Written by Taryn Murray-Social Media Manager and intern from the University of Alabama
This summer, I had the amazing opportunity to intern at West Coast Leather with the position of Social Media Manager. Walking into the store for the first time felt like home. I started working here early in May and have continued for the last three months, and now I am going back to school to finish my last year at the University of Alabama where I will get my degree in Apparel and Textiles with a concentration in Fashion Retailing.
I have had the most incredible summer with the most incredible opportunities which were given to me by Brand Founder and American Fashion Designer Skip Pas. It’s safe to say I am leaving with more than just fashion inspiration-I’m leaving with experience, confidence, and a new sense of creative purpose. Skip saw me and decided that he was going to push me into the fashion and social media marketing in every aspect of the business so that I would leave with most experience possible.
As a fashion student, this was my dream internship. I was thrown right into the deep end-helping with everything from social media and photoshoots to meetings and coordinating models. I got to help with the retail side of things by helping customers find their dream leather pieces. I also did quite a lot of modeling which was also very new to me, but is definitely something I want to continue with in the future. Mainly, on top of all of that, my main job was to log into all of the social media accounts and post on Instagram, Facebook, (through the Meta dashboard), Google My Business, LinkedIn and TikTok.
The modeling aspect was probably one of my favorite parts of this summer. I never knew that I had this in me until I was pushed into doing it. It brought me so much confidence and made me want to continue this in the future. I participated in over five different photo shoots and was featured on the West Coast Leather website and social media campaigns.
There is something so interesting about working with leather, which I never thought I’d get to experience. I learned how to measure for alterations which was definitely new for me since I’ve never worked so closely with fabrics. I also got to be a part of the design team where I watched and pitched in ideas for custom orders and was trained on expert alterations by the head designer. I was so shocked at how much hustle and stress goes into this business, but I loved every second.
I met so many amazing people this summer through West Coast Leather including:
-Wonderful clients who have either been customers here for many years or first timers who happen to be walking their dogs down the street and leave with a custom jacket.
-Beautiful models that I had the privilege of working with and walking by their sides in shows
-Photographers that brought out a new confidence in me through photos that I never thought would exist
-The makeup and hair artists that brought out my features in ways I didn't know existed
-And of course, the most amazing staff at West Coast Leather that brought me in like family right away and has done nothing but make this the best summer ever.
I am beyond grateful for all of these opportunities given to me by West Coast Leather this summer especially for the experiences that I know will help me immensely in a year from now when I graduate.
