Several internships led Kristin Matoba, a student at Mesa College, San Diego, to an exciting new career path in fashion design

What internship opportunities have you experienced?
Thankfully, my different colleges encouraged internships to guide career decisions.  The mandatory completion of real world opportunities enlightened and inspired my future career choice.

When I was photography major I acquired an internship at Aaron Chang Studios.  Aaron Chang is a successful surf photographer who also develops a line of clothing specializing in photography rendered onto fabrics.  I quickly realized the difficulties of this industry.   If the film was under or over exposed, an entire day of work could be ruined.  I could not imagine myself tolerating the daily risks of photography.

I realized that my childhood passion of fashion was still an interest to me, so I decided to change my major to fashion design.  An internship was a mandatory requirement.

Tell me about your internship in fashion.
Currently, I am interning at an independent San Diego clothing boutique, where I obtained the opportunity to be the manager and buyer of the store.  It has been wonderful to be exposed to all facets of the clothing business, even though I hope to be a fashion designer.  However, I learned that it was important for a clothing designer to first understand the business side of fashion.

What were some of your achievements, during the internship?
My managerial role taught me to always be aware of finances.  I was allotted a monthly budget to buy new items for the store.  The budget revealed several vendors that were not subtracting credits to new invoices.  I had to develop new procedures with the accounting department for shipments.  As a buyer, the entire stocks of my three fashion lines were sold out.

How did the business side of fashion teach you about design?
I had the opportunity to observe the real world consumer.  It was important to know what styles were popular, what colors were favored, and what price points would sell an item.

When making purchases for the store as a buyer, I have learned it is necessary to take into consideration the fabric quality, the style details, the climate where the clothing was sold, and whether the clothing would realistically sell.  I learned what fashions were marketable and the value of quality in products.  These are all things that a designer needs to take into consideration.

For more information, contact Kristin Matoba
kristinmatoba@hotmail.com