Pros
Respected name in the fashion industry, so the experience looks great on your resume. Small team, so work is very hands-on. I was in charge of very large projects, which was great for my portfolio.
Cons
Staff is disrespectful and unprofessional. Managers and directors of certain divisions feel their work is more important than other divisions within the company, so they expect you to prioritize them over everyone else. Performance feedback is petty and completely nonconstructive; do not expect to be reviewed on your abilities or competencies, but rather on whether or not you 'measure up' to the predecessor of your position. Expect to be underpaid and taken advantage of, especially if you are young. If you try to stand up for yourself when you're feeling disrespected in the workplace, expect to be chastised. All of this could be prevented if upper management would enforce a more respectful, professional attitude from all employees. Rather than discipline employees who exhibit unacceptable or abusive behavior, many managers make the excuse that "this is the fashion industry, that's the way it is." Overall, I was enjoying the work I was doing and the relative creative freedom I had, but I was ultimately unable to stay because of the disrespectful behavior directed at me despite my hard work. Additionally, my department was severely lacking in structure or hierarchy, which meant that my work was being reviewed/approved by persons who were not qualified to give feedback on the work I was doing. This leads to confusion, ill communication, many rounds of revisions, and projects needlessly dragging on for too long before finally getting axed. Many divisions are extremely inefficient, which always trickles down.
