Workin' It is a weekly series where we ask RLG members about their various jobs, internships, and projects in the retail and luxury goods industries. This week, we ask Alexis Beechen about her internship with M.M. LaFleur.
What were you doing before you came to CBS?
Account management in advertising
Tell us a little bit about M.M. LaFleur.
MM LaFleur was founded by two Bain consultants who were tired of the workwear options available to women. They partnered with a former Zac Posen designer to create a brand with a mission to dress women of purpose. All of their fabrics are imported from Europe but the dresses are made in the garment district in NYC.
What are you doing for M.M. LaFleur as an intern?
I am working on social media strategy and analytics, so bringing a lot of the tools that I learned from working on major brands to help them quantify their performance and standardize their processes.
Do you see much crossover between what you were doing in advertising and what you’re doing with M.M LaFleur?
Definitely - it's great to be able to share the tricks and knowledge I learned working in advertising with a brand that I really believe in.
Which classes of yours have been particularly useful in your internship?
I actually think I'm much quicker in excel thanks to corp finance and statistics. I'm currently in professor Stephen's social media in digital Marketing strategy class and have applied some of his rules to evaluate whether we should move forward with certain content.
What is your favorite project you’ve worked on so far? What’s the most interesting thing you’ve learned?
The brand partnered with an amazing artist, Mark Wagner, who uses only dollar bills to create his pieces. We used one of his designs on a scarf to make a statement about working women and money. I helped in marketing the scarf and it was so interesting to work through pricing and a channel strategy to promote the piece since it's very different from what the brand normally makes.
On a slightly unrelated note, you’ve been very involved with a great organization, Dress for Success, for a number of years. Tell us a bit about the organization and what you’ve been doing with them.
I actually connected with MM LaFleur through DFS! It's an amazing organization that helps underprivileged women get into the workforce, first by giving them an appropriate interview outfit, but then also providing support groups, financial literacy, and career counseling so that they stay employed and progress through their careers. I have had amazingly powerful experiences helping women feel confident in how they look and gain self-esteem through career success.