Charlene Campbell: Interned as Fashion Assistant at FHM

Charlene Campbell, director at Style News, has not only interned but has used her experience to give us the inside scoop on how to become a stylist with her aptly named book 'Intern to Stylist'. A beginners guide for interns wanting to break into the fashion world, equipping you with the key tools to achieve styling success, from brushing up on the show seasons to learning about the growing trend of techno fashion, online stores and digital magazines. We caught up with her to chat about her past internships, advice and her book.

Name: Charlene Campbell

Internship: Fashion Assistant at FHM Collections, Assisted at Financial Times ‘How to Spend It’ magazine.

What made you want to do an internship?

I chose to intern because I wanted to get experience working in fashion editorial and the opportunity arose so I snapped it up. I volunteered for several months and it was the best choice I made. I worked under the Fashion Director so I learned all about planning and prepping a photo-shoot, how important press contacts are and the gratification when you see the story in print.

What was a typical day at your internship? 

I had to send sample requests to PR departments via email for photo shoots and on the photo shoots I steamed the clothes, wrote the credits down and also organized the samples that needed to be returned to press.

Did you feel better equipped to take on a job in your field after doing an internship?

Absolutely, every fashion newbie needs to intern. It’s the best way to get the relevant practical experience.

Tell our readers about your book and how it will help them in the world of interning and getting that dream job: Intern to Stylist is the ultimate fashion newbie guide for anyone starting out in the industry. It’s a book that I would have appreciated when I began my career 17 years ago. It features everything you need to know, from the fashion calendar, what to expect on a photo shoot, key industry contacts and so much more. It’s widely available at stockists including Stylenews.co.uk, Amazon and Topshop.

It’s the perfect introduction to ensure you kick start your career in the business fully equipped with all the essentials so you successfully grow from Intern to Stylist.

What’s the best piece of advice you can give to someone who is about to start an internship? My advice would be to ensure you have a notepad and pen ready at all times, pay attention to the detail in any allocated tasks and be sure to make yourself available to assist in all areas so that you get the maximum level of experience in the placement.

Are our readers allowed to contact you to talk more about your internship experience? 

Yes.

If you would like to contact Charlene, please email londonfashioninterns@live.com and we will pass on your contact information.

And finally, if you would like to purchase her book, you can do here!

Jessica Sheppard: Dresser, Design Room Assistant and PR Intern

Here's the next feature from Jessica Sheppard, who shares her internship experiences at numerous fashion companies. It's so interesting to see how each one differs and what you can gain from various internships. We wish Jessica loads of luck in her future fashion career! 

Name: Jessica

Age: 22

Internship:

1. Dresser at UCA Epsom Interal Show
2. PR Intern, London Collections: Men at Elladror PR
3. Design Room Assistant at In Love With Fashion

 The Best experience/responsibility at your Internship:

1. I loved getting to see the clothes up close and feel a part of the team.
2. Seeing the fashion shows from the side lines and being trusted with important people!
3. Getting to cut out the fabrics and feel like a proper part of the team.

The worst:

1.     My model was really stroppy and had a tantrum in the middle of the show so it was impossible to get her dressed on time.

2.     There was a lot of waiting around between shows.

3.     I wouldn't really say there was a worst bit - it was so much fun!

Your day-to-day tasks/ main responsibilities:

1.     Making sure the outfits were together as a whole and fit to be worn as well as fitting the model properly, practising quickly changing in and out of the clothing, becoming friendly with the model and getting her in the right place at the right time. My model had 11 outfit changes so it was quite fast paced and stressful.

2.     My main tasks were helping to set up the show spaces, ensuring everyone was in the right place to sit for the show and helping it to all run smoothly.

3.     Cutting out the patterns and making sure that I was using the right fabrics. This was probably my most tense internship because I was so worried about cutting the fabric wrong because it was so important.

Why are you interning?

I study fashion design so its important for me to get experience within the industry. We are pretty much forced to intern so we have more chance when we get into the working world.

What are your aims for the future/what do you hope to get out of your Internship:

I am not entirely ruling out any part of the fashion industry so I am trying to get internship experience in all sections - then at least I've tried every avenue before reaching my end goal and I'll know that its exactly what I want to do. My main dream is to have my own menswear line but I know that I'm going to need a lot of experience with designers before I get there.

Interning, for or against it? And why?

I'm totally for internships but I think that they are incredibly expensive and hard to get into unless you live in or close enough to London. However, there are some good jobs in major cities like Manchester - London is the place to be if you want to make it in fashion. I definitely think that they help you with experience and knowledge of the industry and it’s kind of like a taster course before you end up in an actual job role.

Your social handles:

www.copper-garden.co.uk

twitter - @coppergardenx

Youtube - CopperGardenx

instagram - @coppergarden

Are our readers allowed to contact you to talk more about your internship experience? 

YES

If you would like to contact Jessica, please email londonfashioninterns@live.com and we will pass on your contact information. 

And finally, here's Jessica's video on Q&A's about fashion courses and internships, a good watch and some very helpful tips and advice!