G-Star Raw | atelierspruitenburg

Internship G-Star RAW

After considering options on where to my Internship I was sending emails to the companies that I wanted to have a good time at. Soon I got response of the Amsterdam based company G-Star RAW by Shunji Ohasi, also known as the Denim Ninja because of his Japanese origin. who's work was developing concepts and create washings.

Foremost I know the company from when I was younger and the brand was very popular at the time. Mostly because they were rebellious and progressive, like they were the first brand who looked at denim from a three dimensional point of view, claiming 'RAW' as trademark and showed their collections on the runways to show they’re a premium brand.

But for the last decennia I don’t know the brand that well, other than that they build an immersive office in Amsterdam which was designed by the well known architect Rem Koolhaas. But a good friend of mine of AMFI was totally recommending it as he had a great time in there working together with Shunji. While he as well sometimes regretted going to AMFI and had his doubts if he really wanted to pursuit this study, the experience at G-Star totally pulled him into continuing. As I had an experience myself like it at O’Neill, I knew this was the company was a good fit. Because I needed to have a good time as well as AMFI was just draining every spark of excitement for good products out of me.

After the interview they said I got hired and Human Resources would contact me, but after a few weeks not receiving any documents I got a bit nervous and started to reach out. The person who hired me immediately responded and he told me that he got a red light on everything he was doing. He asked me to meet as he doubted if this was the company I would like to my internship with, as he had to do a lot of things he disliked, like updating technical drawings for instance. For me it wouldn’t be a problem as I had experience with it and know I’m able to do them quick and if that was the least favourite it meant all other things would be great. He promised he would get back to his manager, but emailed me two days later he was on of many who got sacked.

All this meant for me that I had to replan my whole program or got to find another company. And though I tried to get in some places it wasn’t possible to get into new solicitation procedures anymore. I reached out immediately right back to G-Star that I wanted to do my internship in the Denim Department for the next semester. After another interview, Human Resources almost immediately reached out and I signed the documents quickly with even an extra month starting in august. When I heard that one of the women’s I had the interview with, got sacked as well I felt some of the same nerves. But luckily I was able to start mid summer with this adventure of a company going to rough times.

Starting day and the camo restored

Starting mid summer with the Internship, I came in with finishing the Fall/Winter collection and starting with the concept of the next season. As it are some more easy weeks the holidays are planned. And G-Star having quite some expats it meant people take a few weeks in a row to visit their home country. It means that some of the desks are empty and the company rates on a bit slower pace. For me it means it is easier to remember everyone his/her name and being able to just execute the tasks needed to be done and taking some of the workload. And because I believe this hands on mentality and just a leap of faith helps to introduce yourself I liked it.

So after I got a tour around the Design and Product-development part of the building I was able to get my laptop and key to get access into the parts I’m allowed to. It also meant Denim Designers Fien Ploeger and Matteo Cestari needed to come up with a task I was able to help with. After showing the PDU (Product Development Unit; space in which the overview of the progress of the products is kept) and some sketches that are on the wall they ask me if I’m able to do one. As I’m finished within an hour they are quite surprised but understand I have worked in the industry before, and it’s a like a walk in the park.

Luckily Matteo thought of some tasks as he would like to see if I’m capable. Shunji leaving quite suddenly, Matteo asks me to tidy and clean the worktable. After it’s done and getting the sewing machine in start position Matteo comes with a sketch, a colored jeans and piece of camo printed fabric. The question is if I am able to make something like the sketch. It means I first need to destroy the jeans, like it has been worn already for some years, and than repair it like the example pictures. As for me this is really something I like to do, and I already am allowed at day one it couldn’t get any better. While roughing up the jeans my first day comes to an end. In the following day I finished the ‘Camo Restored’ and it is placed in the PDU. Many who came in our department aq it in there, complimented us for making such a strong looking concept, as it had something not much seen in recent collections. As I created it in the first two days I only could hope much more of this would come and couldn’t have a better start.

