When Jamie Piraino got the news that she had been hired as a costume buying intern with Disney Live Entertainment, she was in between classes. After a long interview process, her recruiter had messaged her asking to hop on a call.

“I just started crying in the middle of this hallway. And I was thinking, ‘Oh my God, what is my life?’” Piraino says.

Now this lifelong Disney fanatic is taking advantage of every opportunity during her semester in Orlando, Florida, working with the character costumes team at Disney Live Entertainment.

Costume buying and sustainment

The costume department creates and maintains the costumes of characters and cast members in the parks around the world. Piraino joined the team at the beginning of the semester and began learning alongside many longtime Disney employees.

“We work on sustainment for the products, making sure that costumes are kept up with and working on fixes if there are new ones needed,” she says.

Piraino creates purchase orders for fabrics and other items from outside vendors. She also helps with work orders for existing costumes, making sure any needs are forwarded to the appropriate department. Sometimes, she checks color swatches or contributes to conversations about fabric redevelopment.

As a junior in fashion and textile design with a minor in textile technology, Piraino didn’t have the management experience typical of a costume buying intern. Her expertise in the technical side of textiles is what gave her an edge over the competition.

“A big part of why I got this position is that I understand textiles and how they’re made. So it’s just all the extra little tests that fall under costume buying I’m helping with,” Piraino, who has a concentration in textile design, says.

Her office days are spiced up with intern events and visits to the parks. On one workday, she was invited to go watch The Festival of the Lion King in Animal Kingdom and take a tour backstage to see the costuming operations. 

“It’s such a cool thing to say, ‘Oh yeah, for work today I went to Magic Kingdom,’” Piraino says.

She also gets special access to the park with a self-admission pass. Other than some blocked out dates during the busy season and holidays, she can visit the parks at any time with a reservation. For Piraino, it’s the perfect arrangement.

“I’ll get off work, I’ll be driving home, and the parks are on the way back to my apartment,” Piraino says. “So I’ll just think to myself, ‘I’m going to stop in Epcot and get some food.’”

Long-term learning

Piraino’s job promises her a few more months of industry experience. She says the Wilson College has taught her a lot of lessons about tools and tests that have come in handy. Having learned about the technicalities of textile production, she offers something unique to the team. 

“Having that general knowledge about textiles is helpful because a lot of the other interns come in from a fashion or a costuming side,” Piraino says.

She has hopes to continue working in costumes, perhaps in sustainable sourcing or animatronics. There is a wide range of possibilities with the Disney Company, and Piraino says she would love to continue exploring different options in the field and learning as she works.