15 Summer Fashion Internships for College Students
- Stephen Turban
- 53 minutes ago
- 10 min read
Internships are one of the most reliable ways for college students to build practical experience, especially in fast-moving fields like fashion. They help you develop professional skills, gain industry exposure, and build valuable connections while strengthening your resume for future job and graduate school applications. Online internships, in particular, make this even more accessible by allowing you to participate from anywhere.
For students interested in fashion, an internship offers a look into how brands work behind the scenes, from design and merchandising to marketing and retail strategy. To help you choose the best opportunities, we've curated a list of 15 top summer fashion internships for undergraduates. Our selection focuses on factors such as the prestige of the organization, the rigor of the professional experience offered, and the opportunities to network with industry professionals.
If you're looking for more prestigious internships, check out this set of blogs!
Location: Remote! You can work from anywhere in the world.
Application deadline: Deadlines vary depending on the cohort. Spring (January), Summer (May), Fall (September), and Winter (November).
Program dates: Multiple cohorts throughout the year, including Spring, Summer, Fall, and Winter.
Eligibility: Students who can work for 10-20 hours/week for 8-12 weeks. Open to undergraduates and gap year students!
Ladder University Internship Program is a selective, virtual internship program where you work with startups and nonprofits from around the world! The startups range across a variety of industries. As part of their internship, each student will work on a real-world project that is of genuine need to the startup they are working with, and present their work at the end of their internship. Interns work closely with their manager at the startup. Apply now!
Location: The Estée Lauder Companies, New York City, NY (and other U.S. corporate/brand locations)
Cost/Stipend: $25–$33 per hour
Acceptance Rate/Cohort Size: Not specified
Dates: 10–12 weeks in the summer; exact dates vary by role
Application Deadline: Varies by role
Eligibility: Current undergraduate students in the U.S. (rising seniors)
This internship gives undergraduates the chance to intern with a beauty and fashion-adjacent company. You have roles available in areas such as marketing, creative, global communication, and brand portfolio support. The internship provides a rigorous professional experience by giving you the chance to work on practical projects, collaborate with teams across departments, and receive mentorship from senior staff. You’ll gain industry exposure on how a global brand strategises, executes, and innovates, and develop experience that may support future full-time roles.
Location: Levi Strauss & Co., San Francisco, CA (and U.S. and Canada offices)
Cost/Stipend: Paid; exact amount not listed publicly
Acceptance Rate/Cohort Size: Not specified
Dates: 8-week summer term
Application Deadline: Applications open in October; deadline not specified
Eligibility: Undergraduate students in junior year or first-year MBA students; must be eligible to work in the U.S.
This internship provides college students with the opportunity to work within a well-known apparel brand focused on denim and lifestyle fashion. The internship program offers you roles across verticals such as design, marketing, merchandising, allocation, and product development and sourcing. You’ll gain rigorous work experience by working on team projects and completing individual assignments. You will also get networking opportunities across functions and with senior leadership. If you’re a student focused on fashion apparel, this internship allows immersion in brand heritage, sustainable operations, and cross-disciplinary exposure.
Location: H&M Group, U.S. and global offices (varies by role)
Cost/Stipend: Paid; exact amount not listed publicly
Acceptance Rate/Cohort Size: Not specified
Dates: Summer internship; exact length and dates vary by role
Application Deadline: Varies by role
Eligibility: Students who meet academic and work eligibility requirements listed in each posting
Targeted specifically at students interested in fashion design and product development, this internship offers exposure to fast-fashion brand operations. You’ll work with design software, materials, colour libraries, trims, and prints under industry-professional supervision. Working with a global fashion brand in a structured learning environment, while getting exposure to real design-to-product workflows, makes this internship a great fit for you if you are looking at a future on the design side of fashion. Networking opportunities include connecting with designers, product teams, and cross-functional stakeholders, giving insights and contacts within the industry.
Location: Abercrombie & Fitch global head office, Columbus, OH
Cost/Stipend: $9,000 stipend plus relocation bonuses, merchandise discounts, gym access, healthcare coverage, and retirement benefits
Acceptance Rate/Cohort Size: Not specified
Dates: 9 weeks in the summer
Application Deadline: Not specified
Eligibility: Students with junior status working toward a bachelor’s degree
By joining the Design Leadership Development Internship at Abercrombie & Fitch, you become part of a creative team that influences the visual direction of a major apparel retailer. You will contribute to projects involving mood boards, pattern development, graphics, and components that ultimately appear in global product lines. The role goes beyond producing artwork, since you learn how to merge trend insights, brand identity, and customer expectations to create commercially viable designs. You will take part in ideation meetings, design critiques, and review sessions that strengthen your portfolio through consistent feedback. The program also provides access to senior designers and opportunities to network with peers across departments. You will follow the entire design process from initial sketches to final merchandise. By the end of the internship, you gain a clear understanding of how creative products move from concept to large-scale production, helping you prepare for careers in fashion or graphic design.
