‘Sweat and tears’: Confessions of a serial fashion industry intern

This article is part of our Confessions series, in which we trade anonymity for candor to get an unvarnished look at the people, processes and problems inside the industry. More from the series →

Pop culture has given many glimpses of what it’s like to be a fashion intern: long hours, demanding bosses and little pay.

There’s usually no shortage of job listings to work for brands and fashion companies, but without experience, recent fashion graduates or students can struggle to get a foot in the door. While the debate over the ethics of unpaid internships surfaces every so often, most interns are willing to take unpaid positions in the hope it could lead to a paid job.

In this edition of Confessions, in which we grant anonymity in exchange for honesty, we talked to a serial fashion intern who has completed four internships at three major luxury fashion houses, and who has gone on to work in the industry. To read the rest of this story, visit Glossy.co.

More in Marketing

Why brands are running to Strava

Starbucks announced a nationwide partnership with fitness app Strava, asking participants to walk 22 minutes a day for at least 10 days.

Tariffs forced Temu to slash its U.S. ad spend on nearly every platform

The Chinese e-commerce giant traded upper-funnel reach for high-intent shoppers — and still grew its user base.

Why DSW and other brands are pivoting back to ‘old’ marketing tactics

Amid AI and digital saturation, DSW is shifting ad spend to real-life activations and traditional media to deepen customer connections.