One of the many exciting opportunities for students in the Department of Design and Merchandising at Colorado State University is participating in summer internships worldwide, some of which even take them to Paris, revered by many as the fashion capital of the world.
As an intern at Chaussettes Orphelines, a fashion brand created by designer Márcia De Carvalho centered around recycling textile waste into artistic creations, Natalie Valdes spent her summer learning the ropes of fashion promotion with the marketing and communications team, and in the latter portion of her internship refined her skills in sewing.
Valdes, a senior studying apparel and merchandising, has been working to make her life-long passion for fashion design a career.
“Do you remember in kindergarten when your teacher would ask ‘what do you want to be when you grow up,’ and everyone said a teacher or a doctor,” Valdes said. “I said I want to be a fashion designer and now I am making that come true.”
Hailing from Castle Rock, Colorado, Valdes had been attracted to CSU since she was a freshman in high school. “I visited the school once or twice for different school events and I fell in love with it,” said Valdes. “My mom also went to CSU and I wanted to follow in her legacy, so I did.”
Experience in France
Valdes spent nearly two months in Paris, experiencing French culture while learning to hone her apparel design skills. Prior to Valdes’ work with Chaussettes Orphelines, she spent four weeks with Cultural Experiences Abroad in a study program that allowed her to study Haute Couture, something Valdes notes as “quite magnificent.”
“I was able to learn so much from my wonderful professor with her past and current experience within the fashion industry and went on excursions to the Dior Museum as well as the Palais Galliera Museum in Paris for the Big Bang exhibition,” Valdes said. “This class gave me a taste of what the industry is really like and brought me back to my original inspiration and desire for becoming a designer myself.”
Chaussettes Orphelines has a large focus on sustainable fashion, primarily in the reuse of sock materials and other recycled textiles, repurposing these materials into new garments and items, a valuable aspect students in design and merchandising learn in their time at CSU.
One of Valdes’ duties is working with the media and communications team, responsible for managing the brand’s social media platforms, promoting designs created by the team. Her other duties, taking up the second half of her internship, are working as a sewing intern, helping the seamstresses create clothes with recycled textiles, including collections that will be promoted in the brand’s upcoming spring fashion show in 2024.
“With the remainder of the weeks to come I know I will experience ‘my favorite’ part of my internship. I still have a lot to learn, and I still have time to continue to dive into my work. I believe this will happen because I will start to be doing work within the field that I am passionate about and determined to work hard in,” Valdes said.
Personal Growth found beyond fashion design
Valdes notes that she has blossomed both personally and professionally through her internship. Despite the challenges associated with adjusting to her new routine overseas, Valdes has learned to thrive in the fashion industry and be her own best advocate – bringing her one step closer to fulfilling her goal of becoming a fashion designer.
“Natalie complete her required 12-credit internship at Target Corporation in Summer 2022,” noted Joan Anderson, internship coordinator for the Department of Design and Merchandising. “International internships like hers in Paris are unique and may not fulfill degree requirements, but certainly enhance experiential learning for our students.”
“I applaud Natalie’s efforts to augment her degree program and build her skills and connections through CSU’s Education Abroad opportunity,” said Kendra Allen, Valdes’ adviser. “Through her initiative and drive, she charted her own course to build her skills and network.”
“Advocating for myself is an important skill that I’ll always carry with me through life and my future career. If something does not feel right or seem right and you know you should be doing more than you are already, stand up for yourself and for what you believe in,” Valdes said.
Alongside adapting to the culture, Valdes has earned first-hand experience in learning how to work around a language barrier and building relationships with her colleagues.
“Building relationships within the work field has been a challenge, especially with a language and cultural barrier. However, having a background in identifying how others talk to one another and their body language has helped me work well with the other interns as well as employees at the organization,” Valdes said.
Throughout her stay in Paris, Valdes has experienced an opportunity that “not many people can say that they have had,” and through her hard work and diligence, has been able to come closer to her dream.
“I have been able to step out of my comfort zone to push for what I want and to gain experience within the industry that will be beneficial for my career in the future,” Valdes said.
The Department of Design and Merchandising is a part of CSU’s College of Health and Human Sciences.
