Applying to an internship at W. ICONS

Image Credit(s): Bethany Hutchison

Thumbnail Design: Bethany Hutchison

Throughout the entirety of my BA1b blog posts I have highlighted the importance of internships and my desire to obtain one. I think it’s safe to say that internships are incredibly beneficial as they allow individuals to obtain first-hand insight into their chosen career. Internships are also a great way to network and build relationships with people within the industry. Having said this, I decided to act from what I have learnt whilst creating these industry blogs and apply to an internship myself.

As I hope to specialise either in the photography or publications industry these were the kind of internships which I was looking for on Business Of Fashion careers, Linkedln and Indeed. However, the internship which I ended up applying for I found on the Fashion United website. This internship was created by Wardrobe Icons (W. ICONS) and was an editorial role. The role was looking for individuals who were ‘seeking to gain some foundational editorial experience’ and was only a one month internship. I felt as if it was the perfect internship for me as it could be completed during the summer break in order to bridge the gap between year one and two at university! In addition, the internship also aligned with my interests and key skill sets with W. ICONS providing the successful candidate with an ‘overview of creating and producing [their] online magazine’. In addition to:

• Stock-checking the website

• Uploading products to the website for use in the magazine, social and newsletters

• Resizing imagery

• Laying out online magazine pages

• Assisting with call in’s and returns for photoshoots

• Assisting on any photoshoots [W. ICONS] have at the time

• Helping other team members with various adhoc administrative tasks

• General office tidying and maintenance (Unknown I, 2024)

After reading the main tasks which the internship entailed I felt as if it was perfect for me. Not only did it cover editorial skills, but it also covered areas of photography. In addition, there were also other elements of the role (such as the administrative tasks) which I had not explored before but which I felt were beneficial skills to have.

After deciding that the Internship appealed to me, I decided to conduct some research into the W. ICONS company to ensure that their ethics aligned with my own. Through my research I learnt that W. ICONS is a company committed to selling individual’s ‘forever pieces’ from a range of (predominantly) high end brands in a third-party manner. Although I’m not able to shop from high-end brands I nevertheless felt aligned to W. ICONS and their drive towards buying consciously and investing in a capsule style wardrobe. By researching the brand further, I also found out that the company’s founders were both Millennials. After finding this information out I felt as if I could benefit the company in a positive way by providing my Gen Z first-hand experience and insight in order to provide the W. ICONS site with a larger demographic (Unknown II, 2024).

After checking that the role aligned with my interests and after researching the company I decided to make a portfolio showcasing my work. Although I have a tendency to create large volumes of work, I knew that W. ICONS would be seeing countless portfolios and I therefore knew that it was imperative to keep my portfolio concise. However, there were actions which I took in order to make my portfolio stand out and to align with the company. After creating my Marketing report for Levi’s I understood the importance of creating a document which visually aligns with the brands imagery. Therefore, after looking at the W. ICONS website I decided to source the font they use and utilised it within my portfolio. I also realised that the W. ICONS site is incredibly minimalistic, so I made sure to replicate this within my portfolio by using black text on a simple white background and ensuring that my work was framed by borders. After reading some of the articles by W.ICONS I realised that the company utilises drop caps at the start of their articles. This was something that I, yet again, incorporated into my portfolio.

Example pages of my portfolio:

W. ICONS also creates collages styling their pieces which they place on their website and social media sites. I therefore decided to create some of my own collages which I placed within my portfolio to highlight my competence when it comes to Adobe software’s such as Photoshop. Alongside highlighting my personal style.

After creating my portfolio, I then decided to update my CV. After doing some research I found out that companies hiring for a creative role like to see a creative CV. I therefore decided to update my CV and lay it out in a creative manner. After reading my original CV I also felt that the information I had provided about myself in the ‘Profile’ section did not successfully convey my interests and hopes for future employment. I decided to re-design my CV on InDesign due to the element of creative freedom it provided. Whilst creating my CV I tried to maintain a mundane colour palette of black, white and grey in order to preserve a level of professionality. Instead relying more on the layout in order to evoke a sense of creativity. Overall, in comparison to my previous CV, I was incredibly happy with how the final product turned out!

My old CV (displayed first) versus my new CV:

Finally, I was tasked with writing my covering letter for the role. My covering letter included a paragraph about myself and why the internship appealed to me alongside a following paragraph explaining my current skills which I can use within the role and my past employment which may also be beneficial. My final paragraph concluded the covering letter and spoke about the travel logistics. W. ICONS stated on the internship vacancy that they would be able to cover travel expenses from within London. As someone not from London I felt that it was important for me to alert the company that I would be able to pay for my own travel into London and would only require transport within London to be subsidised. As I do not currently have any work experience within the fashion or creative industry, I found the covering letter the most difficult thing to write. However, by highlighting my extracurricular activities and creative skills I have obtained whilst in education (for example, evidencing my digital skills via my online blog) I felt I was able to confidently justify why I deserved the role!    

My cover letter for the W. ICONS intern position:

Overall, I enjoyed the process of applying to this internship and I truly believe that the skills I have adopted from my creative learning experience helped me through this process. For example, without learning about creating documents which align with brands within our marketing reports my portfolio for this position may have heavily contrasted with W. ICONS aesthetics. One of the main things I have learnt whilst at university is to take risks and reach out. Although the likelihood of obtaining this internship is slim there is no harm in putting myself out there nevertheless! As of yet (07.03.24) I have not heard back from this role. However, If I do, I will be sure to update this post!

Bibliography

Unknown I (2024) ‘W.ICONS Editorial Intern’. Available at: https://fashionunited.uk/fashion-jobs/editorial-intern-london-1648222 (Accessed: 07.03.24)

Unknown II (2024) ‘W. Icons About Us’. Available at: https://wardrobeicons.com/about (Accessed: 07.03.24)