industry experience

Intern at Haus Of Dizzy, Fitzroy, VIC

overview:

Within my role at Haus of Dizzy in Fitzroy Melbourne, I created designs using waste material, website maintenance, social media content creation and editing as well as help with planning events.

Learning about how the business works and the connections with other businesses was very intriguing and family-like. The general way that the business operates is built on love and support which shows through their customer base, staff and general demeanour

skill development:

Throughout my time working with Haus of Dizzy, I developed a range of new skills and refined existing ones.

As I have had brief experience as a creator in the fashion scene, I had only worked alone and was hesitant to collaborate in fear of losing my own creative direction.

However, through working at Haus of Dizzy, I have discovered that people and brands that are totally different can work together on a big project or event.

Seeing Haus of Dizzy collaborate with brands that have different a different aesthetics to their own, but stand for the same things as a community, there is a real sense of family and respect among that.

My draw to collaborative work has grown as well as my skill to communicate creative direction to others. In conjuction with this, my ability to understand different styles and comprehend creative energies has grown! I feel as though I can address different brand identities without trying to conform them to my own personal brand/style.

In the beginning, I was scared to open up for collaboration but now I am excited to see what other people like me, or completely different to me, are doing!

SOFT SKILLS:

To begin, my confidence level has grown to talk to other industry professionals. I now have understanding of how certain business aspects work in a brand, therefore, I can communicate with others on a commerce side if things. My ability to understand a business’ branding has grown, instead of taking the concept in my own way, I am able to see it through the eyes of the brand. Between event planning and social media content creation, my problem solving skills have evolved when different obstacles had arisen. Attention to detail in e-commerce and social media content is something that I had developed as well. Although I had previous knowledge about this, I realised it’s more than what I thought and is constantly being developed over time. Overall, my confidence in public speaking and speaking amongst industry professionals has improved. I am comfortable speaking to other creators and brands because I feel as though my creative communication, as a whole, has improved.

HARD SKILLS:
On the physical side of skills, I learnt the profile of Shopify in the running of a business, as well as editing the layout of a website.

As Haus of Dizzy is a jewellery and accessory brand, my skills on hand-making jewellery were developed on a bigger scale. I began understanding the distinct designs and layouts of jewellery that is being sold on a larger scale.

In addition to this, the social media content creation was something that I hadn’t had experience with this before and was able to get hands-on with the social media side to a business.

Lastly, being able to understand the editing and software that it takes to get a website/business up and going successfully is an imperative skill when opening up as a new brand

workplace performance:

TASK EFFICIENCY:

When performing tasks in me intern role, I felt as though i could complete the task to a high standard. I really wanted to make sure that I am putting my top effort in due my respect for the business.

Due to my knowledge in the fashion scene, I felt that I had the eye for colours, textures and layouts when it came to digital presentation for media posts and edits. This wan areas that i felt I did my best in.

Additionally, the jewellery making aspect was one that I was most excited about, , I put most of my energy into these times, therefore I felt I excelled quite well.

Being able to work with materials that I wasn’t very familiar with, allowed my to broaden my skill set and gain experience in a different sector of fashion.

I always made sure to complete tasks exactly how the management team had outlined, not allowing my personal style to get in the way. Being able to align my designs and creations while at Haus of Dizzy with their brand style, gave me confidence in understanding a brand’s image.

AREAS FOR IMPROVEMENT:

In terms of what can be improved for the future, I felt that there were areas that I could have had more experience or understanding in.

These areas are e-commerce (Shopify) understanding and planning events.

I understand that there are many elements to consider when going about making/editing an online store, as well as planning a major collaborative event.

Many things can go wrong when planning events, for instance, there was an issue with the location for a Haus of Dizzy x Adidas events, which needed a last-minute change of plan.

Understanding the way to go about things when the initial plan doesn’t work, especially in a collaborative setting with other businesses, is something that I wish I had more time to focus on.

A simple skill of mine that I would like to improve is my personal time management. I feel as though often I would be about ten minutes or more late to my placement days. While yes, the end of the year gets very busy, I felt it would have been more professional of me to show up on time as the brand is a legitimate business.

Otherwise, I am very proud of my time at Haus of Dizzy and all I have achieved.

networking and connections

HAUS OF DIZZY:

within the Haus of Dizzy company itself, not only have I made new friends, but I now have people who are experienced in social media, brand management and e-commerce that I can look to for occasional advice and guidance in those areas. Jasmine Irvine (Haus of Dizzy social media manager) has lots of experience when it comes to content creation - something I am wanting to explore, by having her contact (phone number and instagram) I know I have someone reliable and knowledgable.

The same goes with the owner Kristy Dickinson and E-commerce manager Pip Ryan, both have been lovely to me and are very supportive in my fashion journey. I know they will be people that can help me if I am in need.

PERFORMERS:

Through the Haus of Dizzy events such as the Adidas x Haus of Dizzy block party, I was able to connect with musicians and performers featured at the events.

Acts such as DJ Soju Gang and Drag Performer Cerulean were people I was able to connect with - sharing experiences in creative industries and them providing me with advice in leading a business/brand.

LOCAL BUSINESSES:

As Haus of Dizzy is based in Fitzroy, Melbourne, there are surrounding business that I was able to connect with and gain knowledge from. Through Haus of Dizzy’s connections businesses such as Clothing the Gaps and Mabu Mabu, I was able to broaden my own personal knowledge as well as networking and introducing myself as a creative individual.

Through this networking, I have opened myself up to a core circle of Australian businesses and individuals.

outcomes:

Throughout my experience at the Haus of Dizzy store, there were many tasks that I performed and now have experience in, so that I can grow as a creative individual. Generally my tasks were jewellery making, media content creation and e-commerce updates.

I feel as though my work at the iconic “bling” brand was valued and was appreciated by the staff. My jewellery creations were available at the store for purchase which shows me that they met the industry standard and desired look for Haus of Dizzy.

Through my review form it can be noted that I completed tasks to a high standard.

Whether it was small tasks that seemed insignificant or something that I thought I wasn’t cut out for, they all mattered and made an impact with the way the business runs.

My placement goals were to learn how to make jewellery, find potential sustainable solutions, discover more of how social media within a brand works, as well as understanding a business from an e-commerce eye.

From the industry exposure that Haus of Dizzy was able to provide, I have learnt that there are a lot of small jobs and tasks that keep a business working so well.

Moving forward, I would love to lean into fashion accessories as a creator, the subtle yet bold addition creates such a difference in an outfit and look. They have the ability to tie everything together !

Along with this, if I were to have my own business, I would need the help of someone in website creation, I have found it can be tedious and laborious if one has little background knowledge.

Ultimately, Haus of Dizzy allowed me to see a broad range of industry-level standards and requirements - I feel grateful to have been given such an opportunity.

From this intern position, I have been offered a role at Haus of Dizzy! To be confirmed in early 2024, campaign work, media and modelling have been mentioned for my potential position.