I did an internship at the fashion label Quantize. I have been working there for almost four weeks from the July 3rd to July 29th, two or three times a week.
The Quantize studio is located in Ropponmatsu in an ordinary mansion building. The studio itself is also just like an appartment, therefore it has a very nice working atmosphere. Quantize is an international fashion label managed by Kiharu Kawano and the designer Nobuko Nakamura who gives the ideas for all creations of the studio. Together with their employees they create custom-made clothes, for example stage outfits for singers and also bridal dresses. The customers are mainly Japanese but the from time to time Quantize also organizes fashion shows abroad.
As an intern I worked as a member of the sewing team and had the opportunity to learn a lot about sewing techniques, as I had hoped I would. Working with patterns I made a sample dress which helps to bring the fit of the actual dress to perfection. I was also assigned the task to make a pattern for a cushion made out of a former bridal dress. In addition to working in the studio I wrote about my participation in sewing on Mrs. Kawano’s blog in English and Japanese, which was a good language training. So I can say I have learnt much about sewing and also a little bit about dealing with customers here in Japan. I’m looking forward to benefitting from this experience at my working place at home.
The whole team consists of only six people and everybody is very nice. It actually feels like working with friends. We always had teatime together and even went out bowling once. The three main skills an intern at Quantize should have are friendliness as the customers often come directly to the studio, fast learning and logical thinking, that is if you want to take part in the sewing process.
Unfortunately my internship was way too short. One month simply isn’t enough time to fully experience the work at Quantize. For example I didn’t have the opportunity to see a fashion show or shooting organized by the label because there was no such event scheduled during the short period I was there. So if you think about working at Quantize plan to stay for at least three months.
http://www.japanese-school-asahi.com/
