Trainee Designer Review

Trainee Designer for Girlswear - My role included being a general design support within the team which involved tidying up Pantone books, developing prints and graphics to be used on tees and other items of clothing, monthly trend reports, and thorough research to stay on top of trends and support range building through the seasons.

I was given a huge amount of responsibility, including being responsible for the entire girls swimwear range for SS27. I also presented to the leadership team at Primark on multiple occasions, showcasing trends I had developed myself. I went to meetings with buyers to discuss the girls range and was responsible for researching current trends and making packs to keep the entire department informed.

I have learnt more in this placement year than in my whole life combined. There really is nothing like this placement to teach you about the realities of working within fashion, and just within an office environment of a large company in general. My skills developed in communication and talking to people both higher up and on my level professionally, how to find opportunities for yourself and stand out, how to be as commercially minded as possible and design for a customer as opposed to for yourself, as well as smaller things like Adobe Illustrator and Photoshop.

There is a small team of people at Primark who are responsible for managing the placement students. They are always on hand to offer support, go for a coffee, and ensure you are managing okay. They also helped with finding accommodation, paying a quarter of your rent for you (!), giving you a relocation allowance, and hosting team building workshops so you can develop friendships with your peers.
My line manager was always on hand to answer my questions and go for a chat if I needed.

On a positive note, the company provides a gym with with as many different classes as you like for 10€ a month, as well as incredible lunch options for €3 a portion. It costs €1 for a barista made coffee and there are plenty of internal company events like a swap shop, sample sales, talks from interesting people about fashion / the industry, and work parties.
On the other hand, it did often feel like quite a hostile, 'dog-eat-dog' environment. I always operate with kindness and openness and it very much felt like you had to push to be accepted here. There is no one really looking out for you, and it's an extra amount of work to prove yourself and go further.

I did really enjoy it. All of the placement students live together, and we get to enjoy Dublin on weekends and evenings. Dublin is a really fantastic city with incredible culture, the Irish are so so kind and always good craic! It's also a huge support being part of a placement cohort with around 30 people, so I never felt like I was in it alone.
I will carry the lessons I learnt here for life, and truly feel that I am at a massive advantage applying for jobs coming out of uni. I honestly would return as well if offered a job (which they often do offer at the end of the placement)

Yes