembles small woods. When walking through or around bushes and forest areas, bug spray is a good thing to bring because five minutes of standing under the shade could lead to a plethora of bug bites on your legs if you’re wearing shorts. Believe me, I experience it… Hong Kong is made up of hilly paths and older regions.

Shirley Cheung 

Company Blog

It's Showtime!--Milena Ho

      This past week, I spent a lot of time in the showroom, whether it was for a meeting or taking photos of denim washes. The showroom is huge and absolutely stunning. We display our womenswear, menswear, denim, GUESS wall and denim shelves, handbags, accessories, sunglasses, watches, and some jewelry. The space is amazing and has a wonderful feel.

      The store operations team, design the basic store setup showing where the bags should be placed, where a specific style should be featured, and so on. Once the store setup is agreed on, the store operations team takes photos and sends them to all accounts. It would be strange for each GUESS store to have vastly different window displays and store layouts, so they avoid this by giving them guidelines. These guidelines include how to dress the mannequins, what to put in the window display, how the tables should be positioned, etc. Of course, every single store does not have to match the sample store setup 100 percent; some stores may choose to change a few garments around in the store for example. Besides, each store has a different amount of space; it would be unrealistic to have each and every store look exactly the same.

This is the womenswear and handbags section of the showroom.

            Before this internship, I never stepped inside a showroom. So of course, my first reaction was, “Oh, wow!” I was honestly amazed at how well lit the showroom was, how spacious it was, and how real it seemed; it closely resembled a GUESS store. But now, after making multiple visits to the showroom, it feels like any normal place.

             Since spending hours on end in the office is not something I love, entering the showroom is definitely like a breath of fresh air.  I love how the whole floor combines the behind-the-scenes office with the hands-on and design-requiring showroom. The fact that we have samples in the room makes me excited and serves as a constant reminder of our brand image. When looking at any piece of GUESS merchandise, one can quickly notice the fun, the sexy, the adventurous, and the sophisticated looks.

Fun Fact: This is Paul Marciano's office here in Hong Kong!

Milena Ho

Guess

Profiles at Under Armour--Kristyn Daly

Interning at Under Armour the past month and a half has been a blast, and I’m learning so much. In my first week I was assigned two different projects—a vendor scorecard and vendor profiles. Ultimately I was taken off the vendor scorecard project, as it was later known that a group in the home office was already working on scorecards. This left me with vendor profiles, which I’ve recently completed.

The original vendor profile that was bland and boring to look at.

I first made a template for the profile because the existing one was not aesthetically pleasing and I was told to make it fun and interactive. I added different graphs to spice things up. I had to create profiles for each vendor the Hong Kong office is responsible for. The profiles are basically a snapshot of the vendor and includes its on time delivery, business plan, work in process, construction groups it produce for Under Armour, quality, etc. My boss thinks I "hit the ball out of the park" on this project, so I'm really glad that the team likes it. The positive feedback is always rewarding. The pictures are mainly to show the difference between the layout.

This is the layout of the new profile that I created.



An Under Armour poster in Regina Miracle.
Pictures were only allowed in the lobby.

I also had the opportunity to visit a factory, Regina Miracle, two weeks ago in Mainland China where it manufactures sports bras and the newest shoe addition, the Speedform. The Speedform has a seamless heel-cup, and the manufacturing process cuts out close to 30 steps. Because the process is so innovative, it is top secret and we were unable to see production of the shoe. During our tour, however, I was able to see the production of a sports bra from start to finish. Each bra goes through about 40 steps before it’s complete.

Now that my vendor profiles are complete, I’m helping a committee in the office plan Armour Day. Armour Day is basically a day to celebrate the brand. Because the launch of Under Armour in Hong Kong coincides with Armour Day, it’s turned into Armour Week. I’m helping coordinate VIP lists for two football (soccer) games with the Tottenham Hotspurs. During Armour Week, the office will be participating in multiple events, such as the football games, movies and other events. I’m excited for the launch of Under Armour in Hong Kong, but I wish it didn’t happen five days after I leave. It would have been amazing to experience.

