Centre College junior Emma Daman has not only enjoyed an internship in the New York fashion industry but has tried to experience all she can during her stay.
Centre College junior Emma Daman knew she would miss the first semester of the swim season because of an internship with HATCh Showroom in New York. That’s why she made the trip to Danville from her hometown in Lexington to make sure she got to swim in the new pool in Champions Hall.
“I just wanted to make sure I got in the pool. I will be rejoining the team in mid-December and go right into training, which will be a little bit of an adjustment after being in New York. But I didn’t want to wait until then to get in the new pool,” Daman said.
While she’s been busy and even overwhelmed at times with her internship in the fashion industry, she’s got a unique opportunity coming up as she will participate in the historic Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade. The three-hour parade in Manhattan takes place from 9 a.m. to noon EST and has been televised nationally since 1953.
A Daman family tradition is watching the parade so when she found out one of her on-site internship coordinators in New York worked for Macy’s in the parade department, the Centre junior asked if there was any way possible she could walk in the parade.
“You have to know someone that can sponsor you or know a Macy’s worker to sponsor you. It’s hard to get in unless you know someone,” Daman said. “I applied back in September and got accepted.”
Daman will be with the “Bluey” balloon and has already had practices to learn the proper handling techniques.
“There is a whole crew for each balloon, including about 75 on the biggest balloons,” she said. “You have to be in line walking down the streets between high rise buildings because you don’t want the balloon to hit something and pop during the parade. It was really cool at practice to see how many people it takes to make this parade happen.”
Daman will report at 5:15 a.m. Thursday to prepare for her walk of several miles. She said it takes so long to inflate the balloons that they will be taken to the parade starting point Wednesday night to get them ready.
“We have to wear an outfit that matches our balloon. Everything is really a huge ordeal but it is going to be so cool to be part of this,” she said. “My mindset has been that I do not know where or if I will ever live in New York again so I want to do as much as I can and make the most of it. I have had a lot of great experiences but being in the Macy’s parade is really going to be special.”
Her only regret is that her parents are staying in Lexington with her grandmother but her older sister will be in New York for Thanksgiving.
“And my parents will be watching on TV,” she said.
Her internship has gone even better than she could have ever imagined. She has always been interested in the business side of the fashion industry and her department head at Centre told her about this opportunity.
“I work at a wholesale showroom with 12 designers. There are hundreds of stores we sell to and I am gaining a ton of experience,” she said. “Fashion is not a big industry in Lexington, so I need to gain all the experience I can before I try to get a job in the real world.”
She says every day is different at the showroom where she might create a presentation for clothing lines, work on mailers, do online projects or maybe organize clothes on racks for the market.
“I assist in Showroom appointments, get to greet buyers, and even help account executives during market week which is coming up again in December,” Daman said. “I also do research and compile potential new account lists.”
Daman still remembers how nervous she was when she started this internship.
“New York, Paris, London and Milan are the four fashion capitals of the world,” the Centre junior said. “You hear rumors that everyone in the industry is so mean but HATCh is a small setting and has been great for me. There are only three ladies in our showroom and four interns now. I’ve been able to gain confidence and ask so many questions.”
And now she also gets to walk in the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade.
