Everything You Need To Know About Fashion Internships In 2024

If you are looking to start your career in the fashion industry and you have no experience, you are a student, or a recent graduate, then you probably have heard that you need to start with fashion internships. In this article, I am going to share with you everything you need to know about fashion internships in 2024.

Everything You Need To Know About Fashion Internships In 2024

What are fashion internships? 

Fashion internships are temporary entry-level job opportunities for those without experience or just a little, students and recent graduates. They represent your first real work experience within the world of fashion.

Fashion internships can cover a wide range of roles and responsibilities. It includes design, merchandising, marketing, public relations, styling, production, and more. The specific tasks and projects involved depend on the nature of the internship. It also depends on the needs of the company or organization offering it. A fashion intern’s job is to support the team or a specific person with the basics and practical tasks. We talk more about what fashion interns do in the different departments in this article.

Is it necessary to intern to get into fashion? Why you need to intern to get into the fashion industry.

Fashion internships represent your entry-level jobs in the fashion industry (but in any other industry as well).

While obtaining a fashion degree is not absolutely necessary to work in this industry, interning is necessary to get into fashion. It’s a common step before getting a full-time position. To put it into practice, rare are the chances that any company will offer you a full-time role when you have just graduated. This is the case if you don’t have some internships at your back. Consider it as another pathway to breaking into fashion. 

Fashion internships will provide you with the required experience that fashion companies demand for entry-level/assistant full-time jobs.

If you have been looking for some fashion jobs online and you have noticed that many require previous experience even for entry-level positions, just know that that previous experience is the one you’ll get through fashion internships. 

Fashion internships are a stepping stone to secure meaningful and long-term employment in the fashion industry.

These will provide you with the necessary experiences and they will also be useful in many other ways:

1. Interning in fashion to understand what fashion role is made for you

Through internships, you will see for the first time the working world of fashion. You’ll also see what fashion professionals do at their job. You might therefore understand even better if the ideal role in fashion you were dreaming about is really made for you. You’ll also understand if you prefer to go into another department. 

2. Fashion Internships for Skills Development

Fashion interns don’t just bring coffee or run errands. The responsibilities vary with each company. For example, during my internship, I never brought a coffee or ran personal errands for my boss. I was hands-on working like anyone else in the office. Also, I learned everything about running the e-commerce of Alexander McQueen so you develop many skills.  

3. Fashion internships provide Networking opportunities

Though I always say you don’t need to know someone to break into fashion, connections are still important in the industry. So, you can start leveraging them during internships. As an intern, you will be surrounded by many fashion professionals and have the opportunity to learn about their careers and develop connections with them.

Can anyone do an internship?

There are two main types of fashion internships that fashion companies offer. 

Fashion Internships for Students (School credit)

Some fashion internships are open to students only. It’s a type of contract that requires students to be eligible for course credit. So you must be enrolled in your bachelor’s or master’s degree to apply for these fashion internships. 

Taking an internship might be tied to your specific course or academic program (not necessarily a fashion degree); you can do a fashion internship even if you are enrolled in a traditional degree such as marketing, communication, journalism, art, history, business, engineering, etc.) requiring students to complete the internship for credit. The internship experience may also be supervised or evaluated by faculty members as part of the academic curriculum and the duration could also be set by the educational institution (for example, the internship could be part-time or last during a specific month or semester). 

Besides these differences mentioned above, typically, fashion internships for students are similar to internships generically open to everyone. So the possibilities lay within different roles and departments: design, buying, marketing, editorial, PR, etc.

You can understand if an internship is reserved for students only because fashion companies typically expressly mention in the description that it’s for school credit.

Fashion internships open to everyone (recent graduates, career changers, students)

The second category is fashion internships open to individuals beyond the student population, including recent graduates, career changers, or those seeking practical experience in this specific industry. If your degree doesn’t include any internship and you are still a student, you are also eligible for these types of internships. The goal of these internships is not to complete a degree or master’s but to gain practical experience in the industry to eventually land a full-time position. 

If in the description of the internship, you don’t read anything about college/school credit then it means the internship is open to everyone. 

My first internship in fashion was a generic one open to everyone even though I started it when I still had one month left of classes for my master’s in luxury and fashion management. 

What companies offer fashion internships? 

Fashion internships are typically offered by all fashion companies: luxury companies, fashion brands, fashion magazines, fashion agencies (PR agencies, trend forecasting agencies..). 

The best companies to intern for are the ones that align with your career goals. If you know you want to work for a luxury brand, then look for internships at luxury fashion brands. If you dream of interning at a fashion magazine, apply for internships at magazines so you build up your resume with experiences aligned with your career plans. 

When do companies offer fashion internships?

Internships are offered all year round. You can do:

• Spring Fashion Internships
• Summer Fashion Internships
• Fall Fashion internships

When to intern depends on your schedule. If you are studying, you might want to plan to do an internship when you have class breaks. If you have just graduated, you might have the calendar free so you can start an internship ASAP.

How long does a fashion internship last? 

The duration of a fashion internship can vary depending on the company and the nature of the internship.

They can go from 4 weeks to 6 months. After this period you can be offered another internship or (the ultimate goal) a full-time position at the end of it. 

Some internships just end there because the company doesn’t have plans to hire someone after and so you need to apply elsewhere after it’s over. 

Internships are the best way to get a full-time position, however, keep this in mind: it’s unlikely that a 4-week internship will turn into a full-time position. On average, 6 months to 1 year of internships are required to get a full-time job. Indeed, many fashion professionals do several internships (on average 2-3 internships) before landing a full-time job in fashion. 

