Fashion Industry Placement: Vogue International

As part of the BA (Hons) Fashion Communication, students are asked to find an internship for the summer. A couple of weeks ago I completed mine at Vogue International, and it was an absolute dream experience.

The Vogue International hub was launched nearly a year ago and is an initiative created by Wolfgang Blau, President and Chief Digital Officer of Condé Nast International, to efficiently centralise Vogue’s digital editorial efforts across 21 markets.

I was able to experience a fast-paced startup environment first hand as the first ever intern for the Vogue International editorial team.

I worked for the Head of Social Strategy and Storytelling on projects ranging from producing social content to strategizing on how to build a personal brand on Instagram.

During my second week, I was able to attend Copenhagen Fashion Week with the Commissioning Editor to produce social content and interview designers backstage. We attended Ganni, By Malene Birger, Astrid Andersen and Saks Potts. Copenhagen Fashion Week is becoming increasingly popular with more international press attending each year, not least because of the enduring appeal of the minimalist Scandi designers and a vibrant street style scene.

We also got a guided tour of CIFF (Copenhagen International Fashion Fair) to preview the collections of emerging designers. Lulu Kennedy, Director of Fashion East, curated a Crystal Hall at the fair and presented London-talents, including Finery, Liam Hodges and Richard Malone. Charles Jeffery took over the outdoor area, where he designed a bespoke pink DJ set.

On my last day in Copenhagen, I produced a city guide for Instagram Stories with the Danish fashion blogger, Marie Hindkær. We shot the story showing her favourite spots around the city from shopping at Holly Golightly to biking around Nyhavn Habour. The story was posted on Vogue India’s Instagram, which has over one million followers.

When I came back to the London office, I worked on other exciting projects. I was able to see how the British Vogue Snapchat team operates, and I was delighted to have an article published. I also worked on a project about personal branding on Instagram. During the end of my internship, I was lucky enough to present the personal branding report in front of the team, which was an amazing opportunity.

Overall, I am very thankful to have been part of such an innovative team that looks at the future of digital media. The startup environment inspired me enormously and I learned a lot about digital strategies and how the company runs on a global scale across many markets, which I hope to be a part of one day. I also obtained a good understanding of how Condé Nast International prioritises digital communication in the fashion sphere.

“Fashion has a global layer,” Wolfgang Blau said to DigiDay UK. “Fashion is synonymous with globalization. Fashion wonderfully also has a hyper-local expression around things like street style. With so many Vogues, we’re creating the world’s largest network.”

Suffice to say, I am very excited to see what the future has to bring for the rapidly expanding company.

Big thanks to the CNI team!