It makes sense that, as a person with a passion for fashion, you would want to work in the industry. The hardest part, however, is breaking into the field—whether it’s fashion design, styling, or writing. The Coveteur recently interviewed fashion industry professionals about entering the business and how they took their first opportunity and turned it into a career path. The secret? Landing your first internship.
Kate Titus, senior art director of digital innovation at Refinery29, says, “Your internship may not be as glamorous as you expected, but you have to start somewhere.” Paper market editor Kevin Breen didn’t intern until after graduation, but he was able to get his start and land a job afterward by sticking with it. “I started as an intern here at Paper and haven’t been able to leave! When I graduated from college, I was interested in fashion and media and thought that a magazine internship would be the best way to see if it was the right fit. People notice when you put the extra effort into what you are doing,” he says of his experience. Stylist Micaela Erlanger pretty much sums up how invaluable an internship can be to your career’s trajectory, noting that you should “treat your internship like a job and make yourself invaluable. Show up early and stay late. Ask questions. Do whatever you can to gain and learn from the opportunity and write down everything. The variety of experience will prove to be incredibly valuable and will shape your ability to work in what is known to be an incredibly fast paced and competitive business.”
And if you think you’re too old to get into the game, think again, because it’s never too late to get your big break—especially if this industry is what you’re passionate about.
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