Inside the Industry: TFI Student Lily Walker on Taking Her First Steps as a Fashion Intern
They say when you love what you do, you don’t work a day in your life, and I was hooked. For three days over three weeks I had the opportunity to intern with Myer, assisting on some photoshoots and styling sessions.
Walking into a massive warehouse off a little street in Richmond, I was greeted with a world previously barred to me, and to most. A big photoshoot set up, cameras everywhere, racks of clothes, and busy people running around. “I am so out of my depth”, was the first thought I had. A sense of the biggest imposter syndrome, yet an eagerness to prove I belonged there just as much as anyone else.
My first day passed in relative observation, tasked with steaming the clothes to prepare for the shoot the next day, I quietly worked away at the clothes, for the whole day. Hands pruny and burnt, I spent the time listening and watching the others, who were in the full flow of a shoot.
It was like watching a ballet, so orchestrated you’d think they held rehearsals. Everyone moving and flowing, everyone focused on producing the best shots possible. The photographer danced around the model, bending, moving and adjusting constantly. The attention to detail was an important lesson for me, because near enough, just isn’t good enough.
It’s funny how we judge our worth in professional spaces, particularly when just starting out. As the lowest of the low, it’s expected that you have to do the grunt work to prove yourself, and I love it. Advice flying at me from pitying Myer team members, I hear, “If you don’t ask for it you won’t get it” And this stuck. The fashion industry is funny in that way, very bent on individual ambitions, in short, if you want it, go get it. Hand outs are slim to none when it comes to this industry, so you have to throw yourself into everything you can.
And I think that sometimes that can be overwhelming, how are you meant to legitimise yourself in a space where everyone already has a role. The answer? I’m still working on that, come back to me in a few more internships time.
But for now, I think asking lots of questions, offering to do any and all jobs, and approaching any internship with a focus on learning skills is imperative.
My second day interning I was able to get a little in on the action of the photoshoot. Alongside the stylist of the day, I was in charge of the look board, making sure everyone knew which outfit was next to shoot, and making sure the model had the next look ready to wear. I loved this, I felt necessary to the process, and for the first time, I was really working in the industry. After a nice complimentary lunch and a long chat with the stylist I was assisting, I had learnt that being proactive, asking questions and showing initiative is what really makes you stand out as an intern.
My third day was a bit different, the coolest thing I think I have ever done. Heading to Myer Bourke Street for a styling and fitting session, Abby from Myer tells me “Here is the brief, go pickout some outfits”. Sorry, what? She wants me? To pick out outfits? Little old me? So off I went, running around Myer like a madwoman, silky gowns in hand. This was definitely the most surreal moment, and when she approved the dresses I chose, I was near fainting. Interning is an essential and character building phase for any uni student. Scary, yes, and sometimes overwhelming, yet in my opinion, it is the only way to gain translatable skills in professional spaces. Sure uni gives us all the theory and the know how, but only working on the job, observing professionals in the industry will give you the step up and foot in the door.