Interviewing in the Fashion Industry

I've only graduated from college a short 4 years go - but I've had many internships & jobs in my career thus far.  As I knew I wanted to work in fashion, but didn't know to what capacity, I made sure that my education was well rounded in both design & merchandising as well as my work experience. You can check out my resume, to see where my experiences lie, but I was able to nab an internship in design, marketing and retail before I graduated.  After graduation, I realized that design wasn't for me and ended up where I am now - financial/merchandise planning (as well as being an entrepreneur on the side of course).  I'll write another post at some point on WHY schools should start training more for fashion planning as there is a HUGE need in the industry. (...no jobs these days?  I get at least one offer a week since I'm a financial/merchandise planner...)  Point is, you can get any job you want if you know how to position yourself in the job.  You can do that by focusing on your strengths and squashing their doubts before they can even bring them up.

I'm a "Cyber Mentor" for Cornell University to students who are now in the Fiber Science Apparel Design major that I went through.  My "mentee" is starting to interview for internships and asked me for some advice. She said what I told her was "invaluable" (brush my shoulders off), so I decided to share with everyone as I'm sure this could help many people out there.


1) When interviewing companies to prepare for an interview, what type of company background details should I be looking for?

As far as company background - know the history.  You don't need to know EVERYTHING - but know that Ralph Lauren started just selling ties.  Know who the designer of the company is (in this case...still Ralph...but for Hermes for example - it's Christophe Lemaire) and know the BRAND IDENTITY.  A big key word at Ralph is LIFESTYLE. It's a LIFESTYLE brand (which means it encompasses LOTS of different lines...mens, womens, home, pets etc) and it's selling Ralph's vision.  Whether it be preppy, or cowboy, or Americana - it can be rustic and luxe, it can be expensive and it can be more affordable. He's selling his IMAGE - and something great to say would be that you like the way that Ralph's vision encompasses every age/income bracket and yet he can still dress the same aesthetic.  For Hermes, it's about our heritage & craftsmanship. Read current articles, know these brand identities to drive the focus that you already "drink the Kool-Aid" of the company.  Describing these companies visions would be completely different than that of Proenza Schouler or Marc Jacobs.  Know your audience.

2) What do companies want to learn most about me during an interview? And is there something almost all companies have in common that they want most from a potential employee/intern?

Design internships are different - but I think what most want to see is eagerness to learn.  My biggest thing was I was looking for a multitude of experience to broaden my horizons.  I saw the design side, the marketing side, the retail side...I wanted to use my internships to give me a well rounded education. If you're focused on just design, I'd say look for different types of companies; small, large, private, public, corporate etc.


3) Is there anything I should definitely avoid saying?

DON"T pigeon hole yourself into saying you only want womenswear. For instance,  Ralph is known for menswear!  Even if you have NO aspirations of ever designing childrenswear or menswear - these influential experiences are always great for shaping your OWN future aesthetic!  You can say that at school, they don't focus on menswear - but tell them you're open to learning about it so that you can gain from the experience! If you're truly not interested in the company for what they are, then don't apply.

4) Is there a difference between how I approach a design internship vs another type of internship (ie. sales)?

Use your education as an advantage in every situation.  When I was going for NON-DESIGN internships - I would say that my design background made me a better candidate than blanket "marketing/sales" majors because I had the hands on experience of knowing how a garment is made.  Knowing the intricacies of fabric, style, design lines etc. make you more informed on how to market/sell an item.  If I was going for a DESIGN internship  - imagine you're going up against ALL design majors - so say that your liberal arts background (if you have one) has shaped you to looking at design differently.  Maybe pre-calc and writing seminars didn't help so much - but talk about how by taking these classes you've been given inspiration to learn from outside of the workroom.  Also by taking merchandising/marketing classes - you're becoming familiar with the industry and that always helps towards design!  Just THINK of how you can make yourself be the ultimate candidate. 

Think of what THEY think will be your weaknesses - and have an excuse/reason behind each of them.