Courtney Witherspoon is studying Management and Society at the University of North Carolina in the United States of America. She was part of Suitex Team for a period of two months; the project assigned to her was to map the American territory and to identify the ranking of the top 100 companies in the fashion field.
Day by day, Courtney’s research and investigation have been accompanied along this path by a continuous exchange of information on cultures, traditions and discoveries that have improved her overseas experience.

Among an updating briefing on the project and an International Lunch – while Courtney tried to understand the difference between bene/buono in Italian – we realized that over the weeks she also enriched our own Team.

We have made many thoughts on her project, which has been developed with care and detail, and what we have achieved has gone beyond what was planned. Courtney taught us that it’s not the chronological age that makes people professional, that even today in a sector like ours – in continuous evolution –  it is still possible to succeed in a business context with education and humility.
Over the years the skills grow, but it is everyone’s attitude to guide the future of our professional relationships.

IES Abroad, who introduced us to Courtney, is an institute that allows students from all over the world to have cultural and professional experiences abroad. We had the chance to think out of the box, to change perspective.

What did Courtney’s experience conveyed to us? Getting out of the comfort zone fuels the motivation to keep improving in every area.

We are certain that we will find her again with a brilliant career in the HR area and who knows, maybe as a future company referent.

Good luck Courtney!

In this brief interview we asked the student to talk about her experience in Suitex.

Here’s what she told.

INTERVIEW

SUITEX: Describe the Suitex experience in 3 words
C.W.: If I had to describe the Suitex experience in three words it would be inspiring, motivated, and open-minded.

SUITEX: What were your expectations?
C.W.: I really didn’t have any expectations. I didn’t know what to expect and I didn’t want to take what I had learned in America into the Italian culture, so in order to remain open minded I decided to remain surprised and it definitely met any expectations.

SUITEX: In Suitex did you improve your knowledge of the Fashion System?
C.W.: I think I didn’t know much beforehand especially with researching the fashion industry, so I think I learned about how long it takes to find this information and the details about companies (CEO’S, HR Directors, revenues), and the process it takes to actually provide jobs for people. 

SUITEX: It was challenging for you?
C.W.: I think I had some challenging moments when it comes to researching. I thought the information would be more accessible. So, having to actually search multiple websites to find the information regarding company products or the HR Director was definitely challenging, but I was up for the challenge!

SUITEX: Italian business approach VS American business approach
C.W.: I would say that the Italian work culture is definitely more sociable whereas the American work culture is quiet and definitely to yourself and to your work. Italian culture is more egalitarian whereas Americans are more hierarchical and focuses on the chain of command. I also think that the Italian culture is more collaborative with the entire team whereas in the American culture there are multiple small teams compared to everyone working on a project as a large team.

SUITEX: What was your favorite part of the internship?
C.W.: I think the activities organized by Suitex was my favorite part. Of course, I love working in the office with everyone was nice but going outside of the office and seeing the other parts of the work culture in Suitex definitely peaked my interests about the fashion industry and also just getting to know my coworkers more. I feel like during those times we were able to engage in even more conversations that allowed me to see not only how they are as business professionals, but their personal lives as well.

SUITEX: In what way did you feel welcomed by the team?
C.W.: I was definitely nervous at first because I didn’t speak Italian, so I didn’t know how the language barrier was going to work. I feel like one of the biggest things is that everyone made the attempt to speak English and engage with me in the conversations they were having. Even if the conversation was in Italian, I was able to have someone translate what you guys were talking about in English, so I definitely appreciate that and allowed me to know that you all would try to work with me even though I didn’t understand Italian.

SUITEX: What was your contribution to Suitex during the internship period?
C.W.: I think I provided insight into the American fashion industry. I think that Suitex wants to continue to expand into the industry. So, I think I provided the necessary tools to make sure Suitex knew what they were going into and how to best approach it.

SUITEX: What did you learn during the internship period?
C.W.: I think the biggest thing that I learned was just about going out of my comfort zone and being open-minded to all of the experiences. This is my first time coming to Europe and especially coming to Italy, so everything was new, and I was definitely nervous. Being at this internship and working within an international business field, I think I gained so much more interest and passion for it. Even if I was nervous, being at Suitex made me more comfortable with the experience in knowing that I can be successful in it.