Clothing tags lead to the Land Down Under

Thursday, August 3, 2017

Finding internships can be daunting for some students, but for Dani Johnson checking brand labels in one of her favorite stores led her to MinkPink, a women’s fashion manufacturer in Australia.

“I found the company I am interning for while shopping at the Wooden Nickel,” Johnson said. “I was looking at the hang tags and labels on the clothing sold there. I took a photo of MinkPink, emailed them, and that’s how I ended up here.” Dani Johnson

The apparel design senior, who is completing the summer internship in Sydney, Australia, knew the company designed for younger women who wanted trendy, fashion forward clothing. A part of the interview process, she had an idea of what her internship would entail. A few of her responsibilities would include photography, technical drawing, tech pack processing, range book and line sheet layout, and range prep.

But she soon discovered there was much more to MinkPink than she expected.

“Under the MinkPInk brand, there are MinkPink Denim and MinkPink classic that are all technically different with different designers,” Johnson said. “I’m now in their local area of selling, so it is much bigger here in Australia. MinkPink is sold to big retailers like David Jones and Princess Polly.”

And there is more. MinkPink is one of eight brands designed, produced and marketed by the House of Quirky. It joins 7 other house brands: Evil Twin, Somedays Lovin, Staple the Label, Quirky Circus, The Lost Girls and Paint it Red. Dani Johnson

“On a regular basis I’m often helping other brands at House of Quirky,” Johnson said. “I initially thought I’d only be helping the MinkPink design team, but I have helped all the other brands making line sheets and doing range book prep like I do for MinkPink.”

Working with the different brands at House of Quirky is giving Johnson a broader work experience.

“I enjoy helping the other brands at House of Quirky because it gives me more experience with different people and also different garments like swimwear, bras, and denim,” Johnson said.