My Experience Interning At Louis Vuitton

(This is a very long post. Go and grab a cuppa and a biscuit to keep you going through this).

If you asked my what my biggest achievement to date is, I would say it has been interning at Louis Vuitton in Paris. Anyone who knows me in the slightest will be aware that working for a French luxury fashion house has been my life goal so as you can imagine, having the opportunity to work there was one great big "pinch-me" moment.

Unfortunately, due to Covid-19, my placement was disrupted and I returned home to the UK for April and May. Although I was undeniably disappointed by this situation, upon reflection, I experienced a wealth of things during the time I was able to be there and even to have the honour of being a colleague to my two bosses was enough in itself for me to feel grateful and fulfilled. I was also fortunate enough to be able to go back to the office in June and work my last month "properly", which enabled me to finish on a massive high.

The Interview

The process of applying for internships was long and arduous; I was already in Montréal for the first half of my year, everyone else in my cohort had pretty much secured their placements months ago and I knew that the chances of being successful in my application for the luxury fashion industry in Paris were pretty slim (I had been reminded this on a number of occasions from many different people and I can't lie, my faith was wavering). I was absolutely determined to secure an internship in a French luxury fashion house and my preferences were leaning towards the press department. Every day when I woke up, I would apply for different internships online, every day I would receive rejections (they're inevitable, but they still sting) and I was going through this process for a solid month and a half. I had Skype interviews with other companies, having to wake up at 3am local time to make the call for 9am Paris time, you could say I was driving myself up the wall with the process.

I remember receiving the email from Louis Vuitton HR inviting me for an interview. I was in a lecture (this was a no-phones lecture so you can imagine the struggle of having to keep cool having received this email whilst pretending I wasn't on my phone) and the email stated that this particular member of the HR department wanted to talk with me on the phone about my application the very next day. When the time came to discuss, I was undoubtedly nervous yet grateful to have been given the time of day to explain myself. The lady I exchanged with was so kind and I actually left the conversation feeling good about what I had said and I felt as though it was received positively (bare in mind this was all happening in French!).

The following day, I was sent another email confirming that I had an interview with the department managers (the Head of Fragrance Press and the Junior Fragrance Press Officer) on the 9th October at 2.30pm (which was 8.30am Montréal time - thank goodness it was a sociable hour!). Having reached the next step, I was both proud and petrified and I spent the rest of the day pondering over the interview and undergoing a vast amount of preparation to ensure I was on top form (and making sure I had a flawless Wifi connection!). The interview itself was evidently scary and my nerves were running very high, but the women interviewing me made me feel at ease with their smiles, understanding and willingness to let me express my motivations. I wanted my genuine passion for the brand and the product (fragrance) to come through without being too forced and evidently I wanted to prove that I was competent enough in French to see the job through well. 

On the 22nd October I received a phone call from a Paris number and I vividly remember I was in my mum's hotel room (she had come to visit me for the half-term week in Montréal) staring at this incoming call on my screen. I went outside the room to answer it and much to my disbelief, it was the lady from HR informing me that I had been offered the job. I have never been so speechless in my entire life. I hand-on-heart thought someone was humouring me and it was all a joke, I remember freezing in my footsteps (I pace up and down when I'm on the phone) and I didn't know what to say. It was the most glorious moment - these women actually wanted me to come and work alongside them, I could not believe it. When I accepted the job I just remember thinking - please don't let this be a joke.

The Internship

Before I started in January, I voyaged to Paris for one day in December to have a sort of "orientation" day, where the previous intern showed me the ropes of the job. Although probably the most stressful day of my entire existence (if any of you have nearly missed a plane, you'll understand the feeling), I was glad to have been able to start familiarising myself with the office, work and my managers. When I received my intern guide book (aka my holy bible), I nearly jumped for joy when I saw my new email address, ending in @louisvuitton.com. It was surreal.

