Study Abroad: Working in Fashion in Paris

So this week I thought I would write a little bit more specifically about what I am doing in Paris and about the realities of doing an internship in fashion. This will be useful for all of you applying to jobs for your Year Abroad because I am pretty sure my job will be up for grabs for years to come. 

The company I am working for is called Agent Secret and I have to say I got lucky with this one, considering some of the stories I have heard, such as having to wake up before 8 on a Sunday or not being paid for three months! It is a small company, which makes it a very pleasant environment as luckily we all get on! Along with classic intern duties; fetching coffee for clients or candidates, filing, organising, answering the phone and responding to emails, I also get to work directly on recruitment projects for extremely cool clients. The whole thing is highly confidential which means I cannot write about it but it also makes the experience really fun.

So what are the perks? Besides reading incredible CVs every day, seeing some incredibly beautiful images and sketches and meeting talented people, even if I directly am not working with them, there are some other advantages to working in this world and more so when working for a woman who has so many connections! Invitations flood through the door to showrooms, private sales, soirées and fashion shows (unfortunately I did not get to go to any!).

I, along with Emma and Lucy, the two English girls I work with, did however; get to go to Vogue Fashion Night Out with a special invitation. We got into almost all the high-end boutiques and got free drinks (pretty sweet if you ask me.) There was music, BNOCs and lots of champagne – so I pretty much felt like I was back in Exeter. Just kidding!

After this, there was the Ralph Lauren launch of their latest bag, Soft Ricky. I know, the name made me laugh too! There was more free champagne, great canapés (less so for me as the vegetarian – something they do not seem to understand here in France) and once again BNOCs having their photo taken (we happened to have one taken of us but I am not sure I ever want to find it). To make it even better, the bags were great despite their unfortunate name – it’s just a shame I cannot afford one!

Another perk… the office is beautiful! Though I cannot speak for every fashion related job, people in this business have great taste and I love the environment I work in (its an old Parisian apartment and I pretty much wish I lived here!). To be honest, I cannot think of too many downsides. Although fashion choices have been a bit of a nightmare! The line between fashion and work is sometimes blurry and I struggle to be laid-back, smart and “fashionable” at the same time, as bizarre as it sounds. However, after over a month here and a brief telling off about not dressing formally enough, I think the balance is just about right.

So there we have it. Hope it didn’t bore you too much, hope it gave you some insight, and hope it made you possibly a teeny bit jealous!

Photo credits: http://thewhitescrapbook.blogspot.fr/ www.agentsecret.Fr

• fashion
• internships
• paris
• year abroad