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Katelyn Cui 鈥�24 worked alongside Heiji Black 鈥�96 at Jeune Otte, Black鈥檚 sustainable women鈥檚 clothing brand, based in Chicago. Cui worked on all elements of the business, including sewing buttons, posting on social media and cutting patterns; the primary focus was preparing the brand鈥檚 spring/summer 2024 collection fora fall photo shoot.

All of Jeune Otte鈥檚 clothing items are made in are purposed leather tannery using fabrics that are deadstock, mill end, organic or recycled. 鈥淲e try to minimize our footprint,鈥� Black says. 鈥淧art of our business model is education around sustainability.鈥�

鈥淭he Jeune Otte team鈥檚 connection with the people in their area and those with shared goals was what made it possible to source their fabric and produce locally,鈥� Cui says. 鈥淪haring with the community was the best way to build momentum and support.

鈥滱mong her greatest takeaways from the internship: informal conversations with her colleagues. 鈥淢y co-workers and I just talked about life,鈥� Cui says. 鈥淚 learned about the fashion industry and what life is like after academics.鈥�

She fit in easily at the studio. 鈥淵ou really have to know yourself,鈥� Black says, 鈥渂e confident and want to learn in order to absorb what is going on in a new environment. At聽the Harkness table you learn how to ask good questions and have an opinion. Katelyn did it in a kind and humble way. She was a total rock star.

This story was originally published in the fall 2023 issue of聽The Exeter Bulletin.

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