The product development unit (PDU) was the central point to get an overview of the product group, on this picture you'll see the sketches of Matteo. Everntually it was most of the time my task to digitalize them.	Matteo's sketches often involved some drawn details. Most of the time I was asked to make some samples of them for presentation. The variety of sitting behind my laptop and working practical with my hands is what I like about the job.	A mockup of the so called 'Camo Restored'. I copied the sketch Matteo made and added detailed abbrasion on the top-part. along the pocket for instance. So it feels in the overal compostion also like a worn jeans.
After sitting together with the 'washing'-department the file with scans of the mock-up was sent to get a 1st proto in return. When this came bank they asked me to sit together with them on how to comment...	... and it always surprises me how they sometimes over see thing, but aslo see small things also very well. Eventually its also why I always like the job as everytime you'll find new challenges.	One of the reasons I like to have G-Star on my Curriculum Vitae is because they are at the front of sustainability and are willing to invest on it. When I made the samples or mock-ups I always used the Kir Denim which was the most sustainable. By doing this I was always able to use leftovers for mockups as this fabric was always in the collection.
As the Scutar as new blue print got introduced on the website, Matteo asked me to make an exploited view...	...which is practically a three dimensional digital sketch on which the features of the new style get exclaimed.	After finishing the exploited view for Matteo, Fien and Marly came to my desk. As they worked on the C-Staq (a translation of the D-Staq) jeans as new blue print, they asked me if I was able to work out a exploited view for them as well.

Starting day and the camo restored

In the months after this good start I had many more good vibes during the internship, but unfortunately also one that seemed like a deja-vu of my first internship at O’Neill. In the period Fien and Matteo went with Womenswear Designmanager Marly on business trip, I was working directly with the product development team and Menswear Designmanager Ali. As he is a burst of energy it hypes me up as well, he knows exactly on what he needs to be critical at and when he needs to give compliments which gave me a boost on self-esteem. But at the last day for the weekend he says he’s suddenly that morning got a meeting planned for him and he isn’t confident about it because of the title. As he isn’t on the same page and critical towards the creative director his premonition isn’t wrong. The creative director decided together with the board that they need to cut lose Ali because his vision doesn’t fit with the brand anymore. `Thus he needs to be sacked. It was another cut that was made into the design department and always the morale drops. Because again someone who really gave his design-signature to the DNA of the brand. It looks like it’s seeing the same thing happening ever and over again . But this time the timing also seemed to be to perfect. And as it was already a bit of a strange situation with no-one in on our division except me, it was for the first time I didn’t enjoy the internship.

The monday after everyone was back again and we discussed what happened. They felt sorry for me as the timing of the management was really bad, In hindsight we all knew it was planned and timing it like this gave less resistance, because everyone valued Ali as a true member of 'the G-Star family' as he always spoke the truth.

When several weeks later we went for a drink on the Friday evening and Ali joined us. As I only was an intern/trainee it surprised me he took me apart to say he was sorry for leaving me behind that Friday. It shows to me his genuine character. He also had some nice words for me, that he believed I was capable of supporting Fien and Matteo perfectly, that we were a new generation that has the perfect practical and digital skillset. As he also liked my no-complaining spirit in assisting everything that was questioned. I thanked him for working together that last week because I loved that hands on mentality and energy. To me it showed that although he was always running through the building from meeting to meeting, he saw more than I thought he would. And I eventually felt grateful to work that last week closely with him. Because although I come from a generation that know how to merge digital and practical work, I believe this job is also learned due experience.

Tthe designmanagers made some inspirational walls to show the team a direction for a special collection. As there was also a so called new 'blueprint' inspired on the trumpet stance, Ali definitely wanted to push sales by involving it in this special collection. He asked me if I was able to digitalize the walls so he was able to present it attractively on his laptop.	I photographed all 3Dimensional products and seperated them from their background. By this we were able to layer them like how everything was hung on the walls.	Ali sent me the pictures and after some back and forth he liked how this slide and the 'muze'-page was balanced.
As not all files were of a great resolution I went to the archive and on google to find a resolution the pages even could be printed.	The job I did was very valued by the team when Ali sent it over to the team. It is probably due to the fact that I started in graphic design that I am also always really focussed on resolution. Unfortunately after Ali was sacked this whole capsule collection was cancelled.

