When you start your first fashion internship , whether it’s in PR, buying, merchandising, or editorial , one of the first surprises is realizing that the people around you seem to speak a totally different language.
You’ll hear your manager ask to “follow up on the pulls,” someone in merchandising mention “the sell-through report,” and a PR assistant remind the team to “respect the embargo.” And you’ll probably think: Wait, what?
Don’t worry, every fashion professional has been there. I still remember my first week at Alexander McQueen, hearing new terms every hour and secretly writing them down to Google later. Over time, I realized that understanding fashion office vocabulary is what helps you feel part of the team; it’s the invisible code that turns you from an outsider into an insider.
So today, I’ll decode 10 real terms you’ll hear in your first internship, explain what they actually mean, and show you which departments use them and how they’re applied every day inside fashion companies.
1. Pulls
Meaning:
Pulls are items (clothes, shoes, or accessories) loaned from a brand’s collection to be used for press, shoots, or celebrities. They are “pulled” from the showroom and must be tracked, handled, and returned carefully.
Departments That Use It:
- PR & Communications: Manage pull requests for editors, stylists, and influencers.
- Styling: Stylists and their assistants request pulls for editorials or campaigns.
- Editorial: Fashion editors coordinate pulls from multiple brands for shoots.
Daily Practice Example:
- Drafting pull letters and tracking outgoing pieces.
- Coordinating returns from stylists after a magazine shoot.
- Tagging garment bags with publication names before shipping.
💡Where you’ll practice this: Inside our Fashion Internship Simulator you’ll experience this in the Styling Internship Simulator, where you act as an assistant stylist on a Vogue Italia editorial, managing pulls, looks, and returns just like in a real job.
2. Samples
Meaning:
Samples are the prototype pieces of a collection, used for press, buyers, and photo shoots before full production. They often differ slightly from what reaches the store, but they represent the brand’s creative and technical direction.
Departments That Use It:
- Showroom / PR: Store, loan, and track samples for media and influencer use.
- Design / Production: Test fabrics and fits before approval.
- E-commerce: Use samples for product photography.
Daily Practice Example:
- Logging new-season samples into an Excel tracker.
- Preparing garments for a showroom appointment.
- Steaming and organizing samples for e-commerce shoots.
💡You’ll also handle this in the Styling Internship Simulator of our Fashion Internship Simulator, where you manage samples and pulls for an editorial project, exactly as you’ll do in a real fashion office.
3. Lookbook
Meaning:
A lookbook is a curated presentation of a brand’s new collection. It’s used to showcase each look’s styling and direction to editors, buyers, and press.
Departments That Use It:
- PR: Sends digital lookbooks to editors for upcoming issues.
- Buying / Merchandising: Uses lookbooks to analyze the range and order assortments.
- Marketing / E-commerce: Pulls visuals for social media, campaigns, and product pages.
Daily Practice Example:
- Updating product information for online upload.
- Formatting a lookbook in Canva or InDesign before press day.
- Using it to select the right mix of looks for a campaign.
4. Line Sheet
Meaning:
A line sheet is an Excel or PDF document that lists each item in a collection, including details such as product code, color, fabric, price, and delivery window. It’s the practical tool behind every buying and PR meeting.
Departments That Use It:
- Buying: Reviews products and makes assortment selections.
- Sales: Presents line sheets to retail buyers during market week.
- PR: Uses them to verify product details for press credits.
Daily Practice Example:
- Updating the line sheet with final prices and colorways.
- Cross-referencing SKUs to confirm correct product names.
- Assisting the wholesale team during showroom appointments.
💡Line sheets are one of the most common Excel-based tools you’ll learn to create in our Excel for Fashion Course, where we teach you how to format and automate them professionally, the same way real buying and PR teams do.
5. Sell-Through
Meaning:
Sell-through measures the percentage of inventory that has been sold compared to what was initially available. It’s one of the most important retail metrics.
Departments That Use It:
- Buying & Merchandising: Tracks product performance by week or month.
- E-commerce: Analyzes conversion rates and campaign results.
- Marketing: Connects data to storytelling (“This bag had a 90% sell-through in its first week!”).
Daily Practice Example:
- Updating the weekly sell-through tracker.
- Identifying bestsellers for restocks.
- Preparing a sales recap presentation for the marketing team.
💡You’ll calculate sell-throughs, track data, and interpret Excel sheets like these in our Excel for Fashion Course, which is tailored to the exact tools used in fashion offices.