Kristyn Daly
Under Armour

The Global Middleman--Melani Cullen

Columbia Sportswear Company (CSC) is an international outdoor apparel, footwear, accessory, and equipment company, whose headquarters is located in Portland, Oregon (PDX). It operates in the United States, Latin America, Asia Pacific, Europe, Middle East, Africa, and Canada. Additionally, Columbia distributes to more than 72 countries, and 13,000 retailers around the world, and it has a very strong online presence, and customers can access the products through the world of e-commerce. Due to the large audience base the company has successfully reached over the years, it uses the third party distributor, Swire, and the international sales team at the company to help sell the products in the Asian market.

Swire is a distributor that was established in Hong Kong, and it manages the Columbia stores in Asia, which are not owned by CSC. You wouldn't be able to tell that CSC does not run those retail stores because Swire upholds to CSC’s brand image. The consistency exhibited location to location is very critical because Columbia is a well-known brand, and consistency around the world eliminates alienation to the loyal customers.

Moreover, not every one is going to like the same cut, style, and color around the world, and not every country is going to need the same outdoor gear--this is where the international sales team at CSC comes in. Essentially, the team is the middleman that bridges the customers and the global market. At the Hong Kong office, this team focuses on the Asian markets. They coordinate with Swire, and they find out what the people need. They tailor those needs to the Asian market, and the people at headquarters allow flexibility, and adjustments made to the original designs as long as they aren’t straying too far away from Columbia’s image. Often, garment colors are changed from a conservative color from the American design, to a bright neon color for the Asian market. Additionally, the international sales team alters the “standardized” sizes since the Asian market generally needs smaller sizing adjustments. It is a back and forth process between PDX, the international sales team, and Swire until everyone is in agreement, and even though CSC doesn’t own the stores in Asia, Swire still needs to have PDX’s approval since it is its original designs.

Melani Cullen

Columbia Sportswear 

“GUESS What?” --Milena Ho

Interning with GUESS Asia Ltd. has been an amazing experience so far.  When we went to look for our offices a few days before our first day of work, the very first thing I saw was the GUESS logo on the wall behind the receptionist’s desk.  The bold, triangle encasing GUESS logo, it looked so official and professional that it gave me a kick of excitement. It reminded me a bit of the scene in "The Devil Wears Prada” when Anne Hathaway enters the Runway magazine’s reception area. It is the corporate fashion world. It is real and the large concrete logo symbolizes it perfectly.

The receptionist's desk with the official GUESS logo displayed behind. 

I am interning for the International Sales and Merchandising Department. I feel so lucky to be part of such a wonderful team because they are so friendly and resourceful!

During my first week, I researched retail markets in southeast Asia. My department works with Singapore, Thailand, Vietnam, Indonesia, Malaysia, India, Guam, and Mongolia. Although it was a lot of typing various phrases into numerous search bars, reading, and taking notes, I learned a lot. The goal behind this task was to find new information about Q1 2013 in these specific retail markets, so that the company was informed about each country’s market and the reasons for why it may or may not be doing well.  I learned that there are several factors that affect the retail market, including social classes, disposable income, economy, housing rates, and rental store space rates. 

This past week, I put together my first “Product Knowledge” booklet for the July collection. This booklet features select garments that are about to arrive in stores and discuss ways to style them. There are also a couple images of similar garments and celebrities rocking those various styles. The “Product Knowledge” booklet aids the sales associates in recommending certain pieces to their customers, depending on which garments he or she is interested in. This meant spending hours and hours sitting at the computer, but it was fun to put together. It almost felt like writing an article for InStyle magazine. I can’t wait to see what the coming weeks will bring!

Part of the GUESS office!

Milena Ho
Guess