G-Star Raw Research Collection

As the work continued we continued the work of Ali as good as possible. When the proto’s came in we checked if it worked out what was in the mind of the product category designer. It meant to me most of the time correcting sketches or preparing things for presentations. I was just the hands they needed and I didn’t mind to just feel numb about what we did or who we did it with.

Amsterdam being one of the denim-capitals in the world it meant that the Kingpins Tradeshow was organised and we were taken by Marly to just have a good day around it. Also she informed us who possibly the new Designmanager Menswear would become as she knew him really well.

It took a few weeks to become official but eventually it was confirmed that Leo Brancovich would come back working for G-Star. As Leo worked with Ali in the past, he had called Ali about it and although sacking Ali was a bullsh*t decision as Leo pronounced, I believe Leo just wanted the best for the team and play an open card. The plus Leo had was he worked for Diesel in the past and speaks Italian, which considering half of our team be Italian was a huge benefit.

And as Leo started new without a known past of any of our team, he brought in a fresh and positive energy. Especially as he openly talked with a good sense of humor about almost every meeting he attended.

But eventually also came with the news G-Star allowed him and Marly to do a pinnacle collection again, which is something they did in the past and because of the expenses was cut off. But as it now was back again Leo got them to agree to make a collection without any limitations, to let it be a research collection to what G-Star could do and be for the coming years.

As everyone was excited about the news and looking forward to research and work on it, Leo came in the next day with the news that they only would be able to work on these Raw Research Exclusives for three weeks. Also he attended that our headquarter for menswear would be downstairs at the Wovens PDU. As the regular collections continued they asked me to honors at our desk and keep updating the sketches. And if they had a to translate sketches in to digital drawings they would get to me. Eventually during the week I end up more often in the ‘Raw Research HQ’ as the sketches need to be send within a week and they want maybe some mockups be made as well. When it is the end of the week it is staggering how much we were able to produce during the week and although it being partly carry-overs there certainly is some newness in it that shows a more modern urban utility aesthetic.

The outcome of the G-Star Raw Exclusives collection can be seen in the pictures underneath here. I won't take the credit as designer for designing this, but as I was part of a team and did work on the digital sketches I like to share this as team-effort and -result. The video made of it can be wartched by clicking this link

The product development unit (PDU) was the central point to get an overview of the product group, on this picture you'll see the sketches of Matteo. Everntually it was most of the time my task to digitalize them.

Matteo's sketches often involved some drawn details. Most of the time I was asked to make some samples of them for presentation. The variety of sitting behind my laptop and working practical with my hands is what I like about the job.

A mockup of the so called 'Camo Restored'. I copied the sketch Matteo made and added detailed abbrasion on the top-part. along the pocket for instance. So it feels in the overal compostion also like a worn jeans.

After sitting together with the 'washing'-department the file with scans of the mock-up was sent to get a 1st proto in return. When this came bank they asked me to sit together with them on how to comment...

... and it always surprises me how they sometimes over see thing, but aslo see small things also very well. Eventually its also why I always like the job as everytime you'll find new challenges.

As the Scutar as new blue print got introduced on the website, Matteo asked me to make an exploited view...

...which is practically a three dimensional digital sketch on which the features of the new style get exclaimed.

After finishing the exploited view for Matteo, Fien and Marly came to my desk. As they worked on the C-Staq (a translation of the D-Staq) jeans as new blue print, they asked me if I was able to work out a exploited view for them as well.

I photographed all 3Dimensional products and seperated them from their background. By this we were able to layer them like how everything was hung on the walls.

Ali sent me the pictures and after some back and forth he liked how this slide and the 'muze'-page was balanced.

As not all files were of a great resolution I went to the archive and on google to find a resolution the pages even could be printed.

The job I did was very valued by the team when Ali sent it over to the team. It is probably due to the fact that I started in graphic design that I am also always really focussed on resolution. Unfortunately after Ali was sacked this whole capsule collection was cancelled.