6. SKU (Stock Keeping Unit)
Meaning:
An SKU is the unique product code used to identify every item (and variation) in a collection. It links together data on stock, pricing, and sales.
Departments That Use It:
- E-commerce: For website uploads and order tracking.
- Buying / Logistics: To manage shipments and stock levels.
- PR: To label and track samples borrowed for press or shoots.
Daily Practice Example:
- Logging SKU codes into Excel to track samples.
- Checking SKU accuracy for online product pages.
- Tagging each sample bag with its corresponding SKU label.
💡You’ll work hands-on with SKU databases in the Excel for Fashion Course, where you’ll learn how to use formulas and filters to manage data exactly as brands like Prada or McQueen do.
7. Embargo
Meaning:
An embargo is a date or time before which new information, such as a collection, campaign, or product launch, must remain confidential.
Departments That Use It:
- PR & Communications: Schedules embargoed press releases and launches.
- Editorial: Adheres to embargo dates before publication.
- Influencer Marketing: Shares embargoed content with influencers under NDA.
Daily Practice Example:
- Tagging emails “UNDER EMBARGO” when sending materials.
- Double-checking embargo times before posting on social media.
- Monitoring that no content leaks early.
💡Inside the Fashion Internship Simulator, the PR Internship Simulator includes working under embargo, writing press emails, scheduling launch content, and managing communication timelines like a real PR assistant.
8. Merchandising Grid
Meaning:
A merchandising grid (or matrix) organizes a brand’s product assortment by category, color, price, and size. It ensures a balanced collection that meets both creative vision and commercial goals.
Departments That Use It:
- Buying / Merchandising: Plans seasonal assortments.
- E-commerce: Organizes online product structures.
- Design / Product Development: Identifies assortment gaps.
Daily Practice Example:
- Filling out the grid for upcoming collections.
- Tracking which colorways or price points are missing.
- Updating Excel data based on weekly deliveries.
💡These types of Excel tools are exactly what you’ll build inside our Excel for Fashion Course, giving you the same analytical edge recruiters expect from interns in business roles.
9. NDA (Non-Disclosure Agreement)
Meaning:
An NDA is a confidentiality contract that ensures you don’t share private information, from unreleased collections to collaborations, outside the company.
Departments That Use It:
- Design / Production: To protect new designs and materials.
- PR / Events: To keep upcoming campaigns secret.
- Internships: You’ll often sign one on your first day, and yes, that means no TikToks from backstage 😅
Daily Practice Example:
- Signing an NDA before assisting backstage at fashion week.
- Managing secret samples or campaigns that can’t be shown publicly.
- Ensuring influencers and partners sign NDAs before previews.
💡Treat every internal document and sample as confidential; this professionalism builds your reputation faster than any skill.
10. Showroom
Meaning:
A showroom is the physical or digital space where brands display their collections for press, stylists, and buyers. It’s a key networking hub in fashion.
Departments That Use It:
- PR: Hosts editors and stylists for pull appointments.
- Sales: Presents collections to wholesale buyers.
- Styling / Editorial: Borrow samples for shoots directly from the showroom.
Daily Practice Example:
- Greeting journalists during press appointments.
- Organizing racks for new-season arrivals.
- Tracking which samples are out or returned.
💡Inside our Fashion Internship Simulator, you’ll simulate these showroom experiences through internship projects that replicate what PR and styling interns actually do, from handling pulls to managing sample returns.
Ready to Speak the Language of Fashion?
Learning these terms will completely change how you experience your first internship. You’ll follow meetings with confidence, understand every task faster, and prove to your managers that you already think like a professional.
Inside Glam Observer Academy, our courses go beyond theory; they give you hands-on experience with these exact tools and terms:
- 💼 Break Into the Fashion Industry: Learn how to land your first job or internship and train through real PR and styling internship simulators.
- 💻 Excel for Fashion: Master the technical side of fashion, SKUs, sell-throughs, line sheets, and merchandising grids.
- 💼Fashion Internship Simulator. Just like a real internship, you’ll work on brand campaigns, lookbooks, and media plans.
And if you want to start preparing today, join our free webinar where you’ll learn three strategies to become the candidate fashion recruiters can’t wait to hire.
Because understanding these words is just the beginning, speaking the fashion language fluently is how you turn your internship into a real career.
If you want to learn more fashion terms and expand your industry vocabulary, you can download our free Fashion Vocabulary Guide.
