TMD Internships
Internships are periods of practical experience in a textile or
textile-related field. This experience supplements the coursework and gives you
valuable experience in a career. It might also be useful to let you understand
what you don't want to do when you graduate. It is unrealistic to do an internship without some background knowledge
gained from coursework, so internships are carried out in the junior or senior
year. For some areas of internship there are preferred course prerequisites.
An internship requires three things: you (the student), a placement and a faculty supervisor. An internship will often begin with two of these, followed by finding the third. So, if you are interested in an internship you could approach the appropriate faculty member (see areas of specialization below) who would suggest places to apply. Or you could find a placement, and then ask the faculty member to supervise it. Or a company might call the department to advertise an internship opportunity, and you could respond to the announcement. Once these details are settled, you need to register for the course. For in-semester internships, you will need a permission number from the instructor to
register for TMD 461 and/or TMD 462, the course codes for internships. For summer internships you need to fill out the "directed study form". Consult
the faculty areas of specialization below in making your choice. All three parties (student, faculty, placement supervisor) then need to fill out the TMD internship contract which details your duties, hours, responsibilities, number of credits, and how you will be graded for the experience. You should also speak with your academic advisor about the number of credits that you should earn for the internship.
The list of summer internships below give an idea of the places TMD students have interned in the recent past.
Summer 2011 Internships:
| Samantha
Bergida, Bella Ro, Summit NJ |
Christine Flaherty, Gucci NY | Alyssa Lauber, Anthropologie, Woodcliffe Lake, NJ |
| Kathryn Plummer, Gossip Boutique, Wickford, RI | Jennifer Conway,Sussy & Classy, E Greenwich, RI |
Ashley Wheaton, RI Design Center, W. Warwick, RI |
| Kelsey McGinty, Marie Claire Magazine, NY | Sloane Silbert, Bobi Brown Cosmetics, NY | Samantha Highland, Green Envy Eco-boutique, Newport RI |
| Danielle Director, Concept One, NY | Alex Bielecki, Advent Design, Hartford CT | Brianna Fitzpatrick,Michael Hayes,Newport, RI |
| Danielle Infantino, Iris North America, NY |
Sania Josiah, Kara Wickman, Riverside, RI |
Nicole Trottier, Summer Infant Inc, Woonsocket, RI |
| Jessica D'annibale, Doneger Group, NY |
Vanessa Thom, Christopher Kane, London, England |
Kelsey Huibregtse, Ralph Lauren, NY |
| Kristen Caiuo, Nordstrom, Peabody, MA |
Rachel Schiller, Nordstrom, NJ |
Jessica Kimmey, Ashley Fitzgerald, NY |
| Rikki Harris, B&S Showroom, NY |
Danielle Smith, Piazza Sempione, NY |
Cindy Yang, Chances R, Cranston, RI |
| Sara Oberst, Kristin Erickson, NJ |
Lauren Director, Joe Dahan, NY |
Emily Drake, Rochelle LaRue, CT |
| Jennifer Goldstein, Anthropologie, CT |
Alyssa Susi, Pentangle Boutique, Mystic CT | Kyle Bowen, TJX Companies, Framingham, MA |
| Emilie Ptaszynski, Fitness Magazine, NY | Julie Sygiel, Eulie LLC, Providence RI | Lindsay McDonough, Lisa Rudolf, NY |
Summer 2010 Internships:
| Rebecca McSweeney: Art of the Event, Malden, MA | Cate Adamopoulos, Bennett & Co., Newburyport MA | Carly Benedetto, Bottega Giulianna, New Haven CT |
