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! 

Essy Park: Intern at Deandri

Next up we have Essy Park sharing her experience at Deandri. We absolutely love her blog here at LFI and this sounds like a great internship! Over to you, Essy...

Name: Essy Park

Age: 19

Internship: Intern at Deandri (www.deandri.com)

The responsibility at your Internship: Being able to style and give input on new designs

The worst: Nothing! They treat me like family.

Your day-to-day tasks: Packing, sending out orders, labeling products, photo shoots, prepping for events

Why are you interning? I'm interning for the experience, and also because I love the brand that I'm currently interning for. It's my first time doing anything like this, so I decided that it couldn't hurt to give it a try.

What are your aims for the future/what do you hope to get out of your Internship: I'd love to work in fashion in the future, and with being a fashion blogger, it helps me understand how some brands may work as well as different areas of production, brainstorming, etc. I'm not sure exactly what I want to pursue in the future, but I know that I would never regret taking this internship.

Interning, for or against it? And why? I think it depends on who you decide to intern for. They may treat you badly, or may treat you well. Because every company is different, and because this is my first internship, it would be hard for me to be for or against. In my case, Deandri treats me like family. There have only been good times and good learning experiences for me so if you choose wisely, it couldn't hurt.

Do you have a website/talent you would like to tell the readers about? I am a fashion blogger and freelance model. I also am majoring in Illustration Design at the Art Center College of Design. My website is www.noirfairy.com

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

I'm not sure I would have the best advice, but I'll try my best to help out if anyone has any questions.

If you would like to contact Essy with any questions regarding her internship, please email londonfashioninterns@live.com and we will pass on your contact info! 

Your social handles:

Instagram: http://instagram.com/essynoir

Lookbook: www.lookbook.nu/essynoir

Tumblr: www.essynoir.tumblr.com

Blog: www.noirfairy.com

Facebook: www.facebook.com/essy.park 

Katie Meadway: Editorial Assistant at Drapers

So, here's our first intern feature at LFI and it's by the lovely Katie who gives us an insight into her great experience at Drapers as well as her fashion blog. We'd like to thank her for sharing her internship views and goals. Wishing her the best of luck for the future in bagging that dream job! 

Name: Katie Meadway

Age: 20

Internship: Editorial Assistant at Drapers.

The Best experience/responsibility at your Internship: During my time at Drapers I was given the opportunity to run a feature regarding fashion industry professionals and their careers. It meant I was able to interview thoroughly interesting people, for instance, a designer at Speedo, whilst also getting a piece of my writing published in a prestigious print magazine.

The worst: Luckily, Drapers was not a standard ‘fashion’ internship. They really got me involved with all the work they needed doing, and didn’t hold off on the pressure. However, when researching for potential interview candidates, it did mean I had to send a lot of emails. It wasn’t boring by any means as I was communicating with really exciting people, but the first one or two emails got a bit repetitive due to having to ask everyone the same initial questions, before their individual responses came through. 

Your day-to-day tasks/ main responsibilities: Like I previously mentioned, responding to emails from PR contacts, other journalists as well as stockists and wholesalers, researching appropriate people to interview and feature in the magazine, and emailing. I also had to do the weekly indicator - a feature that meant I had to ring around boutiques and small individual retailers and find out their best selling products and brands. 

Why are you interning? I did a degree in Psychology, but have always wanted to pursue a career in Fashion - be it PR or journalism. Due to my initial degree choice, I felt like I needed to offer experience to make up for my lack of education in my chosen field. 

What are your aims for the future/what do you hope to get out of your Internship: My aims for the future are to become a fashion editor, preferably of a magazine or website. I am lucky enough to be starting a new job soon as a Product Editor, which is a great start on the ladder to my dream job!

Interning, for or against it? And why? This is a hard one. As a whole, I am for interning, providing you are gaining experience and actually learning, as opposed to learning how to make a good cup of tea, or how your colleagues prefer their coffee! I think there are some things that education can’t teach you, and that you really do need to experience how the inside of the industry works. For those reasons, I am for them. However, if you feel degraded, useless and unappreciated, then I would strongly encourage you to think about the length of time left at an internship and whether you are learning enough to make you feeling that way, worth it. Interns are, sadly, always going to be the bottom of the food chain, but there is a way that employers should be treating you - with respect and they should also comprehend that you have a desire to learn about their role. After all, it could be you doing their job one day! 

Do you have a website/ skill/or talent you would like to share/tell the readers about?  www.aimabovelimits.co.uk is my fashion blog that I have been running for the past two years. It predominately focuses on high-street fashion but does include features regarding Fashion Month, and something I really love looking at - the transition from catwalk to high street. 

Your social handles: Twitter: @aimabovelimits

Are our readers allowed to contact you to talk more about your internship experience? OF COURSE :)

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

Emily Rodgers: Social Media Internship at Motel Rocks

As I am the owner of this website, it seems only fitting that I kick off these posts by talking about my experience as an Intern! This is also acting as an example of what a feature post looks like on this site. So, here you go!

Name: Emily Rodgers

Age: 22

Internship: My most recent Internship was Social Media Assistant at Motel Rocks Press Office. 

The best responsibility at your Internship: My main responsibility was to be the blogger rep, so talking to some amazing bloggers was great however I loved looking after the Motel Rocks Tumblr page the most I think! Sourcing cool photos, scheduling them and watching those followers creep up was a lot of fun!

The worst: There were no real boring bits to this internship, although dragging suitcases full of goody bags around London for LFW in the rain wasn’t very nice!

My main responsibilities: I would formulate content to post across the social media platforms including Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, Polyvore and Tumblr. This included content and imagery. Research competitor analysis meaning I would look at our biggest competitors social media pages to see what they were doing and getting inspiration. I acted as blogger representative, dealing with sample requests, making sure the bloggers posted what we sent them on their blog, archiving this and putting it into a report each week. I briefly wrote the weekly Newsletter for the Bloggers and Street Team and I also sourced product samples from suitable brands for Events and goodie bags.

Why did you do an internship? I interned because I wanted to test the waters and see what I would enjoy before deciding on a career path. Towards the end of my internship however I was getting desperate for any sort of paid job, so I was very lucky to have got the one I did!

Interning, for or against it? And why? I think I am for interning. There is always such hoo-haa about not paying interns, but if you can’t afford to do an internship, don’t do one! It’s a right of passage in most companies, its valuable work experience and although it’s hard work which may seem to go unnoticed a lot, it is teaching you a lot. If you work hard and show enthusiasm, who knows what can come of it, and at the end of the day, you're making some good contacts for the future which is invaluable!

Are our readers allowed to contact you to talk more about your internship experience? Of course! Both of my email addresses are in the contact section of the website.