Top On The List: Sri Lanka

Through this writing I want to allow you readers to see in depth my favorite job to date. Throughout the writing I will have details of the job and where our results ended up.

"It brought me out of my comfort zone and allowed me to see the inside world of Nike."

The year of 2018 started out overseas in Sri Lanka. Let me say that again so it sinks in for you readers. The year of 2018 started out overseas in Sri Lanka. Sri Lanka!! Okay, yes it may not be as exciting to you but when I tell you I was beyond excited for this adventure, I sure do mean it. I packed weeks in advance anything and everything that I could possibly need. I purchased my first ever passport, I bought my big girl travel bags and of course the converter chargers that were needed overseas.

I was in Sri Lanka for 20 days. We had the weekends off and we usually just stayed around the city or went to the beach to explore. I will dive into more of that here soon. But for now I want to focus on the why. I was in Sri Lanka because there was a Nike base there that focused on what we were trying to accomplish. Considering the 2020 Summer Olympics is said and done with, I can say in a little more detail what exactly it was I did. If you watched the Olympics, track and field specifically, the uniforms and what not started being created during the time I was overseas. I was there as their fit model.

What I Did For Work

Every day honestly was a waiting game. Taylor, the other model and I had our own room in the back of Nike where we would be able to relax until we were needed by the creative team. I brought reading materials and my journal to pass the time by. We were there from 9am to about 5pm every weekday. When we were needed we were practically human mannequins. I should probably tell you that before going overseas we both were digitally measured so that they had our precise measurements. In Sri Lanka, we would try on the clothes that they made from those measurements and they would reconfigure the construction, the material, the fit and any other little detail you could think of. They figured out what they needed to change, changed it and we would do the whole process of trying the uniforms on again. The creative team came to around three final looks and Taylor and I were the guinea pigs. We tried on the uniforms and ran in the hot Sri Lankan weather until we built up a sweat so that we could give proper feedback on the fit, the feel and how our sweat absorbed into the specific material. That was our job description; to be brutally honestly and precisely critique each garment. They wanted to ensure that they would be able to create the close to perfect uniform for the olympic athletes.

Where We Stayed

We stayed in a beautiful hotel with an unlimited buffet. If you know me at all you know that I love food so when I heard that we had unlimited food for every meal I practically freaked out. I became close friends with a lot of the staff at the restaurant because well since I do love food I was always in there and it was a nice little escape from being in the room after work. I will never forget the goodbye I had with one of the workers. I brought my adult coloring book with me that had words of affirmation within the drawing. For the workers I did get close with I gave them one with a little personalized note on the back. When I gave it to her she literally cried and said, "do you have to leave?" It is a moment I hold dear because that moment showed me that the smallest thing can bring so much light to someones life. On top of the amazing people that worked at the hotel we also had a fully equipped gym. Every morning I would workout before work to get a good start to the day. I would do my 30 mins of cardio and a short lift to get the body moving. We were asked to try our best to keep the same body type while we were on the trip to ensure that our measurements were consistent to the measurements that were taken in the beginning of this whole project.

The Off Days

I was beyond blessed that Nike gave us the time to experience the culture of Sri Lanka. The first weekend we went to a different part of town and stayed in a villa on the beach. We saw the most beautiful scenery in the city and on the coast. I was given the chance to go surfing for the second time in my life and found so much peace while being on the water. We had endless coconut waters and caught all of the sun in the process. I think what I enjoyed most was walking around the outskirts of the hotel to just experience the life in Sri Lanka. I rode in a tuk tuk and one of the creators of Nike that was based in Sri Lanka helped me pick out my own saree at a local market The adventures were endless and the weekends were a great escape from the long work weeks.

The Outcome

We got back from Sri Lanka and had multiple tests that still had to be completed. I was given a series of three uniforms and was asked to do specific workouts and run on a treadmill in a controlled temp room. I guess sweating profusely finally came in handy for the Nike workers. My gosh was it hot in there. We then had a photoshoot that displayed the completed work and construction of the uniforms that was used for the presentation to the head people of the Olympics 2020 team.

Overall

This experience will forever be on the top of my list as a fitness model. It brought me out of my comfort zone, allowed me to see the inside world of Nike and taught me how to understand the fit of clothes and terms to help me move forward with being a successful fit model. I had made so many friends from Sri Lanka and still keep in contact with them to this day. They became like family over there and I couldn't have asked for a better team. Seriously the most genuine, fun loving people you could ever meet. They empowered me as a model and gave me a voice and for that I will forever be grateful. So Nike, thank you. Thank you for choosing me and taking me on this amazing adventure with you. Thank you for helping me step outside of my comfort zone and thank you for giving me a voice within this industry as a model. I hope one day soon I can do it all over again.

xx Tayler Fettig