SUMMER INTERNSHIP REPORT GENESIS LUXURY FASHION PVT. LTD. PROJECT REPORT ON BUSINESS OPERATIONS OF PAUL SMITH AND LUXE BRIDGE 20TH JUNE- 30TH JULY 2018 SUBMITTED BY: APARNA GUPTA 20162024 BBA 2016 INTRODUCTION Internships provide one with the building blocks needed for a prosperous future. Many internship opportunities help set the foundation for one’s career. It is important to choose an internship based on your interests and career prospects. After a successful internship in Marketing last winter, I was intrigued to do an in-office internship and experience the real-work environment with professionals and understand the routine and functioning of a company. I believe that an in-office internship has a lot to offer and prepare me for the challenges ahead in life. However, I was not too sure about the department I wanted to work in. As an intern, I got the opportunity to work with Genesis Luxury Fashion Pvt. Ltd. in Gurugram. I applied for numerous internships on Internshala and received an interview call from Genesis Luxury Fashion Pvt. Ltd. for an internship opportunity with the business head of the two most iconic brands: Paul Smith and Luxe Bridge. I was lucky enough to get this chance of working with a highly experienced and knowledgeable mentor. While struggles are a necessary part of everything that one decides to take up, my experience taught me much more than I could have imagined. ABOUT THE ORGANIZATION Genesis Luxury Fashion Pvt. Ltd. was established in the year 2007 for marketing and distribution of international Luxury Labels within India by India’s leading fashion conglomerate, Genesis Colors – the fashion house behind premium designer labels Satya Paul and Bwitch. Genesis Luxury brings to India, the British Label Paul Smith, Italian handcrafted leather bags and accessories by Bottega Veneta, the quintessential blend of classic American style with a richness of New York spirit, Coach, the red-carpet favorite Jimmy Choo, luxury apparel and accessory brand Michael Kors, and many more. OBJECTIVE The primary objective of the internship was learning how to manage business operations of two classic brands: Paul Smith and Luxe Bridge. I realized that my responsibilities were very diverse and ever-changing and that I had to work with full dedication and deliver results. -Improve business skills such as teamwork, communication and problem solving. -Develop a work ethic and professional demeanor. -Assist in day to day operations and other tasks. -Develop professional contacts and gain maximum knowledge from different departments. TRAINING On 20th June, 2018, I was called for an interview with the HR head, Ms. Suchita Aishwarya. The day was very important for me as I had a golden opportunity and I knew that I would have to give my best. It was 11 a.m. by the clock and I reached the office on time. To my amaze, the office was huge and beyond expectations. Situated in the busy city of Gurugram, I was confident that I would get to work with professionals and enhance my business acumen and skills. Within some time, my interview was taken, and I was instructed to wait for the final selection decision. I was informed that I had been selected and would have to begin the work the same day. I was excited to work in such an amazing workplace. After being introduced to the business head and my mentor, Ms. Viji Mishra, she welcomed me to the team and assigned me a task. The journey ahead seemed to be challenging, but one that would surely be interesting and prove to be a fruitful learning experience. PROJECT 1: Managing Product Catalogue for Paul Smith My first task was to design product brochures for Paul Smith and manage the catalogue. Paul Smith is a British label that has always stood apart with the principle of “classic with a twist”. I was given Autumn-Winter’18 order file containing almost 1500 products with all the details ranging from the product description to style barcodes for the product, etc. While my job was to attach product images by searching the product code on Paul Smith’s website, I was able to find only a few as they were not yet uploaded on the website. Simultaneously, my mentor emailed a set of files which contained images of most of the products. The same day, my mentor was travelling abroad for a week. Terrified I was as it was my first day, but, I knew that I had work and that my mentor would always be available over phone and I could contact her in case I had any query. I was delighted to work on this project. I finished inserting quite a lot of images in a span of three days and the next task was to insert available stock quantities for its two stores in Delhi and Mumbai. It was difficult to communicate with my mentor, but she was kind enough to send me the email of one of her team members who would send me the excel stock file. Using my excel knowledge, I successfully inserted the quantities in the columns. I checked and rechecked the file to ensure that there was no error. While this was something, I did in the absence of my mentor, I realized that nothing is impossible if we do it with dedication and follow the right approach. PROJECT 2: Retail Operations at Luxe Bridge The next project was one of the most interesting tasks one could do in an internship. With the opportunity of working full time in an office, I was also exposed to the operations of a retail store. On 27th June, 2018, I was instructed by my mentor to visit the retail store of Luxe Bridge located at Ambience Mall, Gurugram. The experience of working at the retail store was something that I had never had before. Guided by optimistic co-workers, I was able to understand the nuances of dealing with customers and their desires. Working at a luxury handbags and accessories store and offering women with what they wanted to purchase was not easy but gradually, I learnt how to tackle different customers. I also learnt that the key to selling luxury items is the emphasis on exclusivity, presentation and attention to enrich the perception of the product in the eyes of the customers. PROJECT 3: Designing Uniforms for Luxe Bridge Store Employees Luxe Bridge is a well-known brand for many women. A store employee selling luxurious items is required to be presentable at all times. The next task during my internship was to design uniform for the both men and women employees. I made a presentation containing various styles and designs. For women, the uniform was formal dresses, formal shirts, skirts and trousers and elegant scarfs around their necks, while, for men, I decided on keeping some formal shirts