As we all know, Rachel Green of Friends was one of the most iconic fashion girlies in the 90s and early 2000s. One of her first jobs in the fashion industry was an Assistant Buyer at Bloomingdales before becoming a buyer at Ralph Lauren. Being a buyer was all the rage in the fashion industry in the 90s, and I decided to try it out.
This summer I interned at Burlington as an assistant buyer intern. Similarly to Rachel, I got the job by networking. I was at an event earlier this year for my scholarship organization, Fashion Scholarship Fund, where I had the opportunity to be in a room with fashion professionals (and yes, Anna Wintour and Martha Stewart were there). While at the event I met the Chief Merchandising Officer at Burlington by complimenting her daughter’s dress which led to her introducing me to her coworkers. From there I went through the recruiting and interview process and got the job!
I was really unsure what I would be doing as a buying intern but I crossed my fingers and hoped that I would have a Rachel Green summer, New Jersey edition. During my internship I shadowed a team in the home department and followed the role of an Assistant Buyer. I would format and analyze financial reports, attend vendor meetings, workshop new product ideas, write purchase orders and foster vendor relationships.
I expected my experience to be full of stress like all the fashion movies I watched growing up, but my internship was the exact opposite. I had an amazing time with my team, fellow interns, and vendors. Everyone was very welcoming and mistakes were seen as learning opportunities, not the end of your employment.
I can honestly say that doing Rachel Green’s job for a summer really helped me grow as a person. At the beginning of the summer I felt shy in meetings because I was the youngest and most inexperienced person in the room. By August I was able to speak confidently in a room full of new vendors and people from different teams within Burlington. I learned so much about fashion and what it means to work in corporate America.
My favorite part of the internship was when we would go to New York City for meetings. We would wander around Manhattan going to vendor appointments where we would look at new products to bring into our assortment. I got to look at the most random neon lights and it was a blast. I was able to bring a Gen Z perspective to my team and suggest new products based on current trends and what my peers’ buying habits are.
My internship experience goes to show that life really is what you make it. You can have life experiences that you expect to be little things but they could completely change how you view yourself and your future. I have gained so much confidence in my abilities over the course of a few months that I value more than anything. Imposter syndrome has been a struggle for me since starting college, but now I feel like I can be a successful woman in fashion.
Take it from me: Rachel Green had a pretty cool job. You should try it out, even if it’s just for a summer.