When I began my internship, we were having work done to our original office, so we were located in an openspace area in the other building for the first 3 weeks. I was extremely apprehensive to start, especially as I felt as though I had just come back from Montréal and had no time to rest, but I was determined to prove myself as a reliable, competent intern with a good work ethic and a strong drive. I definitely made a few errors during my first tasks and doing the job entirely in French was extremely daunting, however, with each day I tried to learn from my mistakes and better myself. I was told that 2020 was a very busy year for our very little department and I was very intrigued about the process of getting Louis Vuitton fragrances to appear in certain magazines and the organisation behind the press days. 

When we moved over to our original office, I much preferred the space and atmosphere. I had my own big desk and I enjoyed being in a corridor surrounded by other communications departments - I met more colleagues and fellow interns this way! On the 26th February, the new feminine fragrance launched and we had our press day up on the HQ's rooftop (snazzy, I know!). I had helped my bosses with many logistical aspects and had spent what felt like a century packaging up all the bottles and press releases ready to give to guests, so I was extremely excited to be a part of this launch. Much to my delight, I was given much more responsibility during the event than I had thought, as I was able to interact with all of the guests (some top influencers and editors among them!) and present them the new fragrance, Heures d'Absence. Having to switch quickly between English and French required a lot of brainwork and concentration, but I was genuinely surprised at how I coped with it. That press event was one of my two favourite days during my internship and I felt overwhelmingly proud to be a part of it, even though I was just an intern!

My second favourite day was the day my manager asked if I wanted to help out at the Women's fashion show. The minute the asked me, my jaw hit the ground and I couldn't believe it. I was honoured. She asked me to be a celebrity chaperone, which entailed me greeting my assigned celebrity outside the Louvre museum and escorting them to their seat at the show and then finally to their car afterwards. I was allocated Samara Weaving and she was a real delight to meet and I enjoyed making her feel comfortable and at ease before the show. She was dressed head to toe in Louis Vuitton and I couldn't help but think she was the epitome of glamour. The paparazzi were snapping photos of her and the other celebrity guests, and it was really fun to dodge the shots. No way I was going to be photobombing someone like Samara Weaving. The entire experience was incredibly glamorous, exciting and being able to watch the fashion show unfold from the sidelines was the most ineffably dazzling half an hour of my entire life.

As a result of the pandemic, I wasn't required to work for April or May. Yes, I was furloughed. However, I thought the care and consideration with which the company treated me and my salary was commendable and I have a great deal of respect with how they managed the situation. Having an impromptu 2 month break actually ended up being a blessing in disguise, as I was able to use this time to recharge, rejuvenate and appreciate the internship so much more. To my delight, I was asked back to the office for the last month and I couldn't have been more pleased if I tried. Being back in the office enabled me to be so much more grateful for the opportunity and to remember not to take it (or anything for that matter!) for granted. I enjoyed interacting with my bosses and other colleagues (albeit through the guise of a facemask) and relished in every single day, ensuring I was learning as much as I could from the last few weeks of my experience. It genuinely was a true pleasure to be a part of the Fragrance Press Department and when the time came for me to say goodbye, I felt such a sense of loss as I had thoroughly enjoyed my internship. My last day was emotional, but my bosses were incredible with me and made me feel like a real valued member of the team by giving me positive feedback and some invaluable advice about my future.

Key Takeaways

I feel extremely lucky to have had this incredible internship at Louis Vuitton. I am so inspired by what I experienced and I am so appreciative of the opportunity I was given by my 2 bosses. My french has dramatically improved, along with my confidence and competence in a professional situation (Is this a CV or...?) and I would gladly do it all over again given the chance.

My main takeaways from this experiences are:

- Quadruple-check your emails before sending. Especially if you're writing them in a language foreign to your own. You will look like a fool if you can't spell.

- Appreciate all of the hardships and mistakes. Although demotivating at the time, they will add to your development so much more than a flawless experience would.

- Always be indispensable to your bosses. You are there to help and to be seen as a positive asset to the team.

- This is exactly the line of work I want to embark upon. How exciting!?