David Collins Studio - Raaida Hossain, Yeji Son, and Fanta Dembele have all taken part in United in Design's internship program at David Collins Studio. Raaida is their current intern with both Yeji and Fanta joining David Collins Studio as employees following their internship.
David Collins Studio is an internationally renowned luxury interior design and architecture practice, based in London and working across the world. The Studio works with luxury and heritage brands and delivers industry-leading interior architecture and design within the hospitality sector.
David Collins has supported the United in Design's internship program from its inception in 2020
I interviewed Raaida, Yeji, and Fanta alongside Emily Wilder, Head of People at David Collins Studio, in February 2026 ahead of our 5-day cycle ride to raise funds for United in Design's outreach program.
In this episode, we discover how paid internships can increase accessibility, the importance of fostering an inclusive and welcoming studio culture. How a well-structured intenship program can help boost skills and provide an investment for the company and the wider design industry. And why, it's always worth spending a bit of time doomscrolling on Instagram
Links
My guests on LinkedIn
Yeji Son
https://www.linkedin.com/in/yeji-son-8823942a0/
Fanta Dembele
https://www.linkedin.com/in/fantadembele/
Raaida Hossain
https://www.linkedin.com/in/raaidahossain/
Emily Wilder
https://www.linkedin.com/in/emily-wilder-19b285121/?originalSubdomain=uk
David Collins Studio
https://www.davidcollins.studio/
United in Design
https://www.unitedindesign.com
Clerkenwheels
https://www.clerkenwheels.com
Industry Publicity
https://www.industrypublicity.co.uk/
I want to thank the team from United In Design for supporting our ride, Sophie Ashby and Alex Dorley and behind the scenes, Eman Akbar, who's been working tirelessly to put things in place.
Julienne Webster from Industry Publicity, who's helping us with the marketing and PR of our initiative, and Tom Bourne from Select First, my co-rider for thinking up the idea, coming up with the name and keeping me motivated whilst I try to do my training.
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Thanks for listening. Bye for now.
