10 Types of Fashion Internships

Securing an internship can be a challenging task on its own. In addition, identifying your specific area of study can add a whole new level of stress to this decision-making process. Provided below is a brief overview of the different types of fashion internships available, helping to clarify the various fields you can enter in the world of apparel.

Buying

The main purpose of this role is to plan and choose what is sold in stores to maximize profits for a company. As a fashion buying intern, you will assist the buying team in analyzing sales data, planning product pricing, managing budgets, and trend forecasting. Building and maintaining relationships with suppliers is of the utmost importance, as well as assessing the quality of potential products.

Design

Design is the first field that comes to mind when somebody mentions “fashion.” Design internships are so much more than just creating clothes. Some assistants focus on sketching, tech packs, and mood boards. Others may attend fittings and photograph samples. You could also find yourself aiding in sourcing fabrics or replying to customer inquiries. Another significant aspect is meeting with the entire design team of a brand or line.

Editorial & Journalism

If you want to learn how to better format opinion pieces or conduct interviews for an article, then this type of internship is perfect for you. Writing is a branch that directly ties into the industry. Companies like Vogue and Elle are prime examples that show how essential magazines and other news sources are to spreading information concerning the fashion community. This internship gives you the perfect opportunity to nourish your skills in both communication and research.

Event Planning

Being an event planner is one of the most stressful yet rewarding jobs in the market. As an intern for an individual event planner or an event planning company, you will ensure vendors arrive on schedule and that everything follows the event’s timeline. It is also important to pay attention to detail for the brand or theme, and also “be on deck” in case of an emergency. These positions typically allow you to help organize events such as launch parties, store openings, fashion shows, trade shows, and more.

History

If your dream is to become a curator for exhibitions like the one at the Met Gala, fashion history may be right up your alley. As a museum curatorial or fashion history intern, you will often have the duty of researching and fact-checking various pieces, as well as organizing and ensuring the cleanliness of costumes either on display or in the archives. You may also assist in the planning process of choosing pieces for certain themes in these public displays.

Marketing

The role of a marketing intern is relatively straightforward, although it requires creativity in showcasing a brand or products. In marketing, a large component of your job will be content creation and execution, so it is important to stay current on the latest trends. Another common aspect is consumer satisfaction, as you will need to facilitate in collecting data and analyzing feedback.

Merchandising

The roles of a merchandising intern can differ depending on the area you go into. There are a few main types in this category: visual, collection, and retail. Visual merchandising relates to the creation and maintenance of displays to enhance brand identity, while a collection merchandiser oversees the entire process of collection development, including reviewing samples and developing product messages. Retail merchandising tasks resemble many of those of a buying role.

Photography

Fashion photography is used in many aspects of apparel; it is commonly seen in eCommerce, magazines, physical stores, brand advertising, and more. Imaging is essential in showcasing products and visually translating the idea to the consumer. The duties for these internships usually include brainstorming creative content ideas, making mood boards, attending production creative briefs, assisting during setting up and throughout video and photoshoots, editing in post-production, and sifting through feedback.

Public Relations

Public relations interns provide support in many ways to those working above them. They participate in brainstorming ideas as well as organizing press releases based on their research. If you are in this profession, you will raise brand awareness and help create monthly activity reports based on customer engagement. Working within a PR agency means you will come in contact with many different brands.

Styling

Though you may not be personally hand-picking items for celebrities, a styling internship is an amazing way to make connections in the industry. You will often be doing a lot of what you think is “busy work,” but are essential tasks for this position. Interns are tasked with tracking, packing, and organizing garments, which is the key to ensuring the styling process runs smoothly. Assisting at fittings or events is also an important opportunity for someone to get first hand involvement in this field. 

This is just a condensed list of the many routes within the apparel business. Internships play a vital role in providing hands-on experiences (especially for students), and strengthening skills applicable to numerous fields that are not limited to just fashion.