The Active Intern, Alicia helps to launch New Clothing Store Ohemia

Over the summer, Alicia Yee (13N)  interned at ‘Ohemia’ a new clothing store based in Central. Founded by fashion designers Vivien So and Christina Wan, Ohemia sells a variety of accessories and clothing, including yoga wear, jewellery and bohemian fashion.

Alicia was offered the internship as a result of her role in Anaia, Island School’s student-run fashion show. “[Vivien] was one of the brands that sponsored Anaia and I was head of Anaia’s model management committee, so I took all of the models there for fittings and that’s where I met Vivien.” Alicia explained.

Alicia’s role at Ohemia mainly involved marketing and communications. She was tasked in publicising the grand opening of the new store – a role that involved a variety of responsibilities. She said, “When I arrived they had only been open for four days. The grand opening was scheduled only a week after I joined. I did a lot of the marketing – I emailed publications and stores, inviting them to the event.” Alicia also publicised the opening on social media, controlled the press, and contacted magazines to feature the store. The opening was a great success – Alicia described it as “amazing” and many people attended as a result of the extensive publicity. Alicia, “Vivien told me ‘we need to block the road with this event’ and we did! It was so popular.”

Alicia’s favourite part about her experience was how it helped her understand the fashion and marketing industry in more depth. “At university, I want to study fashion marketing and communications, so this was really, really helpful. Although in university I can learn the proper theory behind marketing, now I have actual experience so I feel like it will really help me prepare for the future.”

She also remarked that her experiences at Island School helped her in her role at Ohemia. “Through university fairs and the HE department I learnt how to communicate effectively and promote myself better for my Ohemia interview. My role in Anaia helped as well – I had to go to so many different fittings, meet so many different brand owners, email a lot of people and organise a lot of things,” she explained.

Although Alicia plans on studying fashion marketing at London College of Fashion, her passions for the field are relatively new. “I only became interested in fashion at the beginning of Year 12, so not that long ago… I didn’t really know what I wanted to do.” She said that through social media, she discovered her interest in fashion, communications and marketing and this is how her passion developed.

To students, she encourages them to also pursue their passions and take up opportunities like internships. “I think that internships really do help in your career. It helps you, understand how industries work and decide what you want to do in the future. It’s an amazing experience.”

By Julia Mulrooney, Communication and Data Officer.