CWC Year Fellow Taylor Interns at Shopbop
CWC Year 2 Fellow Taylor
This summer, CWC Fellow Taylor Stevens completed a buying internship at Shopbop in New York City. As a Buying Intern, Taylor gained hands-on experience with the business side of fashion, learning how product selection and data influence what customers see and buy online.
During the 10-week internship, Taylor explored the role buying plays in shaping a retailer's product assortment and overall business performance. The experience also provided opportunities to connect with professionals across the company and learn how different departments contribute to Shopbop's success.
One of her highlights was developing a final project focused on Shopbop's gifting category. Using sell-through data and other performance metrics, Taylor analyzed the category and presented recommendations for improving the Shopbop Gifting List.
Below, Taylor shares more about the summer at Shopbop and how the experience strengthened an interest in the fashion industry.
Taylors desk at Shopbop
What were some of your main responsibilities or projects?
I have a final project analyzing the gifting category at Shopbop and making suggestions based on sell throughs and other metrics to support my recommendations. Additionally I was using skills, like excel, that I had gained proficiency over the 10 weeks to create a polished end result.
What are some of the biggest things you learned?
I learned how tech oriented the fashion industry has become and how technical I need to be to fare well in the industry. I needed to learn how to leverage AI and I got to the point where I understood the code needed to create a mail merge for Shopbop through Excel. Definitely something I was proud of myself for figuring out.
Taylor during her internship
Taylor during her internship
What was your favorite part of the experience?
My favorite part was going to market and seeing the new products that we would potentially have on the website! Also I loved having 1 on 1 opportunity with staff in the entire company, getting exposure to all the different areas, like marketing, merchandising, planning, and so on!
Is there a project or accomplishment you're especially proud of?
The creation of the mail merge that I coded and my final project that showcased the recommendations for the Shopbop Gifting List that I presented without a script or notes to reference.
How did this internship influence what you want to do next?
The internship has shaped my perspective on the buying field and its importance in shaping almost every aspect of the company image and profits on one of the grandest scales. Also I have always loved mathematics and I feel like the love is fostered in this industry in a format I didn't know was possible. The exposure I was granted through this opportunity solidified my desire to be in the industry (however I always wanted to be in the industry)!
Taylor's summer at Shopbop provided a closer look at how fashion buying combines creativity with analytical thinking. The internship showed Taylor how an interest in mathematics can translate into a career in fashion.
Taylor with other ShopBop Interns
At Creatives Want Change, we help Fellows access opportunities that introduce them to different career paths within the fashion industry. Experiences like Taylor's allow Fellows to develop professional skills and gain a better understanding of how their interests can shape their futures.
For Taylor, the internship reinforced an existing passion for fashion while opening up new possibilities in buying and merchandising.
