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Brandi Lauderman, Fashion Design

While spending a term studying at the London College of Fashion through Drexel Study Abroad, senior Fashion Design student Brandi Lauderman saw events around her that she simply couldn't resist.

"It was spring, so there were many fashion events taking place all over London. I went around to all the different shows, begging people to let me help them. I ended up manning a tent during London's Fashion Week and working at some fashion trade shows. The experience was incredible," she says.

Once back on campus, Brandi wanted to get even more experience in her field, and from all angles. "I wanted to learn about marketing, retail, buying, merchandising – I basically wanted to know everything," she explains.

She accomplished this by spending her first co-op at Mothers Work, Inc., a Philadelphia-based design company that creates clothing for Mimi Maternity, A Pea in the Pod, and Motherhood stores. While there Brandi was able to observe and take part in the design process, from start to finish.

Her next co-op experience took her to an entirely different field.

"My second co-op was with Greer Lange talent agency," she says. "It doesn't sound like it would be a fashion-related job, but they book talent for print and runway fashion shows and I got a lot of exposure to the fashion industry that way."

The varied experiences will help Brandi with her future goals. "I eventually want to open a boutique in my hometown of Fredericksburg, Virginia," she says. "I'd like to have a store where designers could bring their work in and sell it, and I could also design and sell my own line of swimwear and sportswear. The clothes would be trendy and fashionable and appeal to teens. Right now, Fredericksburg doesn't have anything like that."

It sounds like they're going to very soon.