Our five-pronged approach focuses on your individual strengths to develop your unique qualities towards making you an exemplary pi- designer.
Shreya Shrivastava
15/04/2025
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Overview
Internships are a game-changer for anyone aspiring to build a career in fashion. These fashion internships provide valuable, hands-on experience in a fast-paced industry, spanning design studios, fashion magazines, luxury brands and PR firms.
Beyond theoretical knowledge gained in the classroom, fashion interns develop essential real-world skills such as time management, communication, and professionalism. This experience also helps them discover their niche in fashion design, marketing, or styling.
Internships also open doors to valuable industry connections and future job opportunities. With top roles available across India and abroad (especially in Summer 2025), the right internship can jumpstart your career. This guide helps fashion students find, apply, and make the most of these career experiences.
Table of contents
If you’re a fashion fanatic dreaming of a career in fashion, here’s one thing you shouldn’t skip—an internship. It’s not just about adding a fancy line to your CV. A fashion internship is your first real step into the industry. It gives you a behind-the-scenes look at how things actually work outside the classroom.
From assisting on shoots to helping in fabric sourcing or shadowing a designer, internships help you understand your interests better. Do you love being backstage during fashion shows? Or are you more into designing prints? Or maybe you want to do fashion marketing? Real-world experience helps you figure that out.
Internships also teach you skills you won’t learn in college. You’ll learn how to meet deadlines, communicate with clients or teammates, and manage unexpected challenges. And yes, even simple tasks like organising samples or steaming clothes teach you patience and professionalism.
Another big plus? Networking. You’ll meet stylists, designers, photographers, and maybe even future employers. These connections can lead to job offers, freelance gigs, or collaborations in the future.
Plus, when you apply for jobs after graduation, brands love to see that you’ve already worked in the field. It shows you're serious, proactive, and ready to learn.
Landing a coveted fashion internship remains a crucial stepping stone for aspiring professionals, but knowing where to focus your efforts is key. So, which areas are generating the most buzz and offering the most promising opportunities? Let’s dive in.
For those passionate about sketching, draping, and garment construction, fashion design internships offer experience in studio settings, where you can assist with mood boards, sample production, fittings, and more. Top fashion schools and designers often offer competitive summer slots for students looking to get hands-on.
These roles are ideal for those interested in branding, content creation, digital marketing, or retail strategy. Interns typically assist with campaign planning, influencer outreach, social media management, and trend forecasting. With digital fashion marketing growing rapidly, expect strong demand in Summer 2025.
Want to break into fashion media or journalism? Editorial internships with fashion publications involve writing, styling assistance, photo research, and sometimes even attending events or shows. These are high-energy, deadline-driven roles, perfect for those who thrive in creative chaos.
From Chanel and Dior to Indian luxury labels like Sabyasachi, luxury brand internships provide exposure to the refined side of fashion. You may support visual merchandising, client relations, or event planning—gaining insight into the workings of high-end fashion houses.
Summer internships are the most competitive and widespread, aligning with academic breaks and major industry events like fashion weeks or new collection launches. If you're aiming for fashion internships 2025, start your search by January and apply early. Fall internships are less saturated and can offer deeper learning experiences due to smaller team sizes and more hands-on opportunities.
Platforms like LinkedIn, BoF Careers, Fashion Workie, and fashion school career centres often list top internship roles.
Tailor your CV and portfolio to each role. Include relevant experience—even if it's college projects or freelance work. [Here’s how to make a standout portfolio in 2025].
Be proactive, ask questions, and take initiative. Keep a journal of your tasks and learnings. Stay in touch with mentors and colleagues even after the internship ends.
Finding your first fashion industry internship might feel intimidating, but there are plenty of entry points. Here’s where you should start looking:
Most design schools in India—like NIFT, IIAD, Pearl Academy, or even private universities—have internship cells or placement coordinators. Reach out early, especially for summer internship roles. Many companies specifically reach out to campuses for intern hiring.
Luxury brands, retail giants, and fashion startups usually list internships on their careers pages. Think companies like H&M, Zara, Myntra, Reliance Brands, Aditya Birla Fashion, and even global brands like Dior or Gucci. Visit their career pages regularly and apply directly.
This is where your soft skills come in. Use LinkedIn to connect with industry professionals. Attend fashion events, college fests, or webinars. Don’t be shy to reach out via DMs or emails to ask if someone’s hiring an intern. Often, the best internships don’t even get posted online—they’re filled through referrals.
The word “fashion intern” can mean different things depending on where you’re working. Here's a breakdown:
If you're doing a clothing design internship, expect to assist with sketching, fabric sourcing, helping with fittings, maintaining samples, or updating tech packs. You’ll be working closely with the design and production teams.
