Work Placement: Nikolaj Storm at Saks Potts

Hi, my name is Nikolaj Storm and I am a first-year Master student at Fashion Design.

Right now, I am doing my work placement and I have joined the young and colorful brand of Saks Potts here in Copenhagen. I choose the brand because of their inspiring work with fur, which I love to incorporate in my own collections. I am working with the girls - Barbara Potts and Cathrine Saks - until Copenhagen Fashion Week, so I am able to follow the creation of a collection from beginning to the show.

We are five people in total at the office, and we have a very open-minded and young attitude which makes every day at the office different. I usually assist the designers when they create their new collection, with everything from materials, fitting, techniques, technical drawings, moodboards and so much more.

But I also have time to do more practical stuff together with my other intern Camilla. The great thing about interning at a small company is the experience you get in all the aspects of running a fashion brand. This is so important for us young design students to prepare us for what it entails to start your own brand.   

I would say that during my work placement in this blooming company, I have had many wonderful experiences. I tend to believe it is because of the free spirit between everyone at the office. I always start the morning with a coffee together with the other interns and  sales manager Heidi - we are having a blast.

I have worked with assistants at Kopenhagen Fur who create the most beautiful fur styles. A visit to  Kopenhagen Fur Studio is pure candyland for a fashion student with an interest in fur. They have so much knowledge to share – such an amazing place!

I think one of the most important things when selecting work placement is to find a brand where you can see yourself. A place you can relate to - that really helps the process a lot. Even though I normally work a lot with oversized, quite colorful menswear and Saks Potts works with classic yet colorful womenswear, I can still relate to their aesthetics.This makes it very easy for me to help them  with ideas, materials and understanding their fashion language. And it is common sense that you can go far if you both speak the same language - and there is no difference in the fashion industry.

Companies, who provide work placement  should not only see an intern as a pair of extra hands, but more like a fly on the wall. We learn a lot at KADK but we need to see how you apply these tools in practice in the industry. So even though the company might think  a regular meeting is boring, for an intern it is a new experience. We learn from every single thing that we experience. So remember, let us follow the designers, pattern makers, sales agents and so on everywhere. Because then we gain important knowledge about how the industry works which prepares us for a carreer after graduation.   

Well, I'd better get back to the fur - which ends up everywhere when you work with it all the time - and work my ass of at Saks Potts. And then I will see you back at KADK in September.

Lots of furry love

Nikolaj Storm