Our Summer Apprenticeship Program is in full swing and I'm reminded yet again why I love having this program at P&C. While it's a ten week, hands on learning experience that I facilitate, it's really becoming an amazing opportunity for me to be inspired by new ideas and to be able to see Purse & Clutch through fresh eyes.
This session we have two wonderfully International Apprentices - Jacquiley who you will meet today who is in Austin for the program and Kimberly who Skypes in from Luxembourg who you will meet next week.
Name: Jacquiley Wong
Age: 20
School: University of Pennsylvania
Major: Economics
Graduation Date: May 2017
Where were you born and where do you call home?
Melbourne, Australia, for both.
What are your plans after you graduate?
As of now, I don't have any plans! I'm hoping to figure that out over the next two years.
Who are some of your fashion icons?
That's a hard one because I don't think that I pay a huge amount of attention to celebrities, but I guess I'd say Kate Middleton and Elle Fanning because I admire their styles.
Why are you interested in Fair Trade Fashion?
I'm interested in learning more about how Fair Trade can become a bigger part of fashion, so that people aren't choosing between style and ethical purchases, but rather getting both. I also think that it is important for brands to be transparent about where our clothes, shoes, and accessories come from and what the impacts of consumption are. I think that if this kind of information were more easily available, shoppers would make purchase decisions differently.
What countries have you visited? Which was your favorite and why?
In addition to the USA, I've visited China, Singapore, Malaysia, the UK, France, Spain, Italy, Belgium, and Germany. It's hard to pick a favourite, because there was something different that I loved about each of them! If I had to pick though, it would be Italy, because the food is AMAZING (I'm getting hungry just thinking about the pasta and gelato), and both the cities and the countryside are beautiful, which so much rich history.
What have you enjoyed most about the at P&C Apprenticeship so far?
Learning about the different ways that Fair Trade businesses impact artisan communities, and about the general process that is involved in running P&C. Putting together our own collections was also really fun!
Be on the look out for Jacquiley's final project in July!