Example: As a design intern at a boutique label in Delhi, Rhea (a NIFT student) helped the team with embroidery sampling and digital illustrations for the upcoming bridal collection.
If you're interning at a fashion publication, your role might include helping on shoots, writing articles, assisting editors, or researching trends. You’ll get a taste of both styling and editorial work.
Example: Priya, an IIAD student, interned at a leading fashion magazine and spent her days prepping mood boards for shoots, sourcing garments from PR agencies, and even co-writing a feature on upcoming Indian designers.
Fashion marketing internships or PR roles involve assisting with brand campaigns, social media content, influencer outreach, or event planning. It’s fast-paced and very people-centric.
Example: Aarav worked at a PR firm in Mumbai and helped manage invites, press kits, and influencer collabs for Lakmé Fashion Week.
It’s not just about finding any internship—it’s about finding the right one. Here's how to do that:
Once you've found the right listings, follow the application process—whether it's through a job portal, company website, or email. Some listings ask for your resume and portfolio; others may ask for a cover letter too.
If you're looking for fashion internships for summer 2025, start applying by March-April. Some companies even open slots in January. Fall internships (Sept-Nov) typically start hiring in June-July.
After applying, wait a week and then send a short follow-up email. Something like, “Hi, just checking in to see if there’s been any update regarding my application for the fashion intern position. I’m really excited about the opportunity!”
So now you must be wondering how to write a cover letter for a fashion internship? Your cover letter is your first impression. Make it count.
Tips for Tailoring It
Keep it professional but personal. Talk about what excites you about the brand, what you’ve done so far, and why you’re a great fit.
Example line: “As a student deeply inspired by Indian textiles and global streetwear, I believe I’d bring a fresh, culturally rich perspective to your brand’s creative team.”
A fashion portfolio isn’t just for designers. Whether you're into content creation, marketing, or styling—having visual proof of your work helps.
Practice how you’ll walk someone through your portfolio. Mention the context (college project or personal work), your inspiration and the outcome.
Everyone starts somewhere! Here’s how you can build up your profile:
Use your classwork—final collections, assignments, or class blogs—as part of your portfolio.
Start your own style blog, Instagram page, or YouTube channel. Curate mood boards on Pinterest. Style friends and photograph the looks.
Get involved with the fashion society, fest committees, or fashion shows. These experiences count!
Many indie brands, stylists, and editors are open to interns—they just don’t advertise it. A well-crafted DM or email could land you a role.
These are competitive roles—but they’re absolutely doable!
Try Vogue India, Harper’s Bazaar, Grazia, Elle, or Cosmopolitan. Follow their editors on Instagram, and watch for story posts or LinkedIn updates. Send emails to editorial assistants and interns—they’re often the ones managing applications.
Approach designer labels like Sabyasachi, Tarun Tahiliani, Manish Malhotra, or brands under Reliance/ABFRL. Start with an email to the brand’s HR or marketing team.
Even without a long resume, your Instagram curation, blog, or moodboards can show your fashion sense. Add any styling or design work you’ve done independently.
Ask seniors or alumni from your college about where they interned. Most are happy to refer or guide you.
Here are some top internship opportunities to explore:
Start early! Most top internships have deadlines between February and May for summer 2025 roles. Keep a spreadsheet and track deadlines, contacts, and follow-up dates.
So, how important is an internship in fashion? In short—very. Internships are not just a "nice-to-have" part of your fashion journey; they're often the make-or-break factor that determines how well-prepared and confident you’ll be when you actually enter the industry.
Let’s break it down.
Real-World Learning > Classroom Theory
Fashion is one of those industries where experience truly matters. While fashion college’s teach you the technical side—like pattern making, history of fashion, or textile science—it’s internships that show you how everything comes together in the real world.
In the classroom, you may spend hours designing on paper or a computer. But during a fashion industry internship, you’ll see how deadlines work, how creative briefs are interpreted, how clients give feedback, and how garments are actually produced. You’ll learn how a collection comes alive—not just on mood boards, but on the runway or in a campaign.
A lot of fashion students wonder, “What happens after college?” And the truth is, your internship often answers that question for you.
Luxury brands, designers, magazines, and PR agencies are more likely to hire someone they’ve already worked with—someone who knows the ropes, the vibe, and the pace of the industry. That’s why many fashion internships often convert into full-time offers or freelance gigs. Even if they don’t, you’re building relationships, collecting references, and strengthening your resume with every internship you complete.
One internship might lead to another. You might assist a stylist on a shoot, and they might connect you to a magazine editor. Or you might intern at a designer’s studio and end up working at Fashion Week. That’s how it works in fashion—it’s a networked world, and internships are your entry ticket.
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