CWC Year 2 Fellow Nandi
Over the summer, CWC Fellow Nandi completed a buying internship at Ross Corporate in the Juniors department. As a Licensed Assistant Buying Intern, Nandi gained hands-on experience in retail buying, including sales analysis, vendor relationships, and fashion product development. This is Nandi’s second internship with CWC’s support; in 2024, she interned at R&CPMK as an Influencer Marketing/Talent Gifting Intern.
Throughout the internship, she analyzed weekly sales for licensed Juniors merchandise, researched product assortments, and explored ways to respond to changing consumer trends. The experience also provided opportunities to participate in vendor meetings, contribute ideas to clothing designs, and develop negotiation skills.
A highlight for her was completing a final project focused on identifying an opportunity within the Juniors licensed apparel assortment. Drawing inspiration from the growing popularity of collectible toys, Nandi proposed a potential licensing partnership for Ross with Tokidoki. While presenting the idea, she brought a physical T-shirt mockup she created to help bring the concept to life.
Below, Nandi shares more about the experience at Ross and how it helped expand an understanding of the fashion industry.
Nandi with the other summer 2026 Ross Corporate interns.
Where did you intern, and what was your role?
My internship job title was a License Assistant Buying Intern in the Juniors department for Ross corporate. My job entailed analyzing the Juniors License sales/business weekly and learning how to evolve the assortment by in person and online research. Another important part of the job was learning how to build relationships with vendors, give my opinions on designs, and learning negotiation skills.
What are some of the biggest things you learned?
During the internship, I learned the importance of negotiating and building relationships with vendors as a buyer, constantly analyzing your business with your team, thinking of ways to improve your assortment, and learning how and when to pivot when running into unexpected issues.
What was your favorite part of the experience?
My favorite part of the experience was the vendor meeting exposure. I enjoyed meeting the teams of the people who work with my buyer to make the clothing and being a part of the conversation. I've met designers, illustrators, and owners of the business. I loved being able to give my opinions on designs and fabrics.
Some of Nandi’s welcome supplies.
Views from Nandi’s internship building.
Is there a project or accomplishment you’re especially proud of?
I'm proud of my final project! We were tasked with analyzing and finding a white space in our buyers' assortment/business and proposing an idea that would support it. My position was within licensed junior clothing. I expanded on the idea of "toy" collectibles becoming a wearable fashion trend, and for my buyer to work on acquiring a licensing deal with the brand Tokidoki. I created physical mock t-shirts of what I'd want them to look like and brought them to the presentation. It was a fun and rewarding project!
How did this internship influence what you want to do next?
I really enjoyed my internship experience and am so grateful for everything I was able to learn along the way. The training, guidance, and hands-on experience gave me a better understanding of the industry and helped me grow both personally and professionally. The experience exceeded my expectations, and I’m thankful for the opportunity to learn from the people around me. Moving forward, I’m excited to keep exploring different opportunities within the industry and see where my interests take me while continuing to build on the skills and experience I gained from this internship.
Nandi with the other summer 2026 Ross Corporate interns.
Nandi's internship at Ross gave her a closer look at the business decisions behind fashion retail. From analyzing sales performance to contributing ideas during vendor meetings, this experience demonstrated how creativity and analytical thinking work together in the buying process.
At Creatives Want Change, we help Fellows access opportunities that introduce them to different career paths within the fashion industry. Experiences like Nandi's provide valuable professional exposure and opportunities to develop skills that extend beyond the classroom.
This summer at Ross provided Nandi with a stronger understanding of the industry and gave her the confidence to continue exploring where those experiences and interests might lead.