| Jenna Williams: Due per Due, New York | Danielle Cushing, Green Envy Boutique, Newport RI | Anna Saxon, Gossip Boutique, Wickford RI |
| Julie Filosi: Hyanis Harbor, Hyannis MA | Maureen Walsh: Kristina Richards Studio, Newport RI | Brooke Schiffman: Lucky Brand Jeans, New York |
| Samantha Highland: Queen of Hearts, Providence RI | Deborah Stern: J Rosen Showroom, New York | Katrina Meehan: Seventeen Magazine, New York |
| Molly Esau: Tommy Hilfiger, Warwick RI | Alexandra Flowers: The Idea Factory, New York | Abby Smith: The Patterson Group, Boston MA |
| Katie Zanzarov: RI Design Center, Providence RI | Melissa Castro: Tractenberg & Co., New York | Nicole Becer: Phillip Van Heusen, New York |
| Nicole Patrizzi: RVCA/VonZipper, Wakefield RI | Ashley Crane: Shine Media, New York |
Summer 2009 internships:
| Jenna Dickerman: Green Envy, Newport RI | Samantha Karmel: Hue, NYC | Amy Loflin: Gossip, Newport, RI |
| Rachel Oxman: Sugar, Newport, RI | Raquel Paulo: Ilene Oren, NYC | Ashley Sayers: Gucci, NYC |
| Laura Weller: Gossip, Newport, RI | Sarah English: Pacific Worldwide, NYC | Elizabeth Weaver: Accessories Magazine, NYC |
| Carly Benedetto: Botega Giuliana, New Haven CT | Alexa Knox: Liz Claiborne, NYC | Joanna Ricciardi: Williams Sonoma, Montclair, NJ |
| Marla Horenbeim: Fitness Magazine, NYC | Meghan Pacheco: Brioni, NYC | Rachel Friedman: John Loecke Inc. Brooklyn, NY |
| Brittney Hogan: David Yurman, NYC | Makara Chan: Banana Republic, Providence | Cheryl McIntyre: Island Issue Inc., Wellesley, MA |
| Ariel Patinkin: Giovanni Calise, West Warwick, RI | Jenna Rae Bohacik: Did You Know? Wakefield, RI | Maureen Murphy: Saks Fifth Ave, NYC |
| Marissa Fisher: Ross Stores, NYC | Kerry Tanner: Melissa Ashley Brides Limited, Westerly RI | Kelsey Duffy: L'Interieur, Westerly, RI |
| Brittany Tepper: Just a Little Something, Foxboro, MA | Allison Togliatti: MK Sportswear, Los Angeles, CA | Alison Agel: Glen Art, NYC |
| Kyley Smithers: Giovanni Calise, West Warwick, RI | Katheryn Whitehouse: Anthrapologie, S. Windsor, CT | Allyson Caiola: Katy Robbins Stylist, NYC |
Areas of Specialization and TMD Faculty
Fashion Merchandising/Marketing: retailing, wholesaling, manufacturing, forecasting or product development. Prerequisites may apply.
- Dr. Yvette Harps-Logan, Quinn 309A
- Dr Claire Kapstein Quinn 10
Interior Design: interior space planning, furniture, furnishings, or research. TMD 226 and 326 are suggested as prerequisites.
- Gideon Loewenstein, Quinn 302
Textile Science: textile production or laboratory, working in areas such as dyeing and finishing, quality assurance testing. TMD 303 and 313 should be taken prior to an internship.
- Dr. Martin Bide, Quinn 311
Apparel Design/Development: textile and apparel design and construction, pattern making, styling in a textile or apparel firm. Students should take TMD 222 before this internship and other apparel courses as appropriate to the position.
- Dr. Susan Hannel, Qinn 309C
- Dr Claire Kapstein Quinn 10
Historic Textiles and Costume: work in an historical society, museum, or textile conservation laboratory. Students should have at least one course of the historic sequence (TMD 240/440/441) before this internship.
- Dr. Margaret Ordoñez, Quinn 211A
- Dr. Linda Welters, Quinn 303
Note:
- The above faculty have primary responsibility for these areas, but other faculty may supervise internships.
- TMD faculty are expected to contact internship supervisors at least twice during the internship. This contact should be documented by either letter or email.
