5 Reasons We Love our Fashion Internships

ICMS students currently completing fashion internships as part of their Bachelor of Business Management (Fashion and Global Brand Management) degree say they are loving their internships. The Industry Placement component of this bachelor’s degree allows students to gain hands-on real-world practical experience in the fashion industry.

Fashion internship placements are organised by the in-house ICMS Work Integrated Learning (WIL) team, who have an impressive network of Industry Partners in the fashion industry. These leading companies facilitate invaluable industry insight and experience through fashion internships for second-year students.

Here’s what Tayla Rose, Ava Negri and Jami Prowse, three ICMS students currently on placement, told us about their experience thus far and what they love about their fashion internships:

1. Networking Opportunities to Make Industry Connections

By completing included fashion internships as part of their degree, students like Tayla, Ava and Jami have an opportunity to make valued connections within the fashion industry.

“Overall it’s been a really great experience as I have been able to make lots of different connections within the industry and get hands-on experience which I can now take into my career” said Ava, who is currently doing her internship at fashion agency Halation Agency, based in Rosebery in Sydney. “The ICMS WIL team helped me find this internship,” she said.

Networking with industry professionals allows students to advance their career and get access to future job opportunities that otherwise would not necessarily be accessible to them.

Jami added, “I really like that I get to make real-life connections within the fashion industry.” She is currently doing her fashion internship at the Strandbags head office on the Northern Beaches, Sydney.

2. Learn Practical Skills and gain Hands-on Experience

“I am having the most mazing experience here at sandbags and I am learning lots of techniques I am going to be able to take into the workforce into the future,” said Jami.

There are some things that just can’t be taught in the classroom. Visual merchandising, styling, creative direction and content creation are just a few of the skills that our students have learnt so far during their fashion internships.

Tayla is doing her fashion internship at retail and e-commerce store Splice Boutique in Newport, Sydney. “The type of things that I am doing includes… a bit of customer service, social media, dispatch, and even a bit of modelling!”

Ava’s role at Halation Agency includes setting up the showroom, meeting clients and visual merchandising.

3. Fashion is our Passion

Having a passion for clothing, styling and design is the first step in pursuing a dream fashion career. “I grew up loving sewing and loving fashion, and I really like the idea of studying business within the fashion industry,” said Jami.

Fashion internships are great fun for students, and allow them to experience working with successful fashion brands and make an impact with their organisations. “My favourite part of the fashion internship is the social media design where I get to choose different designs, put them together and post them on Instagram,” said Tayla.

4. Fashion Internships are a Great Way to get into the Fashion Industry

Fashion internships are one of the best ways, if not the best way to get your foot in the door into the fashion industry. This creative industry has so many career pathways to pursue, and it can often be confusing where to start. Our fashion students talked about how landing an internship, which is a integrated part of the course, is a fantastic way to get into the fashion industry.

“When I graduate I really want to start my own line or my own brand, and I believe that this course and this internship will prepare me for that,” said Tayla.

Interning with a fashion brand provides relevant, real-life experience that students can put on their resume. This makes them more employable, standing out from other young professionals trying to break into their completive industry.

5. Applying Lecture Content

Whilst the content taught in lectures is an excellent way to gain knowledge and learn core concepts, having fashion internships included as part of your bachelor’s degree is the best way to apply class content in a practical environment and learn hands-on about the corporate world.

Subjects like Styling and Creative Direction or Digital and Social Media Marketing teach students core fashion and branding concepts, skills which they can then take with them into their internships.

The opportunity to complete fashion internships at well-established fashion brands and agencies allow students like Tayla, Ava and Jami to take what they’ve learnt in the classroom out into the real world and really see how these concepts are applied in the workplace.

Watch this video (below) more of what these students enjoy about their fashion internships.

Bachelor of Business (Fashion and Global Brand Management)

It takes more than just innovative designs to build a successful fashion brand. Experts in marketing, merchandising, logistics, sales, retailing and more, contribute to bringing a product from the runway to the racks of our favourite stores. You don’t need to be the next Anna Wintour or Gianni Versace to make an impact though; if you’re passionate about fashion, studying fashion and global brand management is the best way to learn about what fuels this fascinating, multi-trillion dollar industry.

The ICMS Bachelor of Business Management (Fashion and Global Brand Management) degree blends core business subjects with specialised subjects relating to fashion and brand management, providing you with the perfect foundation for a successful career in fashion, retail or brand management.

Read more about the Bachelor of Business Management (Fashion and Global Brand Management) here.