Jules McKeen (left), owner of the London brand Peaks, and Damian Collins (right), chairman of the UK Parliament's cross-party UKFT group, presented awards to Sarah (middle).
Last week, the university of westminster in London and the British Fashion and Textile Association (UK Fashion &; The on-site project competition jointly organized by the Textile Association (UKFT) won the prize. The award encourages students to apply what they have learned in school to the industry.
Sarah, a Danish student from China who is studying for a master's degree in fashion business management in university of westminster, became one of the three winners and got an internship in the industry.
In an exclusive interview with Zichuan, Sarah talked about the process and gains of participating in the competition.
London is one of fashion capital of the world, and the twice-yearly Fashion Week attracts fashion people from all over the world.
There are some fashionable schools in London. Why did Sarah choose to study in university of westminster?
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Sarah said in an exclusive interview with Zichuan. I have also considered some other universities, but most of them pay more attention to design. The major in university of westminster pays more attention to fashion business, which suits me better, because I don't want to study fashion design, but I want to know how to sell it. .
Sarah learned about the live project competition of the British Fashion and Textile Association through her tutor Virginia Grose. Mentors hope that students can apply what they have learned in marketing to real companies. All Sarah's students signed up for the competition.
Participants can choose from three different brands, one is a jewelry company, the other is Sarah's choice of the peak in London, and the other is a swimsuit company.
After choosing a brand, the participating students should study a set of strategies for the company to enter a new market, including specific sales outlets, prices and so on.
Participate in the competition
As a Danish Chinese, Sarah naturally chose the Danish market that she was familiar with and understood. ? Most Danish mothers wear this kind of clothes because they are more likely to breastfeed outdoors than some other countries? , she explained.
Sarah made a market survey on the promotion of this brand of clothes in Denmark. After two rounds of demonstrations, he submitted a small paper detailing his strategy.
Participants must first submit the first report to the tutor, who will make comments and send them to UKFT. Each brand selects 4 to 5 contestants to enter the second round of screening.
After Sarah was successfully selected, he made a second report to the head of the brand. It is understood that the contents of the two reports are not much different, because the first round of selection shows that the direction is correct, and then it can be revised according to the teacher's opinion.
She told Zichuan that these two rounds of reports are very difficult, because it takes enough research to pass the test, and it needs to be clear why and how to promote the brand in the Danish market.
Sarah said that when she reported the case for the second time, the boss of the brand was on a business trip in Japan, so she could only contact online via Skype.
? This meeting will be difficult to explain, because I can't see my PPT presentation, and the other party also asked some difficult questions to challenge me. Fortunately, I passed the test successfully. , she said.
Sarah feels that her research scope is relatively wide, especially some of her friends in Denmark have become mothers, so she can put forward constructive opinions and opinions and give her a lot of help.
? If this brand enters Denmark, who are you looking for? She said.
harvest
At the end of the competition, Sarah felt that the knowledge used in the whole process partly came from studying in university of westminster, partly from studying as an undergraduate in Denmark, and partly from working as a marketing manager in a jewelry company in Shanghai.
Sarah said that the biggest gain from participating in the competition is to know many people in the industry.
? I have been studying in London for less than a year and have little contact. Participating in the competition made me know many people in the industry, and winning the prize also gave me valuable internship opportunities? She said happily.
Sarah will spend two months as an intern in the marketing department of Peaks, London, to contribute to the online promotion of the brand. This internship will lay a good foundation for her future career development in Britain.
She said that after studying and attending classes in university of westminster, she often needs to read professional books by herself to better understand what she has learned.
Sarah said that the school will arrange a fashion person to give lectures every two weeks or so, which is very helpful for students.
Sarah has started writing his graduation thesis. The theme of her thesis is what kind of marketing path new entrepreneurs should choose-physical store sales or online operation.
? What are the advantages and disadvantages if you choose online marketing? Start your own business and want to build your own handmade cosmetics brand, Danish Black Swan? She said.