Workplace Internships

[loving_couture]

I want to inter at Louis Vuitton or Chanel this summer,or somewhere in the fashion area.

I rarely hear information about internships,
does anybody know what age you have to be?
And how is the best way to get a spot where you want?

Thanks in advance

 

[amanda]

Unless you can call Uncle Karl Lagerfeld or Aunt Anna Wintour, be prepared for a SIGNIFICANT challenge in getting one of these internships.

They probably don't have a set age minimum (if they do, it's most likely 18, because that's when you become exempt from American child labor statutes), but most people that are going to be strong candidates for these sorts of internships are going to be either several years into college in a related degree program or recent college graduates. They won't be publicized because they don't have to be - they're the sort of career-making opportunities that people seek out and fight for, they don't have to search for to fill their spots. Strong candidates will probably have previous internships with smaller fashion houses, fashion magazines, or work experience in the industry. To find out about how to apply, you'll have to track down the contact information for their corporate hiring office, which you might be able to find on their websites (I feel like your odds are better with LV than with Chanel in this instance). Also, i'm not sure about Chanel's corporate structure, but Louis Vuitton is just a sector of a much larger corporation, LVMH, so not all their internships are going to be with Louis Vuitton itself.

good luck to you, it's a jungle out there trying to get good internships. i'm a magazine journalism major, and i have friends that have interned at places like Vogue, and i can tell you that the fashion industry is an incredibly difficult place to penetrate without good connections. find a way to network.

 

[cherry pie]

to intern at chanel you need to speak impecable conversational french, have office experience, knowledge of the company and...someone who knows someone at chanel. my friend recently finnished an 8 week stint with them but she only got in because she spent 3 months last year working as an intern for a top london stylist (zoe lem).

she still had to fight for it though and she actually hated it, long ours no respect. first time she met KL he told her he didnt want to look at her in the office if she would be gawping and maybe she should just leave!

 

[EmilyK]

to intern at chanel you need to speak impecable conversational french, have office experience, knowledge of the company and...someone who knows someone at chanel. my friend recently finnished an 8 week stint with them but she only got in because she spent 3 months last year working as an intern for a top london stylist (zoe lem).

she still had to fight for it though and she actually hated it, long ours no respect. first time she met KL he told her he didnt want to look at her in the office if she would be gawping and maybe she should just leave!

rotflmao... that's intense!! and speak french, interesting.

 

[loving_couture]

Well i live in Quebec,its the french speaking part of Canada,soo i do my school in french,i speak and write perfect so thats no problem for me at all.

 

[Socialite]

to intern at chanel you need to speak impecable conversational french, have office experience, knowledge of the company and...someone who knows someone at chanel. my friend recently finnished an 8 week stint with them but she only got in because she spent 3 months last year working as an intern for a top london stylist (zoe lem).

she still had to fight for it though and she actually hated it, long ours no respect. first time she met KL he told her he didnt want to look at her in the office if she would be gawping and maybe she should just leave!

OMG !! sounds like a nightmare

 

[Bambie]

Have you seen or read The Devil Wears Prada? Don't be fooled by it because in reality, working in fashion is 1,000,000x worse.

You can PM for morbid details, if you like.. but they don't differ much from what's already been said.

 

[cherry pie]

Have you seen or read The Devil Wears Prada? Don't be fooled by it because in reality, working in fashion is 1,000,000x worse.

You can PM for morbid details, if you like.. but they don't differ much from what's already been said.

im guessing youv been through the crap too. no internship is all fun but some industries are so worse.

 

[nextnewface]

Yep, you need GOOD contacts and connections to get an internship over there! Also, you need to think of a plan for accomodation, etc and Visa's... it's not just about getting the job, but making sure that you CAN accomplish that job, you know?

Also, previous experience in the field helps. I don't know what you do for a living (are you still in school, work part time?), but if it's impossible for the summer, try to intern at one of the mags in Montreal (Loulou, Elle, Clin d'Oeil) or maybe even in Toronto, or apply at one of the boutiques... Ogilvy, Holt's, etc.

Good luck
​

 

[lorihmatthews]

Are you in school/university? Can you contact some sort of counselor or career center there? They might be a good resource.

Other than that, be careful what you wish for, an internship could possibly ruin the industry for you. It is brutal.

 

[Cicciolina]

I've seen Chanel internships (for buying, retail, communications and PR) advertised on www.fashion.jobs (click on Internships Offered), around June-August area. You had to email a cover letter and your resume to the HR department ( [email protected] ). One of the ads was quite strict with what sort of people they were looking for (PR or communications), usually an undergrad university so they can work for credit, and they wanted someone with an English, Communications or Business degree, strictly no fashion or design degrees, etc etc. Wait I'll just find the ad.

Ok here's the Communications ad which was quite lengthy.
Chanel - New York, United States

Communication Intern

? Assist Director, Internal Communications in reviewing Intranet postings, memos, and other communication request for accuracy, style, and appropriateness. Use good decision-making skills to screen request before elevating them to Director.
? Research and generate content for Intranet articles, speeches, memos, etc. as assigned.
? Post items on Intranet site oversee content to ensure it is up to date, coordinate routine changes.
? Research information and pictures and generate design for presentations, as necessary.
? Assist with event planning and project management.

Skills

Marketing, Communications, Journalism, Public Relations or English major
Aspiring fashion designers or other majors need not apply.

Required:
? Good writing, verbal, listening, and interpersonal skills
? Good proofreading skills
? Knowledge of Word, Excel, and PowerPoint
? Ability to prioritize workload and multi-task with moderate supervision

Highly Preferred:
? Web/intranet experience or willingness and aptitude to learn
? PhotoShop/Adobe Suite or other creative/design software skills

Human Resources Department
[email protected]
------------------------------------------------------------------------

I would kill to work at Chanel however I wasn't able to work at that time, so I'm interning at WWD and Vogue.

Oh and all the internships I'm talking about (Chanel, etc) are based in New York.

I hope this helps.

Oh and to get these sorts of internships they like it if you have other internships under your belt or at least a lot of relevant experience, they won't take you seriously if you just apply with no work experience - unless you have incredibly good connections! In which case can you get me a job there too?

 

[Pinkdancer]

Cicciolina, are you looking to do PR/communications in the fashion industry? Just curious.

 

[Cicciolina]

Cicciolina, are you looking to do PR/communications in the fashion industry? Just curious.

Not 100% sure at this point, I just finished interning for a fashion PR company here (they look after Cartier and other brands) and I'm still not 100% decided on PR... I would love to work in fashion definitely though, maybe more in the business side like as a buyer or in the financials or at a magazine

 

[IntlSet]

Unless you can call Uncle Karl Lagerfeld or Aunt Anna Wintour, be prepared for a SIGNIFICANT challenge in getting one of these internships.

OMG, so true.

Maybe if you attend Parsons and harrass a professor into making some calls for you...

Are you interested in a FASHION internship or just a general internship in their legal department, PR department, what have you?

If fashion, then...

I really hate to discourage people, because I figure you have 0% change of getting an internship if you don't apply but there's a shot-in-hell you can get a Chanel or LV internship if you do... but there's really no way to "apply" for these kind of things. It's not something that will go through their HR department where someone fair and impartial will give you this job based on your own merits.

If I were you, I'd set my sights on interning for an indie or emerging designer: you will get up close and personal, and probably get a lot more responsibility.

 

[guccimamma]

i have no advice, just best wishes and good luck!