Full-time vs Part-Time Fashion Internships

Some fashion internships offer flexible working hours and may be conducted part-time. This allows interns to balance their academic commitments or other jobs. 

Other internships are full-time. The internship I did, for example, was full-time and I was working a 9-6 Monday-Friday. Fashion companies typically say in the job description if an internship is part-time or full-time and its duration.

Summer Fashion Internships

Many fashion companies offer summer internships that align with the academic break even though they are not for students only. There are indeed many summer internships open to everyone. Summer Fashion Internships typically last for the duration of the summer, ranging from 8 to 12 weeks.

Academic Semester Internships

Some fashion internships, the ones for school credit, are structured to align with academic semesters. In these cases, interns may work part-time during the semester or take on a full-time role during academic breaks.

Where to find fashion internships?

Online job platforms such as LinkedIn, Indeed, regularly feature a plethora of internship listings from renowned fashion brands. Fashion brands and magazines’ websites (specifically their career pages) are also treasure troves for potential internships, providing direct insights into the organizational culture and expectations. 

We do also find internships for you with our weekly newsletter 365 days of fashion and send the updated list every Friday. 

How to apply for fashion internships in 2024? 

Applying for a fashion internship is like applying for any other job in fashion. You’ll go through the often multiple steps of the job application. 

You first need to find the internships online or through my favorite strategy: emailing your favorite brands to request an internship in your favorite department. 

To apply or send a spontaneous application, you need to build your resume, cover letter, and portfolio. 

Resume for fashion internships

The resume is the first introduction of you to fashion companies. You might think you have nothing to add to it when you just start applying for internships but don’t get discouraged if your resume is short. Everyone started from scratch. In this free webinar, I share some tips on how you can build a strong application even if your resume is short.

Despite it being short you still need to compile one. Use a professional clean template, build the education section, add online fashion courses, and customize the skills section. Focus on your eagerness to learn, adaptability, and your unique perspective as a fresh entrant to the industry.

More importantly, when you apply for internships, don’t just send a resume but add a cover letter and portfolio as well. 

Cover letter for fashion internships

An effective way to catch the recruiter’s attention and maximise your chances of landing your first fashion internship when you have no or little experience is to send a cover letter. 

A cover letter is not always expressly requested by fashion companies, but most of the time, they allow you to attach other documents besides your resume when you apply for an internship online. My advice is never to wait for companies to tell you what to do, but be proactive and submit a cover letter even when it’s not requested. 

A cover letter allows you to convey your genuine passion for the fashion industry. Use this document to express your love for design, marketing,  trends, and the creative process (depending on the role you are applying for). A well-researched cover letter shows employers that you are genuinely interested in their company. Mention specific details about the company’s values, projects, or initiatives. 

Even if you lack direct experience, your enthusiasm can make a strong impression and demonstrate your commitment to pursuing a career in fashion, that’s why even more than your resume it can convince recruiters to offer you the internship. 

If you lack certain technical skills or experience, a cover letter allows you to address these gaps proactively. Be honest about your current skill set while expressing a willingness to learn and grow. Highlight any relevant course, self-learning initiatives, or projects/masterclasses you’ve attended to demonstrate your commitment to learning more about fashion.

Read more about how to build a cover letter here. 

If you need templates enroll in the Break into the fashion industry course. 

Portfolio for fashion internships

You might see a portfolio as a collection of works gathered over multiple years of experience, but in reality, building a portfolio can be achieved by total beginners.

You can create a portfolio not just for a design internship, but for any role in fashion, whether it’s creative or business-oriented. It can include your school projects, freelance and volunteer work, or even personal projects that you created as a hobby or just for the sake of building a portfolio. Many of my students from my online course Break into the Fashion Industry built impressive portfolios with zero experience, and you can learn how to do it as well by enrolling in the course, which also provides portfolio templates. 

Read more about how to build a portfolio here. 

Job interviews for fashion internships

Being invited for a job interview among 500 applicants on average who applied for the same fashion internship is a big first win. The recruiter already got a first impression of who you are by reading your application (which was good considering you were invited to the job interview) and now you are faced with the task of maintaining a good impression during your face-to-face meeting. 

Job interviews can be a source of stress when you don’t know what to expect from the recruiters and what to say. This issue can be fixed by doing some serious preparation beforehand and researching the company, which will make you more knowledgeable and boost your confidence. 

So if you want to succeed at a job interview for a fashion internship (and feel less nervous) come prepared.

Research the company’s history and values, and understand who is part of the team. You can find everything online on the company website and information about your team on LinkedIn. Don’t forget to read carefully again the job description and memorize what your tasks will be about. On the list of tasks involved for my first internship Identify the skills and qualities the company is seeking and think about how your experiences align with those. 

You should also know that recruiters often test candidates on their Microsoft Excel proficiency during the job interview stage because it’s the most requested skill to work in fashion for 90% of the roles. In fact, this happened to me when I was applying for my first internship at Alexander McQueen, which I landed because I successfully passed the Excel test.

You can read what other things to consider before a fashion job interview in this article.

I hope this article brought you more clarity about fashion internships. Also, I explain more in-depth about all the things I mention in this article in my Break Into The Fashion Industry online course: how to find the right fashion career for you, how to build the perfect resume, cover letter, and portfolio, how to prepare for job interviews, how to network, and much more valuable tips to look for your (first) internship in fashion. So, I wish you the best of luck in your fashion internship search!