Location: Beaverton, OR
Cost/Stipend: Not specified
Acceptance Rate/Cohort Size: Not specified
Dates: Not specified
Application Deadline: Not specified
Eligibility: Students in the final year of school with a graduation date between Spring and Winter of the following year; focus on Apparel Design, Technical Design, or related fields
As a design intern at Nike, you contribute to the development of seasonal apparel across key sports categories, using 2D and 3D design tools while partnering with engineers, product developers, and senior designers. You will work on practical design problems at a company recognised for its innovation, which gives the internship strong prestige and demanding professional experience. Mentorship, collaboration with multiple teams, and exposure to leadership offer valuable networking opportunities. The chance to work on complex design systems and products with global reach makes this opportunity a strong addition to your resume. For students seeking a rigorous design internship at a leading international brand, this is a good fit
Location: Victoria’s Secret & Co., New York, NY (and Columbus, OH); remote options available
Cost/Stipend: Paid; amount not specified
Acceptance Rate/Cohort Size: Not specified
Dates: 12 weeks in the summer
Application Deadline: Not specified
Eligibility: University juniors and seniors pursuing a bachelor’s degree with demonstrated interest in retail or brand experience
This VS&Co. internship gives college students the chance to dive into how a large fashion-retail brand handles design, merchandising, supply chain, and product planning. The professional experience is rigorous, prestigious, and requires full-time commitment and real-world deliverables. You will work alongside cross-functional teams and gain exposure to brand strategy, product execution, and customer experience. Networking opportunities come through mentorship, team collaborations, and brand events. If you’re a student looking to gain apparel business experience, this programme offers industry exposure and strengthens your resume.
Location: Macy’s Inc., New York, NY
Cost/Stipend: $18.15–$26.40 per hour
Acceptance Rate/Cohort Size: Not specified
Dates: 8 weeks starting June 1
Application Deadline: January 1
Eligibility: Rising undergraduate seniors with one year remaining
In the Macy’s Summer Internship, you will work with teams that manage buying decisions, trend forecasting, inventory planning, and store execution, giving you a close look at how fashion products move from vendor partnerships to the sales floor. You support real assortment recommendations, attend weekly business performance reviews, and help prepare presentations that guide seasonal strategy. Because you rotate between merchandising tasks and on-site store learning, you get to see how choices made at headquarters translate into customer experience in stores. You also participate in training sessions that cover retail math, consumer behavior, and vendor negotiations, which help you build practical skills in fashion retail. Throughout the program, you interact with merchants, planners, visual leads, and store managers, which exposes you to several possible career paths. By the time the internship ends, you will understand how fashion businesses plan collections, react to shifting demand, and evaluate product performance.
Location: Under Armour head office, Baltimore, MD
Cost/Stipend: Paid; amount not specified
Acceptance Rate/Cohort Size: Not specified
Dates: 12 weeks in the summer
Application Deadline: Not specified
Eligibility: Currently enrolled in a 4-year undergraduate or graduate program; must be legally authorized to work in the U.S. without employment-based visa sponsorship
In this internship, you will work in Under Armour’s merchandising team, supporting trends and competitor research, product line planning, and allocation strategies. You’ll work on a self-driven project under a mentor, participate in executive Q&A sessions, and gain exposure to a global brand’s work environment. You’ll interact with multiple functions, including design, product development, and marketing, which gives you broad exposure across apparel and sports-lifestyle business operations. The experience is designed to be hands-on and meaningful, helping you translate your academic knowledge into business insights and decisions. If you have an interest in how athletic wear and lifestyle apparel brands operate at scale, this internship is a great fit.
Location: Clark, NJ or Jersey City, NJ
Cost/Stipend: $24–$31 per hour
Acceptance Rate/Cohort Size: Not specified
Dates: 11 weeks in the summer
Application Deadline: Rolling basis from August 15 to September 30
Eligibility: Undergraduate students enrolled in a 4-year college or university; expected graduation between the upcoming December and July
This programme places you in one of L’Oréal’s many brands (consumer, luxury, dermatological, professional) and gives accountability for a strategic individual project that you’ll present to senior leadership at the end of the summer. You’ll work on day-to-day brand responsibilities (consumer insights, campaign execution, data analytics) and also gain exposure to cross-functional teams such as digital, supply chain, and product development. Interns are paired with mentors and buddies, receive professional development sessions, and benefit from perks like relocation support and access to company retail discounts. If you’re drawn to the intersection of beauty, consumer goods, and fashion-adjacent branding, this internship offers a strong platform.
