"Where Are They Now?" is a series where we reconnect with former Prime Studio interns and discover the career paths they've forged since their time with us. In this episode, we chat with Yingying Yang, who interned with us back in the Summer of 2014.

What have you been up to since your internship at Prime?

I actually came back to freelance at Prime in the summer of 2016, working on the Urban Stems project at the time. It was really fun!

After graduation, I worked at Tory Burch as a leather goods designer. I learned so much from all the collections, met so many incredibly artistic and talented people, and traveled to factories in Asia, as well as on inspiration and sourcing trips within the U.S. and Europe. In the summer of 2022, I left New York and moved to South Korea.

That’s when the wild ride started. I launched a one-person freelance agency, working with corporate design teams in New York and also with new brand founders. At the end of last year, I co-founded two accessories brands with a partner in Singapore, one for parents and one for kids. Both of these endeavors have been really steep learning curves… struggling, but not giving up!

What are some of your memories of your time at Prime Studio?

Ramen chats for sure! 

It was during my time at Prime that pushed me to really improve all my skills - sketching, rendering, model-making, solidworks. I was really proud of the SW model I built for the squish potholder (with the help of Jochen and Stuart, of course!). I also frequently think about and feel grateful for the kindness that Stuart and Heather showed me. Jaeseong and I still owe them a BBQ meal since our stayover upstate! 

Did your internship at Prime influence your path?

Yes, it was so horrible that it made me leave industrial design! I hope you know that’s my poor attempt at British humor 😂.

In all seriousness, I’ve continued to use the skills I learned at Prime in my work since I’m still designing physical products—sketching, rendering, model-making, even SolidWorks at times (though Rhino and others get used more often because of the sculptural nature of a lot of fashion items).

What are you currently working on or most excited about in your career/life?

Learning about sales and marketing everyday, now that I work 2 businesses - it's so out of my wheelhouse but it's a fascinating new world. It's something that school never taught us but frankly everyone should have an idea how this works. Just having good ideas, skills and products are not enough sometimes, sadly. 

For my freelance business, I'm enjoying meeting a whole community of freelance designers out there, and making connections all around the world. My mission is to help more founders realize their dreams of starting a purpose-driven brand to transform the industry. It's still my bread and butter so working with corporates that ideally aligns with my values would be the other focus. Recently, the most interesting project I have is designing a luxury box for a new beauty brand that will be made in Italy. 

For my own brands, I want to nurture a community of modern parents, while creating best-selling products that makes parenting life easier. This work is meaningful to me since a lot of my friends are parents now. Going slowly but surely. 

Do you have any advice for design students looking for an internship now?

I think skills and drive are all good and necessary, but know that at the end of the day, the company is also looking for someone who they will like spending a copious amount of time with, and someone who is ready to learn and grow. 

Being naive can be your strength - you will go all out. 

Don't be discouraged if you don't get something you really want. The 'detours' you take may be where the best sceneries are.