14 Fashion Internships in NYC for College Students
- Stephen Turban
- 57 minutes ago
- 11 min read
If you're interested in fashion, a summer internship can help you explore different parts of the industry while building professional experience outside the classroom. Depending on the opportunity, you can learn about fashion design, merchandising, marketing, retail operations, public relations, e-commerce, or luxury brand management while developing practical and workplace skills. Internships also allow you to collaborate with professionals and gain insight into how fashion businesses bring products from concept to consumers.
New York City is home to many of the world's leading fashion brands, retailers, design studios, and media companies, making it one of the best places to explore careers in the industry. Fashion internships in NYC are offered by luxury brands, department stores, creative agencies, and fashion organizations, with opportunities spanning design, merchandising, marketing, retail, production, and digital commerce.
Why should I do a fashion internship in college?
Fashion internships give you the opportunity to contribute to professional projects while learning how different parts of the industry work together. Depending on your role, you might assist with product development, trend research, merchandising, marketing campaigns, retail strategy, visual merchandising, public relations, or e-commerce operations while working alongside designers, buyers, marketers, and other industry professionals. These experiences can help you build technical and professional skills, expand your network, and prepare for careers in the fashion industry.
To help with your search, below is a list of 14 fashion internships in NYC for college students.
If you’re looking for remote internships, check out our blog here.
Key takeaways
These 14 internships span luxury retail, design, merchandising, e-commerce, packaging, PR, trend forecasting, and event retail, so students with a wide range of fashion interests can find a relevant opportunity in New York City.
Several internships offer strong hourly pay, including Estée Lauder ($25 to $33 per hour), Macy's Merchandising ($18.15 to $26.40 per hour), Dior Trainee Program ($20 per hour), and e.l.f. Beauty Packaging Design ($20 per hour), making them competitive options for students seeking paid experience.
Programs vary significantly in length and commitment, from one-month design internships, such as KHAITE RTW, to 24-month rotational programs, such as Louis Vuitton HORIZONS, so students should choose based on their availability and career goals.
Several internships offer direct exposure to luxury fashion houses, including Louis Vuitton HORIZONS, Dior Trainee Program, Bibhu Mohapatra Production Internship, KHAITE RTW Design Internship, and Lafayette 148, making them strong options for students interested in high-end design and retail.
Application deadlines vary widely, with some programs opening in fall for the following summer, including Louis Vuitton HORIZONS (March 27) and Macy's Merchandising (April 26), while others accept rolling applications, so students should research and apply well in advance.
Location: Remote and in-person options available
Cost/Stipend: Varies | Some paid opportunities available
Acceptance rate/cohort size: Not specified
Dates: Flexible | Multiple cohorts throughout the year
Application Deadline: Rolling admissions
Eligibility: Current undergraduate students
Ladder Internships connects undergraduates with real internship placements at companies across a wide range of industries. You'll work on live projects, gain professional experience, and build your resume with tangible work samples. The program also includes mentorship, professional development sessions, and guidance on navigating career paths after college. Ladder has placed students at startups, nonprofits, and established companies across the US and internationally. It offers flexible, accessible internship placements, making it a strong option for undergraduates looking to build their professional profile.
Location: New York City (and other U.S./Canada locations; location fixed for duration)
Stipend: Paid
Acceptance rate/cohort size: Highly competitive
Dates: 24 months (starting June)
Application Deadline: March 27
Eligibility: Bachelor’s degree | 2+ years experience
When you join the Louis Vuitton HORIZONS Retail Edition Program, you rotate through areas such as client experience, store operations, and visual merchandising over 24 months, helping you understand how luxury retail works at every level. You will spend time directly in stores, interacting with clients and handling real operational responsibilities, not just observing. Alongside this, you complete a regional corporate project that connects strategy and execution in a practical way. The program also includes structured leadership training, so you gradually build skills in managing teams and decision-making. By the end, you transition into an acting team manager role, which is a rare level of responsibility for early-career professionals.
Location: New York City
Stipend: $25–$33/hour
Acceptance rate/cohort size: Not specified
Dates: Summer (10 weeks)
Application Deadline: Not specified
Eligibility: Current undergraduate juniors
When you join the Estée Lauder Summer Internship Program, you work on real business challenges within a global beauty and fashion-adjacent company. Depending on your role, you may contribute to marketing, merchandising, product development, or digital strategy. You will collaborate with professionals across teams, which helps you understand how large organizations operate. As you work on projects, you also learn how consumer trends influence product decisions across categories like skincare and fragrance. The program is structured to give you both hands-on experience and exposure to leadership. You leave with a clearer understanding of brand strategy and how products move from concept to market.
Location: New York City / Columbus / Hybrid / Remote
Stipend: Paid
Acceptance rate/cohort size: Competitive
Dates: Summer (12 weeks)
Application Deadline: Rolling
Eligibility: College juniors and seniors
In the Victoria’s Secret & PINK Summer Internship Program, you work across different functions within a large fashion retail brand. You may be placed in merchandising, design, marketing, or supply chain, depending on your interests and background. Throughout the program, you contribute to real projects that impact product launches and customer experience. You will collaborate with cross-functional teams, which helps you understand how different departments work together. The program also exposes you to company culture and internal networking opportunities. By the end, you will have developed practical skills in problem-solving, data analysis, and decision-making within retail.