Location: URBN Home Office, Philadelphia, PA
Cost/Stipend: Paid hourly; amount not specified
Acceptance Rate/Cohort Size: Not specified
Dates: June 1 – August 7
Application Deadline: November 3
Eligibility: Not specified
In this 10-week internship at URBN’s Home Office, you’ll be immersed in the culture and operations of a multi-brand lifestyle company that includes brands such as Urban Outfitters, Free People, and Anthropologie. You can choose the area of business that interests you, such as creative, buying, design, marketing, merchandising, and stores. If you’re someone who’s genuinely interested and updated on design trends, style trends, or working with data, this is a good internship for you. This internship offers a summer full of intern events, small group exposure to leadership, insight into company initiatives, and off-site field trips. At the end, you might also be offered a full-time position.
Location: Ralph Lauren offices in New York, NY; New Jersey; or North Carolina
Cost/Stipend: $18.99–$25.72 per hour
Acceptance Rate/Cohort Size: Not specified
Dates: 10 weeks in the summer
Application Deadline: Not specified
Eligibility: Undergraduate juniors and seniors in fashion, design, marketing, or related fields
Joining Ralph Lauren as a summer intern gives you direct experience at a popular luxury brand. You’ll work with creative teams supporting clothing and accessory lines, and get hands-on exposure to the product development cycle, from concept boards and sketching to final presentations. There are regular opportunities for you to collaborate on market research, collection planning, and CAD design. The program also introduces you to merchandising, sourcing, and branding, allowing you to see how different teams move products from idea to launch. You will participate in workshops and networking sessions with Ralph Lauren leaders and will be mentored by professionals eager to help you build technical and professional skills.
Location: United States (hosted by BRAG; placements across fashion and retail partner companies)
Cost/Stipend: Not specified
Acceptance Rate/Cohort Size: Not specified
Dates: Summer term; duration aligns with host company schedule
Application Deadline: Not specified
Eligibility: Rising junior or senior college students with a minimum GPA of 3.0
The BRAG summer internship program places you in partner companies (Capri, Loewe, Timberland, Bloomingdale’s, and others) within the retail and fashion industry and focuses on marketing, e-commerce, merchandising, planning, and buying functions. As an intern, you’ll get a week of onboarding where you can connect with the entire cohort and BRAG alumni. You also get access to inspirational panels, industry speakers, workshops, and a New York City cultural opportunity. During the program, you will be assigned coaches/mentors and a support system. You will work on a case study, and at the end of the internship, you will present it to a panel of industry experts. Prizes are awarded to the winning teams!
Location: Kohl’s office, Menomonee Falls, WI, or remote
Cost/Stipend: Not specified
Acceptance Rate/Cohort Size: Not specified
Dates: 10–12 weeks in the summer
Application Deadline: Not specified
Eligibility: Undergraduate junior
When you join Kohl’s as a design intern, you step into a department responsible for creating private-label brands. You’ll support all aspects of product creation by helping develop sketches, artwork, and designs for women’s sportswear and activewear. The internship includes exposure to the entire product development process, from color story meetings to fabric sourcing and final fittings. Your daily tasks range from organizing design areas, prepping samples, to collaborating in cross-functional project teams. You’ll be mentored by designers who provide real feedback and help you grow your CAD and communication skills. You will also be trained on 3D software (Browzwear Vstitcher).
Location: PVH Corporate office, New York, NY (hybrid: in-person Tuesday–Thursday, remote Monday and Friday)
Cost/Stipend: $22/hour plus $2,500 stipend
Acceptance Rate/Cohort Size: Not specified
Dates: June 2 – August 8
Application Deadline: February 28
Eligibility: Undergraduate students or those enrolled in a specialized or technical certification program; minimum 3.0 GPA
The Tommy Hilfiger Summer Internship Program offers college students an immersive, hands-on experience at a large fashion brand. As an intern, you’ll work directly with professionals and mentors from PVH Corp. and Tommy Hilfiger, developing relevant skills by contributing to meaningful projects and collaborating across Creative, Digital Merchandising, Content Management, Product Development, and Communications teams. You could be supporting site launches and quality assurance, assisting in digital merchandising and product setup, coordinating visual communications using Adobe Suite and PowerPoint, or helping manage samples, create competitive reports, and support content updates. Throughout the 10-week experience, you’ll gain real exposure to core responsibilities within fashion marketing, e-commerce, visual merchandising, communications, and product development, leaving you better prepared for a career in the fashion industry.
Stephen is one of the founders of Lumiere and a Harvard College graduate. 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.
Image Source - Levi Strauss & Co logo