and trousers, cardigans, and mandarin collar smart jackets. This was something that really helped me discover my interests. I choose the best outfits for both men and women by browsing sites and compiled it into a presentation. My mentor appreciated my work and selected quite a lot of styles from the same, while, rejecting some too. During this, I interacted with the procurement manager who lined up meetings with some uniform vendors. While, my mentor used to be extremely busy and could meet only about one or two vendors initially, she showed confidence in me and instructed me to take up meetings with the remaining vendors all by myself. She also pushed me to take up this work as something that I would do for my own business and not just a mere internship task. I interacted with five more vendors and explained them our needs according to the presentation. They often carried apparel samples and fabrics with them. With the little knowledge that I gained during the initial meetings, I selected fabrics and colors similar to what my mentor wanted and what was in the presentation. The meetings were challenging, yet successful, and we received price quotations from some vendors. I compared the quotations sent by the vendors to ensure that we get the best quality and the best prices. I was glad that I could make such an immense contribution to designing uniforms for a brand like Luxe Bridge. PROJECT 4: Designing Handbook for Luxe Bridge Brands In the last two weeks of my internship, I designed an internal handbook for Luxe Bridge while carrying out some other daily routine operations and follow-ups with the uniform vendors. The internal handbook was a training guide for new employees to make them aware of the company and its brands. Luxe Bridge is a collection of more than ten brands: Coach, Cavalli Class, Michael Kors, Coccinelle, Furla, Kate Spade, March Jacobs, and many more. Initially, when I was told that I was required to design the manual, I was not sure if I would be able to match the expectations of my mentor, but I took it as a challenge. It took me about two weeks to design the handbook for so many brands as it involved a lot of changes. While designing the handbook, I discovered a flare for designing and became much more interested to do even better each day. My mentor also introduced me to the marketing head, Ms. Misbah Hussain to guide me for this work. She took out time from her busy schedule and helped me design it by paying attention to every aspect carefully and tell my mistakes. My work was appreciated by a lot of people. Apart from keeping it as a manual for the new employees, the handbook was appreciated and, it was decided that it would also be kept in the Luxe Bridge stores for customers and other guests. This gave me a new confidence and zeal to work harder in life and achieve new heights. KEY LEARNINGS An internship is just the first rung on the ladder to a great career. But it is also the perfect place to hone your skills and learn about different fields. This internship taught me to look at the realworld perspective with a broad spectrum and not restrict myself to just one project or one field. It allowed me to build a strong relationship with my mentor, meet professional people, perfect my time management skills, improve my communication, and explore more about my future career goals. It is often said, “Remember that internship is an opportunity to see what’s happening in the field, regardless of what’s being taught in your courses, one wants the hands-on experience.” I believe this was a perfect start to navigating the business world through practical exposure and make the most of the opportunity. With each task that was assigned to me, I was able to learn something new each day and work on my strengths and weaknesses. This internship taught me much more than I could have expected to learn. With the diverse tasks, I was able to discover my skills and realized that nothing is impossible with sincere dedication and hard work. This also helped me boost my confidence of interacting with new people everyday and working with them. CHALLENGES While I faced difficulties in the beginning, I knew that I would gain a valuable experience and felt motivated to explore a new day and take up new challenges. I believe that we grow when we encounter difficulties and hence emerge stronger. During my internship, I faced a lot of challenges. One of the main challenges I faced was during the meetings with the uniform vendors. Selecting the best quality fabrics was initially difficult since I had very little but I got the flare of it later. Retail operations at Luxe Bridge posed a few challenges in terms of dealing with the needs of the women customers but gradually I learnt the hard way what it takes to be working in a store. Unaware of the description of the products, I took some time to learn about the products and understand the need of the customers. Apart from this, I faced some other challenges but learnt how to overcome them with each day. CONCLUSION It was a great experience working at Genesis Luxury Fashion Pvt. Ltd. I was given full attention and guidance throughout the tenure of my internship. It helped me in building my confidence both at personal and professional front. During my internship, I learnt how to overcome difficult situations and challenges that came along every day. I explored new possibilities with regard to my potential and interests as I rode the path. My experience of interacting with professionals from different departments and fellow interns everyday has given me a lot of exposure and helped me grow as a person. I have learnt that this is just the beginning of my journey to becoming a successful entrepreneur and that I have a long way to go. ACKNOWLEDGEMENT I would like to take the opportunity to thank my project mentor, Ms. Viji Mishra for her continuous supervision, support and guidance throughout the tenure of my project despite her busy schedule. She shared her experience which proved to be very useful for me. Discussions with her always encouraged and motivated me to work out of my comfort zone and deliver results. Her knowledge and teachings helped me in handling the project, dealing with different situations and understanding the objective of my work better. I would also like to thank the marketing head, Ms. Misbah Hussain for her complete dedication & support and helping me in carrying out the project successfully. I would also like to thank Ms. Suchita Aishwarya for giving me the opportunity to intern with Genesis Luxury Fashion Pvt. Ltd.