Your dream is to become the next big fashion writer but you’re not sure how to get there. Landing an internship at a fashion magazine is the one surefire way to get your foot in the fashion journalism door.

Many Canadian fashion magazines aren’t looking for interns anymore (except FASHION, see below under ‘hot tips’), so we recommend keeping an eye on publications in New York, London, or Los Angeles. You could potentially work remotely for these companies—remote work is a common choice for writers and it’s easier than ever nowadays.

But, how do you go about finding a fashion magazine internship?

1. Do Your Research

Your first step should be identifying which fashion magazines you’d be interested in interning for. If you aren’t picky, collect as many as you can possibly find, bookmarking their websites or perhaps even organizing them into a spreadsheet you can refer back to.

Of course, aspiring fashion journalists are always fantasizing about the big names, but don’t forget the niche magazines too—even online zines may be looking for interns or contributing writers. Those ones may take some digging to find, but with the right Google searches and through perusing social media, you’ll find them. A great way to do this is to look for established fashion writers and see where they’ve written for in the past.

2. Go to the Source

There is no one job board that’ll list all fashion magazine internships, especially when it comes to the niche ones. It’s up to you to keep a tab on the career sections of all of these fashion magazines, as internships will often be posted there. You can also follow the magazines on social media—LinkedIn in particular is great for this—and keep an eye out there, as sometimes opportunities will be shared directly onto your feed.

3. Pitch Yourself

So, you’re doing all of the above, but you’ve yet to find any internship opportunities—why not try to make your own? After all, as a fashion writer, a big chunk of your time will be spent pitching. Pitching yourself is a great opportunity to get better at it!

Reach out to these fashion publications directly with your resume, portfolio and an email about why you’d like to work for them and what you’d bring to the company. Some publications may not even realize that they could use an intern until they see your email—and they’ll absolutely love your initiative and pitching ability!

Until you find an internship, keep writing on your own time. Pitch your articles to fashion magazines and websites to get your name out there, or maybe even start your own fashion blog and see if that can win your work some attention. Freelancing is also a great way to go until you find something steady. That way, you’ll have more samples, more experience, and a bright future in fashion journalism ahead of you!

Few hot tips!

• For those looking for an internship or writing opportunities with Vogue, a useful tip is to consult their masthead for contact information. This can provide you with the specific details of the right person to reach out to for such opportunities. View Vogue’s masthead here.

• In Canada, FASHION magazine is offering internship positions across various departments including editorial, photo, marketing, and sales. Learn more here.

Need advice from an expert? Book a Virtual Career Meeting with Style Nine to Five founder, Christie Lohr!

Emily Morrison is a media professional with passions for writing, film and popular culture.

Image – monticellllo – stock.adobe.com