Name: Paige Palleva

Position: Product Development and Supply Chain Analytics

Industry: Apparel &  Fashion

Graduate Degree: 4+1 Accelerated MBA

Company: Reformation

Year: 2020

What excites you about this company & job? 

I work in a small department consisting of about 10 people, so my role is constantly changing and expanding. I love getting to wear a lot of different hats and learn about all aspects of the business. I’ve been with the denim department since its inception in 2017, when I was an intern, so it’s been exciting for me to grow along with it. I also love that Reformation stands for sustainability and their values are evident in each aspect of their practices.

How did you strategize landing your internship-turned-job? 

I initially began interning at Ref during my sophomore year of undergrad (my boss from a prior internship in fashion recruited me). I’ve worked my way up over the years and leveraged the skills I’ve gained from my MBA to expand into a full time position.

What career advice & tips do you have for those looking for an internship or job in this market?

In 2017 when I was offered an internship at Ref, I was a full time student, working in retail almost full time, and doing an unpaid internship at a different clothing company – it was exhausting but those tireless semesters paid off! So as cliche as it may sound, I’d say a lot of hard work and networking are essential in the fashion industry. And then in order to grow my role post-grad, I had to again put in a lot of long hours, but also be confident in my abilities and communicate to upper management all the transferable skills I bring to the table – even though my degree isn’t in fashion, I utilize information I’ve gained in MBA courses on a daily basis at work.