Q: Can you tell us a little bit about yourself?
A: 네, 저는 신민지라고 합니다. 현재 22살이고, 프랑스에 있는 듀페레 패션 학교 2학년을 마치고 2000Archives에서 인턴으로 일하고 있어요. 패션에 대한 열정 하나로 여기까지 오게 됐죠. 듀페레는 학교는 프랑스에서도 역사가 깊고, 국립 디자인 학교로 유명해요. 외국인이 입학하기 어려운 곳이지만, 저는 도전해보고 싶었어요.
Q: Getting into the French National School of Fashion must have been a challenge, how did you rise to the challenge?
A: Actually, it’s been a longtime dream of mine to study abroad. But private fashion schools were too expensive. So I chose a national school. There are only two national schools in Paris where you can study fashion. One of them was Duperré, and I knew I had to go there. It’s very competitive to get into this school, but I believed in my passion and went for it.
Q: Was there a particular moment that made you decide to study abroad?
A: While studying for the SAT in Korea, I realized that this path was not for me. No matter how hard I tried, I just couldn’t seem to get the grades. Everyone was studying the same way, taking the same tests, and it just wasn’t for me. So I thought, ‘If I want to study fashion, which is what I really want to do, I need to challenge myself in the wider world. I loved learning languages, and I wanted to test myself in a new environment.
Q: How is studying abroad in France? Do you feel lonely being alone?
A: It’s lonely. I’m the only Korean in my school, so it’s hard to communicate with my French friends. But my friends at school are very supportive of me. I improved my language skills quickly because I had to communicate exclusively in French, in a culture that I didn’t have in Korea. I cook Korean food for myself, or watch Korean content to remind me of home.
Q: What do you do when you miss Korean food in France?
A: Cook it yourself! It’s not easy to find Korean food in France. So I like to relieve my stress by cooking myself. I especially like to make chicken or pork ribs. Sometimes I invite friends over to eat with me, and I do all the cooking myself. Cooking is something I enjoy, and it’s a way for me to calm my nostalgia for Korea.
Q: 2000Archives에서 인턴십을 선택한 특별한 이유가 있나요?
A: 대표님과의 줌 미팅이 결정적이었어요! 여러 브랜드에 지원했고, 몇 군데에서 인터뷰 요청이 왔었는데 2000Archives의 대표님이 가장 인상 깊었어요. 다른 브랜드와는 다르게 대표님이 직접 미팅을 진행하면서 저에게 이곳에서 배울 수 있는 것들을 확실하게 이야기해 주셨거든요. 단순히 겉으로 보이는 멋만 있는 게 아니라 정말 이곳에서 내가 성장할 수 있겠다는 믿음을 주셨어요.
Q: 2000Archives에서의 하루 일과는 어때요?
A: Every day is dynamic! In the morning, I check my email first, then do whatever the director has asked me to do that day. Sometimes I have to go to Dongdaemun twice for quick pickups. But I don’t have a set routine every day. Sometimes I have a weekly to-do list, but I’m flexible enough to do what’s needed at the time. Every day is new, and there’s so much to learn!
Q: What is the most memorable project you’ve worked on as an intern?
A: My favorite memory is being part of the FW design meetings. At first, I thought I was just going to be a support role, but the designers asked for my input and even let me design a hoodie. That’s when I realized. I realized, ‘Oh, I can really get hands-on experience here. It was a small design job, but it gave me confidence and made me realize that I wanted to work on bigger projects.
Q: Have you had any nervous moments on the job?
A: You know! When I made a mistake with English to French. It was supposed to be BLUE, but I was so used to French that I accidentally worked with the French “BLEU”. I kept my cool on the outside, but on the inside I was really embarrassed. It was a really big mistake, but instead of getting angry, the director said, “It’s okay, you’re going to make mistakes, why don’t you try this?” and gave me a solution right away, so I was able to redo it without any problems. Through this experience, I learned not to be afraid of making mistakes and to move on quickly.
Q: What’s the work culture like at your company?
A: 2000Archives의 문화는 정말 주체적이예요. 각자 맡은 일을 주도적으로 해내면서도 필요한 순간에는 서로 돕는 모습이 멋져요. 제가 어려움을 겪는 일이 있으면 아침 스탠드업 회의에서 이야기하면 다들 도와주려고 해요. 예를 들어 동대문에서 부자재를 픽업할 일이 생기면 그냥 부탁하지 않고 “내가 갈게요!” 하고 자원하는 사람들이 많았어요. 그런 주체적인 태도가 팀워크를 더 강하게 만드는 것 같아요. 누가 시켜서 하는 일이 아니라, 다들 스스로 할 일을 찾아서 하는 분위기죠.
Q: What is a standup meeting?
A: We have a stand-up meeting every morning where we all stand up. The reason we do it standing up is so we don’t drag it out and get it done in 3-4 minutes! One by one, we take turns sharing our to-do’s for the day, and if we need help, we speak up. This helps clarify the day and keeps everyone on the same page. I also think it makes collaboration smoother because we all get to see how our work is connected.
Q: Besides standups, is there any other special culture within the team?
A: I was most impressed with the “baby whale culture”. It’s a culture of complimenting each other, where you compliment someone on Slack and give them a whale emoji. Whoever gets the most whales wins a prize, but more importantly than the prize, it’s a really nice team atmosphere. There are tough moments at work, right?
At times like that, a whale from a coworker can be really comforting. So naturally, I started sending whales to other people, which made me feel closer to my teammates.
Q: With such a positive culture, it sounds like the team atmosphere must be great, what has it been like?
A: The atmosphere is really good. When I first joined, I was impressed by how everyone seemed to be busy, but encouraging and supportive of each other. Especially, the seniors were very friendly and helped me a lot with my work. There is very little hierarchy within the company, so I never felt like I was the youngest intern. Instead, I was able to work with a sense of responsibility, thinking about how my work would contribute to the company. This environment allowed me to take pride in my work.
Q: 2000Archives 사무실에서 일하면서 가장 좋았던 점은 무엇이었나요?
A: First of all, the location of the office is the best. It’s so close to Dongdaemun, so we can always get the materials we need quickly. This is a big advantage for our team, especially since we often have to go to Dongdaemun. It’s also really convenient to have facilities like Daiso and convenience stores in the office building, so we don’t have to go out for lunch. It’s all in one place in the office.
Q: What are your goals for the future, if any?
A: I’ve been thinking a lot lately. I don’t know exactly what my career path will look like yet, but I know that I want to continue to grow as a designer. Since I’m about to graduate, my biggest goal is to land my first job after graduation. If things don’t work out right away, I plan to continue my studies with a master’s program to go deeper.
I want to gain as much experience as possible in France. I think my learning and experience here will be a great asset to me. My ultimate goal is to create the fashion brand of my dreams from scratch. But before that, I want to gain more experience in different environments and have a clearer idea of what kind of designer I want to be.
결국엔 한국으로 돌아와서 제 브랜드를 통해 저만의 패션 철학을 표현하고 싶어요. 제가 만드는 옷들이 사람들에게 어떤 의미를 줄 수 있을지, 그걸 생각하면 설레요. 5년 후에는 제가 디자이너로서 얼마나 성장해 있을지, 또 2000Archives와 함께한 경험이 저를 어떻게 변화시킬지 기대가 돼요. 이 모든 과정이 제 꿈을 향해 나아가는 중요한 발걸음이라고 생각해요.
2000Archives는 신민지님의 꿈을 응원합니다!
If you would like to make a career offer to a new intern designer who is about to graduate, please contact us here.
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이 글은 한국어 (Korean)로도 제공됩니다
