Urban Outfitters Internship Project
Palm Springs Inspired Garment Development Project
Visual Merchandising Projects
The project below was inspired by Palm Springs and was an extension of the Garment Development Project. Every detail of the store attempts to capture the feel of the city. There is certain emphasis on the modern aspects of Palm Springs that are similar to retail stores one may see on Palm Canyon Drive, a popular shopping destination in the town. I utilized pops of color against a neutral color palette. The merchandise fixtures and units also maintain the modern aesthetic.
Marketing + Promotional Projects
I worked with two other individuals to create a promotional campaign for Levi Strauss & Co. The campaign was named #LeviLovesAll. The goal of the campaign was to promote inclusivity and uniqueness. We saw an urgent need for brands to begin to cater to minorities, otherwise we felt the brand risked becoming less relevant, because minority populations are growing in America. Over the years, Levi Struass & Co. has lost touch with its image, becoming undifferentiated. It is known for its high-quality denim and being America’s denim brand, but has never captured a specific target market, which is becoming more essential in the digital age.
The campaign strived to revive the brand by creating a campaign that promoted freedom of expression and embracing differences, and it focused on minority groups. It was a concentrated marketing plan focusing on both demographic and psychographic segmentation. More specifically, it focused on men and women ages 15-25, who come from many different cultural backgrounds. Additionally, these people are also heavy social media users, so the campaign will focus on viral marketing.
During the winter of 2020, I was granted the opportunity to work with the Urban Outfitters team in Minneapolis, Minnesota. Due to the pandemic, the nature of my internship was slightly unconventional, but I feel I was able to learn so much during my time there. Urban Outfitters is owned by URBN Inc, a multinational retail company that operates in many different regions in the word. Their headquarters are in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. They own Free People, Urban Outfitters, Anthropologie, Nuuly and BHLDN. They operate both brick and mortar stores and online. Dick Hayne started URBN back in 1976. They wanted to create a “casual cool” environment, where college students would want to hangout. From my experience at Urban, I would say the initial goal of Urban has stayed intact with their brand, which has been a key source of their success. As previously mentioned, I worked at the Minneapolis, Minnesota location.During my time there, I was taught many different tasks, met a ton of unique people, and I learned so much about Urban’s culture.
The project included in this portfolio below is a more in-depth analysis of the company. I researched their major competitors, as well as their internal strengths and weaknesses. I also analyzed trends for the coming Spring/Summer 2023, synthesizing these trends with the brand image of Urban Outfitters. Unfortunately, I didn’t take any pictures during my time at Urban, so I couldn’t include these in my portfolio. However, the experiences I shared with the team, as well as all of the different skills and knowledge I acquired during my time there, was unforgettable. I am so thankful I was granted this opportunity and able to expand my knowledge within the retail industry.
More details on this experience can be found on my blog!
I challenged myself to create garments that conveyed the essence of Palm Springs, California. Away from the bustling coastal cities, it is a modern, mid-century paradise nestled in the desert of Southern California. The dry heat, towering palms, and mountain vistas have been treasured by Californians for decades. The oasis is only a short commute away from city chaos into hot tranquility. It is an escape often described as going back in time, retro glam meets modern architecture.
This project exemplifies my ability to utilize Adobe programs including Photoshop, Illustrator, and Lightroom. These programs assisted me in developing digital fabrications, technical sketches, as well as aesthetic embellishments to reinforce the theme. To make the project more applicable to a real life scenario, the project was developed with a target market in mind. Small details, such as a launch party invite and a cost sheet, were also created for this reason. The cost sheet was a product of Microsoft Excel.
My admiration for this town was applied throughout the entirety of this project. Devotion to the theme, as well as my comfort using these programs, is exemplified in this garment development process. The project can be found in the slideshow to the left. The project was developed in progression, which is represented by the order of the slideshow.
While I was a sales associate at Nordstrom, I would often re-merchandise the department when the store was slow. I arranged the merchandise in a way that colors and styles could be paired together. This way, customers can walk into the shop and get inspiration.
This was the merchandise in the Free People shop transitioning into the fall season. I worked with neutrals, prints, and plaids. Because Nordstrom’s assortment in this shop was mostly tops, I coordinated the area mostly by color and coordination. Leopard was a big trend for the fall, so I wanted to display that product in the front of the shop on the hard isle. The entirety of the shop includes an L-unit, which creates a perimeter for shop. I grouped product by color, but I also made sure each fixture displayed trend pieces that were complimented with staple merchandise. I also tended to put trend pieces face out on the fixtures to catch customers attention.
I worked with a group of individuals to study Puma’s Omnichannel retail strategy. This project below details our findings, which lead to the development of a strategy for Puma to maintain relevance and increase market share. Our final presentation and writings are included below.
