How to get a fashion internship

It’s been a while since I was an intern, but I can’t imagine the industry has changed too much since. The fashion industry can be challenging at first, especially if you don’t have any contacts and just your own ambition and determination to be a part of a culture you love. That’s how it was for me - growing up in a small town north of Toronto, where there weren’t buses or even that many places you could get a summer job. I dreamed of escaping to the city and joining a faster pace, surrounded by people who inspired me.

Building credibility from the ground up

I remember being in university at McGill, where I was studying business. I chose business because coming out of school I was smart, but I had no idea what I wanted to do as a career. My logic was simple - business is practical and would be something I could take forward with me by the time I figured myself out. Who I wanted to be, what I liked, even who my friends were. You could say that I’d always been quite independent, but also reclusive, so my love of fashion was something I enjoyed in my own mind and on my own time. It was 2009 when blogs were becoming something quite powerful and I thought it would be a good creative outlet for me to build up knowledge of the industry, almost like a diarised study of designers, models, evolution of brands.

After starting this blog, and the time I poured into all this research in my spare time, my mom suggested one day that I try and see if I could make a career in fashion. The thought had never really crossed my mind, as I wasn’t in fashion design program - and any other programs related to fashion such as buying or merchandising, really weren’t developed yet. I thought working in fashion meant I had to attend Parsons or Central Saint Martins, but I really didn’t know. We agreed that I could try and find some volunteer opportunities where I could get to know the industry a little more and see if there was a space I’d enjoy.

The first thing I did was find the least competitive space - Toronto Fashion Week in February 2010. It was all hands on deck and as long as I could make myself available, then I was in. I had applied through their website and come home from Montreal for a week to see what it was all about. That was how I began building a fashion slanted set of experience that might make myself more attractive to future internships - which were fewer in supply and high in demand.

Think broadly about experience

When it came to the summer of 2010, I had my sights on getting an internship in Toronto to start building my network. I remember using the Toronto Fashion Week calendar as a base to create a list of all the brands I wanted to contact. I thought that if I cast my net wide enough then I had a better chance of securing something. Everything from designers, to modeling agencies and magazines. I had an Excel sheet with every company’s contact details, the name of the person I should be reaching out to, and then the scary part - drafting the email. I was so nervous that I wouldn’t get any responses. I didn’t have a design program like Ryerson University supporting me, it was just cold calling for what might be available.

I wrote out a standardised email where I could change out the contact details for each business, and then I started sending out the emails. It was terrifying, but even if I could get a response from a few people, I might get some advice at least of what else I could be doing. I think I ended up emailing something like 30 different companies and only heard back from maybe 7 or 8.

Be a ‘yes’ person

One key thing I did when I got a response was I tried to maintain the connection with that company. I wanted to learn more about their business, and get any face time possible - it’s a lot harder to say no to someone’s face after all. I was lucky enough that I did get a few meetings where I put on what I considered to be my most stylish outfit and whizzed around Toronto in what must have been -20 degree weather. I’m pretty sure I was wearing stilettos and had bare legs! Looking back at that now, I’m proud of the tenacity I had. Pretty well a no one to the Toronto fashion scene, but I was going to change that by taking any opportunity I was given.

In the end, I was offered an internship with Smythe, a designer duo who had also attended McGill University. They told me that normally, they would hire a design student, but they understood how that would put me at a disadvantage and could see how much I wanted it. I did! I wanted it more than I could describe. So I got ready for my summer “volunteering” - read: unpaid internship - in the city, commuting downtown from home. I even got a job waitressing close to the train station, so I could earn some money to cover my commuting expenses!

Don’t be afraid to ask

My first week at Smythe, I had heard back from another company I’d reached out to - Elmer Olsen Models. They had a space available for a summer intern as well, just one day a week. I knew that one day a week wasn’t worth giving up Smythe, and there was something to learn from both companies. I wanted to be able to do both, and so I bravely asked Andrea and Christie if I could intern just 4 days a week while I spent one day at Elmer Olsen. I was nervous that it could be interpreted as selfish or maybe short sighted, having only just started and already wishing to cut back. Turn that around though, and what I was really asking for was to maximise my unpaid summer in the city - build up as many contacts as I could in a short period of time! And you know what? They approved.

So I was working at Smythe 4 days a week, spending Wednesdays at Elmer Olsen, and absorbing information like a sponge. Asking questions, and then pouring it all back into my blog and deepening my understanding of what opportunities there were for me. I was even reading books about the history of design on the train each day! I read pretty well every Assouline book they had related to fashion I could find.

Build a two-way street

That summer at the modeling agency, there was a big event happening at the Royal Ontario Museum. BIG! Haider Ackermann was putting on a runway show as part of his relationship with a boutique in Yorvkille. It was very much an inner circle type of guest list, mostly high profile customers of the boutique and then industry friends. As an intern, I was invited to attend as well! Standing at the back, but still, I was in the room.

I had realised that this show was something my bosses at Smythe would have liked to attend as well, but I wasn’t sure if they were. I had asked Elmer Olsen if I could have two more invites for them, and then I told them about it the next day. They were so excited about the event, that we actually attended together! And for me it was such a perfect way for them to introduce me to other people in the industry. It felt like they had taken me under their wing for the evening, and I was so excited for that network to start building.

That night I was introduced to another designer duo - Kirk and Stephen of Greta Constantine, and the opportunity came up for me to also volunteer at an event they were hosting later that summer for the launch of their men’s collection.

Keep hustling

From knowing absolutely no one, and not even really understanding the processes and various functions of the industry, internships helped me find my own way. Though it was difficult not making any - or very little - money, they help to build character and your own potential very quickly. Similar to anything else, what you get out of an internships is dependent on what you put into it, so I would recommend the following;

1. Cast a wide net
   You don’t know what you like until you’ve tried it, and it’s a competitive space to try and break through

2. Always do more than you’re asked
   Try every day to learn something new and go above and beyond to demonstrate leadership. Show everyone you meet that you’re a helpful person to have around, as your reference will help line up your next opportunity.

3. Maximise your time
   If you’re working for free, make sure you’re getting what you need. Internships can feel one-sided, like you’re the one being done a favour, but it’s not! You’re there to help, so think about what they can do to help you.