Stony Brook University SUNY Korea

Everyone who works out these days knows about Mularwear. Not only is this brand popular for sportswear, but also for daily outfits as well. Let's meet a FIT (FBM major, Class of 2020) alumni, Yeeun Kim, who is working in the Mularwear Brand Strategy Team in charge of digital campaign managing, striving to strengthen brand awareness and positioning. Listen to the story from her starting as an intern to her becoming a brand marketer. 

Please introduce yourself briefly.  

Hi, I’m Yeeun Kim. I graduated this year with a Fashion Business Management degree at FIT SUNY Korea.

What is your current role and responsibility in Mularwear?

Mulawear is Korea’s first yoga wear brand, offering premium activewear, and is expanding to menswear and the athleisure market. Mularwear’s work culture is very flexible and casual. They have implemented a 4-day work schedule to encourage work-life balance and high work efficiency for their employees. There is always upbeat music playing in the office to boost their fun culture.

I heard you started working as an intern. How did you prepare for the internship and did you have any difficulties preparing for it?

I think the hardest part for me was doing an interview with the FIT professors. I didn’t have a lot of interview experiences, so I looked up some tips online beforehand. On the flip side, because the interviewers were familiar faces to me, I could be more confident and was less afraid to make mistakes.

Unfortunately, COVID-19 had just started when I was assigned to a company. Many companies were working at home, so my internship schedule kept being delayed. In the end, the company couldn’t take me, so I was assigned to Mulawear. I had researched into the previous company and their job, so I was a little flustered due to the sudden change. However, there were other students who have already started working at Mulawear, so I was able to ask for advice. Being with other students gave me a sense of support and made the internship process much easier.

Please explain about the FIT Internship Course (IC297)?

IC297 is a course that provides internship opportunities as well as class lectures regarding career preparation. Through these lectures, we work on resumes, interviews, professionalism, and communication skills. We also share bits and pieces of our own internship experiences to gain insight on different career options. Additionally, individuals get to actually intern at matched companies 2-3 days a week. To sum it up, IC297 prepares you for real life after graduation.

What is your current role and responsibility in Mularwear?

Currently, I am part of the Brand Strategy team, and our goal is to strengthen brand awareness and positioning. Within the team, my main responsibilities include social media activities and digital campaign management. I also work with brand exposure and sponsorship as well. As a team, we strategize long-term marketing activities and campaigns and work with PR.

When was the most proud moment in your career?

My proudest moment in the company was when I was able to report positive results of the first project I managed. The project may not seem prominent to others, but it was the very first project that I managed ­­alone, and it felt good to see the physical results of my efforts. 

What were your strengths because you were an FIT student? (Class, faculty, program, etc.)

Because our professors are still actively working in the fashion industry, we can get a lot of practical and helpful advice and knowledge aside from lectures and theories. They are always open to talking to students, so it’s easy to talk to them and ask for their opinions when it comes to studying or career. We also have guest speakers and field trips, which allows us to observe and learn about wider boundaries of the industry. Now that I am actually working, I realized that the foundation and knowledge that I picked up at school come in extremely handy in work situations. For example, our course on Excel has helped to handle real life data with ease. With the knowledge, I didn’t fall behind in professional conversations. Apart from merchandising and design, not a lot of people have fashion backgrounds, even in fashion companies. Having a fashion-specific background has let me bring in a new perspective to the team. 

What did you get the help from the SUNY Korea CDC? 

First of all, since my internship opportunity was given by CDC, CDC has played a prominent role in starting my career after graduation. Since I lived abroad most of my life, I didn’t know much about Korea’s fashion industry and the options that were available to me. Thanks to CDC, I was given deeper insights and broader knowledge about possible careers in Korea. Through CDC, you can get your resumes reviewed and improved and that is definitely much more helpful and practical than relying on online resources. Furthermore, CDC followed-up during my internship days to make sure everything was going smoothly. Their active support goes beyond practical things, and I was able to feel secure and supported throughout the whole journey. 

What is your current role and responsibility in Mularwear?

Currently, I am part of the Brand Strategy team, and our goal is to strengthen brand awareness and positioning. Within the team, my main responsibilities include social media activities and digital campaign management. I also work with brand exposure and sponsorship as well. As a team, we strategize long-term marketing activities and campaigns and work with PR.

Do you have any advice for your friends preparing for internships?

My best tip would be to make the most out of school’s resources. The professors and CDC are great resources that are difficult to have access to outside of school. It is important to work hard and have a great attitude. Doing so, school will offer you with great opportunities. Then, it is our responsibility to make the most out of it. Even as an intern, your role may seem small at first, but the only way to make it bigger is hard work and great attitude.