Anybody who’s part of the fashion fraternity will tell you that internship experiences are the most important to your future career in fashion. Complete as many and different internships as you can. We say “complete”, because most people tend to quit halfway through. Yes, fashion internships are super-hard and at times stressful, but don’t give up and never quit – you’ll never survive in the dog eat dog industry that this is if you can’t handle a tough internship.
Here we tell you all you need to know before you make your foray into the fashion world and apply for your first internship.
Know Your Company. This is key to score well in that initial interview. They’ll never hire you if you don’t know the company, so do your research well in advance. Read up so that you don’t go to the interview not knowing if your company deals in designing, curating, merchandising or styling!
Be enthusiastic about each and every task. Interns are basically extra hands hired to help out (voluntarily) wherever they can. The most successful internship is where you’ve done everything – from making copies and getting coffee to assisting on a shoot to designing for the next collection! Never let your employers know that you feel a particular job is beneath you, because none is.
Do stuff before you’re asked. Your employers will love you if you keep five steps ahead of them at all times. Also, be nice to everyone (including that super annoying co-worker who sits beside you and does more gossip than work)! Building relationships is everything in our field.
You will make mistakes. And you will get seriously yelled at for making those mistakes. But that’s okay, as everybody (even the top dogs) mess up sometimes. That’s how you learn and grow into a better fashion professional. Important thing is to NOT QUIT after getting a serious bashing, or you’ll look weak (remember that it goes on your resume if you quit an internship halfway through).
By the time you are done with your three months long internship, you’ll be a master at working under extreme pressure. Because that is what every fashion internship is, in a nutshell. Just hang in there, persevere and you’ll be fine.
Develop skills like multi-tasking and quick-thinking. Trust us, these will be your life savers in there. Being prompt, spontaneous and firm will help you get your work done with relative ease.
Speak up. Fashion people don’t, as a rule, like timid people. If you have a strong opinion on something then let it be known. Just have the necessary fuel to back it up, because chances are, you will get sucked into a debate with people who disagree with your “opinion”. Fortunately, there’s no such thing as “right” or “wrong” in fashion; there are just individualistic opinions and varying perceptions.
Be ready to work long, exhausting and often stressful hours because the fast-paced fashion industry stops for no one. Two weeks into your internship, the letters “TGIF” will mean nothing to you, because we fashion folks tend to work weekends. Try not to whine too much about it – that’s just the way things are.
By the end of a successful internship, you should have worked in all departments of your organisation, gathering a ton of all kinds of experiences, making a lot of important contacts and toughened up for your next great adventure in fashion!
Remember, fashion is a tough nut to crack – it’ll make you crazy, but in the end, it’s rewarding too and let’s face it, our love for fashion is pretty much undying.