Location: New York City
Stipend: $18.15–$26.40/hour
Acceptance rate/cohort size: Highly competitive
Dates: Starts May 1
Application Deadline: April 26
Eligibility: College juniors | Minimum 3.0 GPA preferred
When you join the Macy’s Merchandising Summer Internship, you focus on the analytical side of fashion retail. You will work in areas like Buying or Pricing Strategy, where you analyze sales data, pricing trends, and inventory performance. Your insights can directly influence product selection and business decisions, which adds real responsibility to your role. You will also participate in weekly business reviews and collaborate with teams across marketing and supply chain. This helps you understand how products are planned, priced, and positioned in the market. You also gain exposure to senior leaders, which can help you build valuable connections.
Location: New York City
Stipend: Paid
Acceptance rate/cohort size: Not specified
Dates: Internships are available throughout the year during the Spring, Summer, and Fall semesters
Application Deadline: Varies by semester
Eligibility: Junior/Senior college students | Must reside or attend school in NYC or relocate to NYC
In the Cotton Incorporated Fashion Marketing Internship, you work on trend forecasting and textile-focused projects that shape global fashion markets. You will assist in developing seasonal concepts across categories like women's wear and denim. Part of your role includes conducting market research across NYC, which helps you stay connected to real-time fashion trends. You also contribute to presentations and forecasting materials used by clients worldwide. The experience blends creative thinking with structured analysis, which is valuable if you’re interested in strategy. Over time, you build strong research, presentation, and trend analysis skills.
Location: New York City
Stipend: Unpaid (academic credit)
Acceptance rate/cohort size: Competitive
Dates: Fall
Application Deadline: Rolling
Eligibility: Students with a design, business, or operations degree or who have relevant experience
When you join the Bibhu Mohapatra Fashion Design & Production Internship, you work directly inside a luxury atelier environment. You assist with tasks such as fabric sourcing, patternmaking, and embroidery layouts, which are essential parts of garment creation. You also gain exposure to New York Fashion Week preparations, which adds a real-world dimension to your experience. As you support tech packs and coordinate with factories, you begin to understand production workflows. You are also involved in daily studio operations, which helps you see how a fashion house functions behind the scenes. This hands-on experience allows you to connect design concepts with actual production processes.
Location: New York City
Stipend: Not specified
Acceptance rate/cohort size: Not specified
Dates: June 1–30
Application Deadline: May 6
Eligibility: Students currently enrolled in a Bachelor’s Degree program, preferably in Fashion Design, Apparel Production, Technical Design, or a related field
In the KHAITE RTW Design Internship, you work closely with the ready-to-wear design team on real collection development. You assist with sketches, CADs, and tech packs, which are essential for translating ideas into garments. You also help organize fabrics, prints, and research boards, supporting the creative process behind each collection. During fittings, you observe how garments are refined and adjusted, which helps you understand production standards. You will also conduct trend and material research, keeping the team updated on design directions. This experience helps you connect creative ideas with technical execution in a structured way.
Location: New York City (Brooklyn, in-person)
Stipend: $25/day
Acceptance rate/cohort size: Not specified
Dates: June–August
Application Deadline: May 31
Eligibility: Students pursuing degrees in PR, Communications, or Marketing
When you join the BPCM Fashion PR Summer Internship, you step into a fast-paced PR agency environment working with fashion clients. You will monitor media coverage, track press mentions, and assist with reporting to help you understand brand visibility. You also support sample coordination and showroom organization, which are key parts of PR logistics. As you gain experience, you may assist with events and influencer outreach, seeing how campaigns are executed. You will stay up to date on media trends, which helps you understand the evolving PR landscape. This role builds strong communication, organization, and media awareness skills.
Location: New York City (Greenpoint studio, hybrid)
Stipend: Paid
Acceptance rate/cohort size: Not specified
Dates: Spring/Summer
Application Deadline: Rolling
Eligibility: College students familiar with the luxury industry | Knowledge of Microsoft Office Suite and Adobe Creative Suite | Knowledge of Instagram, Pinterest, and TikTok
In the Jennifer Behr E-Commerce Internship, you work on the digital side of a luxury fashion brand’s operations. You manage product pages, support launches, and track performance using analytics tools. You also contribute to email campaigns, SEO optimization, and social media scheduling. The role combines technical and creative tasks, which helps you develop a balanced skill set. You will also work partly in-person, gaining insight into how digital and physical operations connect. Over time, you come to understand how e-commerce drives revenue for modern fashion brands.
Location: New York City (hybrid)
Stipend: $20/hour
Acceptance rate/cohort size: Not specified
Dates: June 1–August 21
Application Deadline: May 6
Eligibility: Rising junior or senior currently pursuing a degree in Graphic Design or a related field
When you join the e.l.f. Beauty Packaging Design Internship, you work on the visual side of product development. You assist in creating packaging concepts, mockups, and prototypes for beauty products. You also conduct trend and competitor research, which helps inform design decisions. The role involves collaboration with product development, marketing, and production teams. You will also manage sample libraries and design documentation as part of daily operations. This experience gives you a complete view of how packaging moves from concept to execution.
