Meet the girl who is interning in Production at The Row

We interview fashion professionals, industry experts, students and interns to help you understand what it really means working in fashion. Today you’ll read the story of Bensaihanzhi Zhang, who is studying Fashion Design at Parsons in NY, interned at Vera Wang in bridal design and that is currently Production Intern at The Row, the fashion brand established in 2006 by Ashley Olsen and Mary-Kate Olsen. We asked about her school, her first jobs and what’s like working in fashion in New York City.

You’re studying Fashion Design at Parsons in New York and you also did Fashion Marketing at Central Saint Martin in London. Why different cities and why the feel of adding marketing to your design degree?

To me personally, London and CSM were eye-opening. Students were very competent. More importantly was that student grasped a better understanding of designing from a more fine art perspective. It also appeared to us that students in Europe had more exposure towards brands and media. Adding marketing to my design degree was actually very fun. Students in marketing pathway would have a mandatory collaboration with mainstream brands in the second year of university. It helped us to have more contacts with people in the industry and improve our presentation skills.

How have you figured out your place in fashion?  

I am just one of those people who tries to create new things. My ultimate goal is to have enough ability, to organize a group of people to help others create.

You worked at Vera Wang and now at The Row. What are your tips to apply for a fashion job?

Be prepared for the hardship and work your way up. It appears to me that the meantime internship system is quite intact in companies, the sense hierarchy is also quite strong.

You were Bridal Design Intern at Vera Wang. What did you do?

There was a lot of hands-on work. Mostly was doing tasks to help the designers embody what they have in their mind. The research was also a big part of the job.

Now you’re Production Intern at The Row. What do you do and what do you like the most?

Working in the production department, definitely allowed me to have more knowledge in the supply chain. Strong personal skills and capability of categorizing, memorizing are needed.

How do you manage your internship and school?

Sacrifying sleep time. I definitely recommend people to intern during the summer rather than during the semester. One has only so little energy and time. At first, I thought I would be able to handle school and work. But the truth is, working days will drain your energy down.

What’s like working in Fashion in New York?

I have had worked in different cities. Working in New York is not that much different than working in other places in turn of job content. In turns of people, there is an obvious diversity. Companies tend to work with factories and designers overseas. Workers are generally from different countries and have different backgrounds.  

Who inspire you in fashion?

My favorite designer of all time is Jean Paul Gaultier. But frankly speaking, there are too many people that inspire me in my current time. Especially the young artists working in all sort of aesthetic industry. They never stop creating.