It seems like just yesterday I was in the OBEY Clothing Company’s warehouse packing t-shirts to be shipped to various accounts such as Karmaloop and Urban Outfitters. It sounds like working in a warehouse during a summer off from college would be a bad thing, but when it’s Southern California any job is welcoming.
I have to say this is the best internship I’ve ever had. I’ve worked in various areas of the apparel industry with larger corporations and smaller brands, but none of them have had the type of family environment that this one has. I have been following OBEY since my sophomore year in high school with the dream that I would work with them one day. I even completed a Brand Management project on OBEY during my sophomore year in college at NCSU’s College of Textiles. So to Mary, Tom, Danny, Ashley and all the guys in the warehouse, I thank you for the amazing opportunity.
When I first arrived I was placed in the visual marketing department where I would arrange different samples produced that would later become the items used in a showroom for buyers. The team in visuals is a small group of guys that I clicked with immediately. It felt like I was just hanging out with friends which made working more rewarding. The marketing team and I would then pick the best samples from the upcoming season and create a showroom for buyers depending on which account was visiting. OBEY seemed to know their accounts well and which garments they would find more attractive than others. In my case the accounts I prepared for were Karmaloop and Urban Outfitters.
I also helped assemble and paint over wooden displays that were used as visual
After working in marketing for a few weeks I had begun to look for a job. My internship was unpaid and I flew to California from North Carolina with no source of income. I was not going to let money stand in the way of completing my dream internship. I was fortunate to be offered a job at OBEY’s warehouse in the shipping department. During my time in the warehouse I worked in shipping during the week and the company’s bi-annual sample sale. My main responsibilities were receiving orders and filling them for all of their vendors across the world. These orders would then be packaged and shipped to the proper retail store, boutique or online account the next day.
I learned so much working for OBEY and being in California that summer that I will take with me as a I journey through the rest of my career. Not only did I learn the power of visual marketing but I also learned how important it is to work in an environment that you enjoy. The team at OBEY love their job and it shows through their work.
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