How to get a Job/Internship at a Luxury Fashion Brand

The Glam Observer Fashion Podcast

Giada, founder of Glam Observer, breaks down how to secure a job or internship at top luxury fashion brands like Louis Vuitton, Dior, and Gucci. She clarifies common misconceptions about needing

Key takeaways

• Luxury brands operate on exclusivity, heritage, and timelessness rather than just product sales, requiring employees to uphold exceptional standards across every customer touchpoint.
• Host Giada debunks the myth that a fashion degree or prior industry experience is mandatory, noting that top houses actively hire interns and entry-level talent from diverse academic backgrounds like business, marketing, and communications.

Main topics

• Luxury vs. fast fashion business models
• Debunking degree and experience myths

Notable quotes

"The luxury value proposition is all about exclusivity, heritage and timelessness."

Conclusion

Listeners gain a realistic, actionable roadmap for entering the luxury fashion

Transcript preview

Speaker 1 (0:07) Hello everyone and welcome back to the Glam Observer podcast. I'm Giada, founder and CEO of the first fashion career advice platform, Glam Observer, a fashion career coach, best-selling author, Forbes under 30, and in this podcast, I will share actionable tips, tricks, and behind-the-scenes secrets of the fashion industry. If you're an ambitious fashion enthusiast looking to start a career in this industry, you are in the right place. Speaker 1 (0:47) Hello everyone and welcome back to the Glow Server podcast. I really hope you enjoyed this bank holiday weekend and that you have rest so you are ready to kick off this week, this new month and actually the beginning of the second quarter of 2023. In this podcast episode I would like to give you some advice on how to get a job at a luxury fashion brand. So if Perhaps some brands such as Louis Vuitton, Hermes, Dior or others are on your list of dream companies you want to work at, then this podcast episode is made for you. If you've been listening to the Glam Server podcast or you've been reading one of my articles or you're a student of one of my courses, you know that the fashion industry offers many career possibilities. There are different types of roles. as well as different types of fashion companies or companies in general that you can work for. So in this podcast episode, I'm going to focus on luxury companies. Perhaps you could be someone who wants to work at Dior, Chanel, Hermes or Louis Vuitton. And I want to share something important with you because I found this happened. frequently when I do work with the students of my online fashion courses. So many dream of working at these brands that I mentioned, you know, the biggest names of the industry, I think of Dior, Chanel, Hermes, Louis Vuitton, thinking that they're going to get into one of the best fashion houses in the industry. unaware that these brands fall into a specific category. They are not just fashion companies, they are luxury companies. And there is a difference between luxury companies and fashion companies. The luxury sector operates on a different model than the other fashion brands in the industry. If you want to get a job at a luxury company, you need to understand the dynamics of the luxury industry. And I want to give you a little brief detail about the luxury industry. You know, luxury brands are the most prestigious brands in the fashion industry. Also, I have to specify that luxury brands are not just fashion brands. Of course, my focus in this podcast episode is going to be about luxury fashion brands. But just for you to know that luxury in general, the luxury industry doesn't include just fashion brands. There is automotive, there is beauty, there is much more. So, of course, since here we are... all learning about how to get a job in fashion my um i'm going to focus on luxury fashion brands but just for you to know that the luxury industry includes also other categories so like all of the luxury industry also luxury fashion brands aim at the excellence across all the chain Contrary to most fashion brands that focus only on their products, luxury brands develop a whole experience. It is not just about the single product, it's about much more, the image, the entire perception of the brand that has to be aspirational for customers and so potential ones. That's why, for example, you see the biggest brands of the industry that organize fashion exhibitions or in-store experiences. I'm pretty sure that you can say that when you enter a Louis Vuitton store is different when you enter a store from another brand. Think of Zara, think of any other brand. Because the experience inside the store has been designed so that every detail is studied. Okay, so of course... The circle closed with the quality of the products and the service offered which must be impeccable. Everything at a luxury fashion company is taken care of down to the smallest detail. From the design to the choice of materials up to the packaging. A luxury customer is not just buying a bag or a pair of shoes. They're buying a piece that is timeless like you're making an investment. The whole experience needs to be on an exceptional level. The luxury value proposition is all about exclusivity, heritage and timelessness. Luxury fashion brands are vertically integrated in terms of retail and manufacturing. Because of the high level of standard they have to deliver, they control everything in their value chain. So if you want to get a job at a luxury fashion brand, you need to be, first of all, someone who understands the high standard these companies operate to so you can do your job accordingly. So the first point that you have to keep in mind if you want to get a job at a luxury fashion brand is understanding that these brands aim at the excellence. Okay, so even if you're going to be part of one of these companies, also when you're there doing your job, you always have to be very, very attentive to detail because everything that you're going to do is then going to be part of the entire experience. that a customer has with a luxury brand. So if you want to work for a luxury brand, you need to be fully aware of the luxury industry and how it operates. In this podcast episode, I'm going to share with you all the different steps that you need to take if you want to get a job at a luxury fashion brand. But let me begin by dispelling some common myths around working in fashion and specifically also working at a luxury fashion brand. You might think that working for luxury brands means that you only can do it if you studied fashion or if you have exceptional skills because there are so notorious and iconic names in the industry. But the truth