Well folks, I am sure you have heard the devastating news: Conde Nast (publisher of Vogue, Glamour, GQ, etc.) is ending their internship program at the end of the year. After a handful of lawsuits filed by ex-interns over violations of minimum wage and overtime laws, the company has just decided to not have interns anymore. Here is the full article on WWD.
To me, this seems like an extremely drastic move. The fashion industry can’t survive without interns!! They do all the grunt work that everyone else is to glamorous to do. The end of internships at Conde Nast will probably spur some kind of melt down because after who will fetch the coffee? One of the main skills I learned as an intern at Vogue, is how to carry 8-10 Starbucks cups at a time. It will be interesting to see the Starbucks in Times Square filled will magazine staffers in 6 inch heels ordering their own coffee, rather than petty, little interns trembling because they are can’t remember how many packets of Splenda their boss wants in their non-fat latte.
It takes some mad skills to complete an editorial internship:
Bravery: You have to get over your fear of being mugged on the subway even when you are carrying garment bags full a clothes that cost more than the entire GDP of some African countries.
Attention to Detail: You have to always remember that address labels should be filled out in all CAPITAL letters.
Mind Reading: You just have to learn to predict the needs of the editors before they even realize what it is that they want. Duh, obviously you need the racks of skirts to be organized by the fabric’s country of origin. (That never really happened, but you get the picture).
Analytical Thinking: You have to learn how fit lotssss of racks full of lotsssss of clothes into very small spaces. I think that constitutes as an analytical skill. It is like a fun puzzle!
No interns = fashionpocalypse
All joking aside, it is sad that they are taking away the program. Interning at Vogue was probably the best thing I could have ever done for my career. Without it, there would be no fifteen media, thus, there would be no NeonNotebook, and that would obviously be very sad. So, why was it so important?
1) The Credibility
I landed my first PR gigs because of my internships, not my college degree. In the last 3 years, I have probably met with over 100 potential clients, and almost every single one of them has asked me about interning at Vogue. No one has ever cared what college I went to. No one has ever asked me about my GPA. No one has ever inquired about my course load. What do they always ask me? They ask what was like to work at Vogue. They ask if I worked directly with Anna Wintour (Yeah, we are bffs, JK). They ask me if it is really like “Devil Wears Prada”. There is no question about it: having Vogue on my resume holds a lot of weight. It signifies some kind of competency.
2) The Environment
As an intern, I was obviously not sitting front row at Fashion Week or giving the final decision on the September issue, but I was in the presence of the people that were. If you want to be around the best, intern at Vogue (oh wait, you can’t anymore). As an intern, even if you are just doing the grunt work, you should soak up the opportunity; be a sponge. While I was at Vogue, I really tried to pay attention to the way that everything was getting done. There is a reason these people are the best in the world, and just being around them is such an incredible experience.
3) The Life Lessons
Working at Vogue gave me thick skin, and taught me how to hustle. No one is going to sit around and hold your hand, you just sorta have to figure out things on your own. And yes, the people that work at Vogue can be very intimidating. Everyone is beautiful, everyone is in designer duds, and most people have a famous last name. However, you just have to get over it. I have to say I was uncomfortable most of the days that I worked there, but looking back I am still pretty grateful for the opportunity.
Anyways, I really do hope that Conde Nast reconsiders their policy. It sucks for the next generation of fashionistas because they won’t be able to learn from the best in the industry. I hope this doesn’t force other companies to re-evaluate their internship programs as well.
i had not heard about this, but i am SO sad. internships are what set you apart from the rest of the graduates in your field. you’re right; no one gives a crap about the classes you took or how you did on that one exam. it’s all about the experience in your internship, and if you nailed an internship with the largest fashion mag in the world, you stand out. this is such a shame, and honestly a disservice to the future of so many industries. you didn’t go into magazine writing, you went into PR. without these conde nast internships, there won’t be stand out individuals to run things when the anna wintours and cindi leives of the world are done.
geeze, this sucks. the overworked, under-appreciated interns should have been more grateful for the opportunity because it will carry them, with or without talent. ugh.
I think there is a fine line. At some point, if you feel like you are being taken advantage of then it is up to you to move on, and find another opportunity. It is not Conde Nast’s fault. If you want to work in a competitive industry like fashion, you have to pay your dues. That is just the reality…I just hope it doesn’t bleed over to more companies because internships are really important.
No one should be hazed to work a company. Slavery is over. The old guard needs to stand up for the new generation and fight for minimum wage. These corporations make millions of dollars and don’t want to compensate the people who are helping them be profitable. It’s INHUMANE.