Location: New York City
Stipend: $18/hour (may vary depending on skills, experience, and location)
Acceptance rate/cohort size: Not specified
Dates: Start immediately
Application Deadline: May 21
Eligibility: Undergraduate students, preferably pursuing a degree in Creative Arts (Fashion Design)
In the Lafayette 148 New York Fashion Internship, you gain exposure to multiple departments within a luxury brand. You may work across marketing, sales, or product development, depending on business needs. You assist with planning campaigns and managing samples, both key parts of brand operations. The program also includes training sessions that help you build professional skills. You will see how collections are launched and positioned in the market. This broad exposure helps you understand how different functions work together in fashion.
Location: New York City (hybrid; Fridays remote)
Stipend: $20/hour
Acceptance rate/cohort size: Highly competitive
Dates: July–July of the following year
Application Deadline: Rolling
Eligibility: Early-career candidates with at least 6 months of prior experience
In the Dior Trainee Program, you get extended exposure to how a global luxury fashion house operates across departments. Over 12 months, you will work in areas like marketing, merchandising, and retail operations, contributing to real projects rather than just assisting. You will see how campaigns are executed, how products are positioned, and how decisions are made across markets. Because of the program’s length, you also observe full product cycles and long-term strategies. You will collaborate with multiple teams, which helps you understand cross-functional workflows within luxury fashion. This experience builds both your technical understanding and your ability to navigate a professional environment.
Location: East Meadow, New York
Cost/Stipend: Not specified
Acceptance rate/cohort size: Not specified
Dates: Starts in September
Application Deadline: Opens in April
Eligibility: College students can apply
In the Legends Merchandise Internship, you work on retail operations during a large-scale global event. You assist with inventory management, store setup, and visual merchandising. During the event, you handle customer service and support daily retail operations in a high-traffic environment. You also collaborate with vendors and volunteers, which helps you understand team coordination. After the event, you assist with inventory reconciliation and operational wrap-up. This gives you a full view of the retail lifecycle from setup to breakdown.
Frequently asked questions
What fashion internships are available in NYC for college students?
Options include luxury retail programs, such as Louis Vuitton HORIZONS and Dior Trainee Program, design and production internships, such as Bibhu Mohapatra and KHAITE RTW, merchandising and buying roles, such as Macy's Merchandising and Victoria's Secret and PINK, marketing and PR internships, such as BPCM Fashion PR and Cotton Incorporated, e-commerce roles, such as Jennifer Behr, packaging design, such as e.l.f. Beauty, and event retail, such as Legends Merchandise.
Which NYC fashion internships are paid?
Several internships offer strong compensation. Estée Lauder pays $25 to $33 per hour, Macy's Merchandising pays $18.15 to $26.40 per hour, Dior Trainee Program and e.l.f. Beauty both pay $20 per hour, Lafayette 148 pays approximately $18 per hour, and Louis Vuitton HORIZONS is also a paid program. Bibhu Mohapatra is unpaid but offers academic credit.
Which NYC fashion internships are best for students interested in design?
Students interested in fashion design might consider KHAITE RTW Design Internship for hands-on work with sketches, CADs, and tech packs, Bibhu Mohapatra Production Internship for exposure to luxury atelier production and Fashion Week preparation, and e.l.f. Beauty Packaging Design Internship for students with a graphic design background interested in product development.
Are there fashion internships in NYC open to students from any major?
Several internships accept students from a range of academic backgrounds. Victoria's Secret and PINK, Estée Lauder, Macy's Merchandising, and Ladder Internships all consider students from business, marketing, communications, and related fields, not just fashion design majors. Ladder Internships is particularly flexible, connecting students across disciplines with companies in the fashion and retail space.
When should I apply to fashion internships in NYC?
Louis Vuitton HORIZONS closes March 27 and Macy's Merchandising closes April 26 for summer starts. KHAITE RTW and e.l.f. Beauty both close May 6, and Lafayette 148 closes May 21. Programs, such as Victoria's Secret and PINK, Dior Trainee Program, Jennifer Behr, and Ladder Internships, accept rolling applications, so students should monitor postings from fall onward and apply as early as possible.
One other option—the Lumiere Research Scholar Program
If you’re interested in pursuing independent research, consider applying to one of the Lumiere Research Scholar Programs, selective online high school programs for students founded with researchers at Harvard and Oxford. Last year, we had over 4,000 students apply for 500 spots in the program! You can find the application form here, check out students’ reviews of the program here and here.
Also check out the Lumiere Research Inclusion Foundation, a non-profit research program for talented, low-income students. Last year, we had 150 students on full need-based financial aid!
Stephen is one of the founders of Lumiere and a graduate of Harvard College, where he earned an A.B. in Statistics. He founded Lumiere as a PhD student at Harvard Business School. Lumiere is a selective research program where students work 1-1 with a research mentor to develop an independent research paper.