Thanks to the support of Authentic Brands Group (ABG), a global brand development, marketing, and entertainment company, LIM College was able to provide its seniors and graduate students with an innovative project-based internship experience to help them build their resumes and gain invaluable experience.
LIM College’s Office of Career and Internship Service’s “Fashion Forward” initiative launched this summer as a virtual, project-based career development course for students with or without a traditional internship.
During the Fall 2020 semester, 94 undergraduate seniors and master’s degree students took part in “LIM Fashion Forward LIVE Presented by Authentic Brands Group.”
In lieu of the hours the students would have normally spent at an internship site, they were divided into teams, assigned a brand from the ABG portfolio, and tasked with developing a mock brand partnership and launch strategy.
The goal of the project was to familiarize students with how ABG develops partnerships and executes strategies that help the company achieve its mission of building long-term brand value through reaching new audiences and driving purchases.
On December 8 and 9, the student groups presented their final projects to three judges from ABG and received feedback. A first-place winner was chosen, with that group being given the chance to present their project at the December meeting of the LIM College Fashion Industry Advisory Board.
This program was made possible through the generous support of Nick Woodhouse, ABG’s President & Chief Marketing Officer and Haley Steinberg, Vice President, PR and Corporate Communications. Both Woodhouse and Steinberg are members of LIM‘s Fashion Industry Advisory Board and Steinberg is an LIM graduate. ABG’s Joe Rosenbaum, Vice President, Human Resources, also served as a judge.
The winning team’s proposal paired Thomasville, an American furniture and home décor company rooted in functional design, with avant-garde fashion and furnishings designer Rick Owens, for a unique collaboration that would expand both brands’ established audiences. The Thomasville student team consisted of seniors Isabela Colon, Chelsea Marino, Marcus Dickerson and Emily Zhang.
Said Woodhouse of the students, “They came with originality, they came with great ideas and it made me feel really, really good about this generation who are going to follow all of us to carry on with the businesses that we’ve helped grow."
Marino said of the experience, “I was primed to become a working professional and display my communication, research and development, digital design, and problem-solving skills. This opportunity resulted in a portfolio-worthy piece, plus resume experience and industry connections.”
She concluded, "LIM has truly prepared me for the world in a practical way, between all my classes and club activities. The Fashion Forward program was also the crutch that got me through job market uncertainty, because now I have a great portfolio piece and new insights from the judges that will help me in my career."
About Authentic Brands Group
Authentic Brands Group (ABG) is a brand development, marketing, and entertainment company, which owns a portfolio of global media, entertainment, and lifestyle brands. Headquartered in New York City, ABG elevates and builds the long-term value of more than 50 consumer brands and properties by partnering with best-in-class manufacturers, wholesalers, and retailers. Its brands have a global retail footprint in more than 100,000 points of sale across the luxury, specialty, department store, mid-tier, mass, and e-commerce channels, and more than 6,000 freestanding stores and shop-in-shops around the world.
ABG is committed to transforming brands by delivering compelling product, content, business, and immersive experiences. It creates and activates original marketing strategies to drive the success of its brands across all consumer touchpoints, platforms, and emerging media. ABG’s portfolio of iconic and world-renowned brands generates more than $14 billion in annual retail sales and includes Marilyn Monroe®, Elvis Presley®, Muhammad Ali®, Shaquille O'Neal®, Sports Illustrated®, Dr. J®, Greg Norman®, Neil Lane®, Thalia®, Nautica®, Aéropostale®, Forever 21®, Juicy Couture®, Vince Camuto®, Herve Leger®, Judith Leiber®, Barneys New York®, Brooks Brothers®, Frye®, Lucky Brand®, Nine West®, Jones New York®, Frederick's of Hollywood®, Hickey Freeman®, Hart Schaffner Marx®, Adrienne Vittadini®, Bandolino®, Spyder®, Tretorn®, Tapout®, Prince®, Volcom®, Airwalk®, Vision Street Wear®, Thomasville®, Drexel®, and Henredon®.
