My cool co-op experience was at COACH. During my co-op I got to work side by side with the designers to work on designs for the spring and fall 2008 lines, as well as CJI (COACH Japan). This was the most hands-on experience I have had while co-oping. I developed tech packs to send to overseas factories, worked on sketches and got to go to many of the design and development meetings. My supervisor was fantastic! She took me to leather and fabric trade shows, competitive shopping all over New York City and out to lunch at Pastis, a restaurant from Sex and the City. She was always willing to answer any questions that I had and she gave me a lot of responsibility. Through bi-weekly learning sessions, I got to have breakfast with Lew Frankfort, CEO of COACH, and meet the COO, Creative Director, CFO, VP of Investor Relations and many more upper level officers. I was able to ask them questions not only about COACH but professional and career development as well. Because of these learning sessions, I was able to learn about how a company is run as a whole and exposed to other divisions outside of design. The internship coordinators also planned activities for the co-ops such as a scavenger hunt around the city, pizza parties and breakfasts. I got to participate in wear-tests, which allowed me to test products in development by wearing them outside of the office to see how a product will wear over time. The best part was some of the free samples I got to take back with me and I cant wait to see the designs I worked on in stores!