As I reflected on this project, I came to the conclusion that my essential question was perfectly phrased and also perfectly answered through the experiences I gained during the course of this project.  My essential question asked,” How are clothing companies incorporating social responsibility, and how can we infuse the business with social justice?” My question was answered in multiple parts.  

The answer to this question lies partly in the fact that companies are changing our habits as consumers by engaging with charities via collaborations, hiring young innovators to drive change and awareness, as well as by adding new ideas to the mix of Traditional Values. La Ligne is focusing on creating different programs in order to cut their waste and find new ways to balance art, business, and social justice without compromising any of these values. I not only met my expectations and goals set for this project but exceeded what I initially thought I would gain from this process. Additionally I think that my guiding question for the project perfectly framed the progression of my internship, and even became a very accessible and helpful way to explain the work that interested me during the internship. I learned the inner workings of a company whether it be in design, social responsibility, social media, or production. I was able to work closely with those who lead the company and understand what it takes to be a leader and what it takes to get a job done. I worked under three incredibly strong independent women, two of which worked at Vogue during the 90’s. I learned more about how to be a woman in business and how you create a healthy balance between social responsibility and profit. 

This internship vailided my Senior project’s initial question. I was able to understand further that corporate social responsibility is not kept within one special department but is a mindset shared by every gear in a company. I have a better understanding of the intersection of these practices. I also have a better understanding of the differences between making social change for cosmetic reasons vs authentic reasons. La Ligne was ethustatic to make any changes that could positively impact their contribution to the fashion community. A conversation that came up frequently was, how can a company that is making a product also try to not be wasteful as the true way to mitigate waste would be to not create the product in the first place. With this in mind, they made choices in order to impact the world in the most positive way they could. Whether it be through working with charities, at home labor practices, creating clothing out of old fabric or upcycling band tees. I pray that more companies also adopt these practices. Even though I was just subjected to one, I have more hope that sustainability will become less of an afterthought and more of a best practice. This company was absolutely amazing to work with, and if the word sustainable was in any division, they made it possible for me to listen and learn from whoever was talking. They asked me to consult on aspects of social responsibility and created a place where we could learn from one another. I pitched ideas every week and was asked to follow up on those projects. I accidentally slipped into Re-Ligne and found myself so emerged in their work as well as the steps needed to be taken under that job. I am thankful for this opportunity to work for them, and I hope to do more work with them again in the future. 

Difficult aspects of my project: brainstorming ideas to pitch to co-founders. Also I found it difficult sometimes to know how to properly do tasks in the design department since I had never been to design school. To combat these struggles, I found core people who were more than willing to teach me these tasks as well as organize my time properly. Instead of always asking for help, I researched topics brought up in conversations and made sure to come to meetings with knowledge that I had taken the initiative to learn. By taking initiative and organizing my time, I was able to lead projects that interested me. Re-Ligne is one of those projects. The Re-Ligne initiative was created last year and stands as a peer-to-peer marketplace for old or used La-Ligne products. Not only does it limit the amount of La Ligne garments disposed of in landfills but it also lets preloved La Ligne products find a new home.  There is also an incentive to use Re-Ligne, as every seller receives a store discount when their piece is purchased. My job was to put aside garments that are stuck sitting in warehouses due to small, very fixable malfunctions in the production.  I spent my time going through these boxes of “damaged”  garments and fixing them in order for them to be resold on Re-ligne and find a home. This project became my main focus and most enjoyable aspect of this internship.  Although it was incredibly fun, there were also many steps.  I had to first go through the factory boxes, find products I could fix, fix them, find the prices and names, list the clothing, steam them, and then finally send them on their way. By the time I was done with my internship I had successfully listed over 100 products on Re-ligne. This was by far one of the most rewarding aspects of the internship and one of the most rewarding moments of my working life.  

Overall I’m so thankful for this opportunity to work for an amazing and interesting company while also being able to explore some of my interests.