As a high school student interested in fashion, you may already follow designers, fashion weeks, brands, and emerging trends, but fashion is much more than clothing and runway shows. Fashion internships in New York for high school students can help you see how designers, marketers, merchandisers, stylists, content creators, buyers, and business professionals work together to bring ideas to life.

Imagine spending your summer assisting with marketing campaigns, learning about merchandising, helping manage social media content, or working alongside professionals in one of the world’s fashion capitals. These experiences give you firsthand exposure to the industry while helping you develop practical skills that extend beyond the classroom.

How do you choose the right fashion internship in New York for high school students?

With so many opportunities available, finding the right internship can be challenging. Some programs focus primarily on observation, while others allow students to contribute to meaningful projects and learn directly from industry professionals. The strongest internships combine hands-on experience, structured learning, mentorship, and exposure to different areas of the fashion world.

New York is home to many of the industry’s most recognizable brands, retailers, media companies, design studios, and fashion organizations. Internships in the city can introduce you to fashion marketing, merchandising, branding, styling, e-commerce, trend forecasting, public relations, and design. 

To help you get started, we’ve compiled a list of 15 fashion internships in New York for high school students. These opportunities were selected for their industry exposure, mentorship opportunities, hands-on learning experiences, and potential to help students explore future academic and career interests.

For adjacent opportunities, consider internships in New York.

Key Takeaways

• Stipends vary widely, from unpaid positions like the Parsons Scholars Program to $2,000 at Design Hive at Cooper Hewitt.
• Most internships on this list are restricted to NYC residents, including the High School of Fashion Industries program, NYC SYEP, and Conde Nast’s CondeFuture Program.
• Program length ranges from a single week, as with The Met’s Teen Studio: Fashion Design, to over two years, as with Conde Nast’s CondeFuture Program and the Parsons Scholars Program.
• Several programs are built around museum collections, including the Met Museum’s Costume Institute Internship and The Met’s Teen Studio, which draws on The Costume Institute’s Costume Art exhibition.
• FABSCRAP’s volunteer sorting sessions stand out as one of the few options open to international students, requiring no stipend but offering hands-on exposure to textile waste and sustainable design.
• Some programs focus on a specific niche within fashion, including Runway of Dreams Foundation’s emphasis on adaptive apparel and disability inclusion.
• Immerse Education’s Fashion & Design Summer Internship is one of the few options open to students worldwide aged 15 to 18, combining foundational design coursework with a personal project, 1:1 tutorials, and a certificate of excellence.

15 Fashion Internships in New York for High School Students

1. High School of Fashion Industries Work-Based Learning / Paid Internship Program

Location: Manhattan, NYC, New York
Stipend: Paid, amount not disclosed
Acceptance rate/cohort size: Selective; cohort size varies by partner employer availability
Dates: Multi-year work-based learning sequence, with summer internships that may run roughly one month at a partner fashion label
Application Deadline: Placements are arranged internally through HSFI’s work-based learning coordinators during the school year ahead of summer
Eligibility: Enrolled High School of Fashion Industries students in a fashion-related CTE major; requires New York City public school enrollment; not open to international students

In this internship, you may spend roughly a month working inside a major fashion label. Alongside placements, you take part in job shadowing, office tours, design competitions, informational interviews, and masterclasses led by brands such as Macy’s, Saks Fifth Avenue, Adidas, and Swarovski.

In the school’s professional lab, you work with industrial sewing machinery, 3D printing, and digital tools like Adobe Photoshop and Illustrator, plus an inclusive-sizing Curvy Lab. You sharpen pattern-making, draping, garment construction, and workplace readiness skills that prepare you for careers across fashion design and business.

Why it stands out: It pairs a tuition-free, fashion-focused public high school curriculum with a paid summer placement inside a real fashion label, letting you apply studio skills like draping and pattern-making in a professional industry setting before college.

2. Immerse Education’s New York Fashion & Design Summer School

Location: Barnard College, Columbia University, New York
Cost/Stipend: Varies; summer school scholarship available through our bursary programme
Acceptance rate/cohort size: Selective; an average of 7 participants per class
Dates: 2 weeks during the summer
Application Deadline: Rolling admissions
Eligibility: High school students aged 15 to 18 years old from around the world

The fashion industry is a massive world full of opportunities from every side. If you are a high school student who is looking to kickstart your journey in the fashion world before college, the Immerse Education Fashion and Design Summer School is the right option for you. In this course, you get to explore professional paths in fashion, learn the basic foundation of fashion design, create a personal project, and earn a certificate of excellence at the end of the program.

During the program, Immerse also helps you through 1:1 tutorials, conducting seminars from experts, and creating friendship bonds through day trips and excursions in your free time. In short, this program will really prepare you for reality in the fashion industry.

Why it stands out: The program balances academic foundations, personal projects, and one-on-one mentorship while offering structured insight into real fashion career pathways.

3. Design Hive at Cooper Hewitt

Location: Cooper Hewitt, Smithsonian Design Museum, New York City, New York
Stipend: $2,000
Acceptance rate/cohort size: Selective; small cohort sizes
Dates: December 2nd – May 19th
Application Deadline: Varies annually; typically mid-September
Eligibility: High school juniors and seniors based in the New York City area; not open to international students

In this program, you meet weekly throughout the school year to explore how designers move from initial concepts to finished products while working alongside museum staff, designers, and fellow students. Through workshops, discussions, site visits, and hands-on projects, you’ll examine materials, sustainability, product development, and the creative processes behind contemporary design.

You collaborate on original projects that culminate in public-facing work, including publications, films, and other creative outcomes that showcase your research and ideas. The program also provides opportunities to engage with professionals working across design-related industries and gain insight into creative careers.

Why it stands out: You receive a substantial stipend while working on collaborative design projects and learning directly from professionals at the Smithsonian’s National Design Museum in New York City.

4. The Met Museum’s Costume Institute Internship for High School Students

Location: The Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York City, New York
Stipend: $1,100
Acceptance rate/cohort size: Competitive; small cohort sizes
Dates: July 1st – August 7th
Application Deadline: March 13th
Eligibility: Students in grades 10-11 (or pursuing a High School Equivalency) who attend school in New York, New Jersey, or Connecticut; not open to international students

The Costume Institute Internship introduces students to one of the world’s most significant fashion collections. You assist with research, cataloging, archival work, and garment preservation while learning how museums care for and interpret fashion history. You also attend workshops, presentations, and behind-the-scenes experiences exploring the relationship among fashion, art, culture, and historical scholarship.

You’ll work alongside museum professionals while gaining a deeper understanding of how exhibitions are developed and how collections are maintained for future generations. The internship provides valuable exposure to careers in fashion history, curatorial studies, and museum work.

Why it stands out: The internship offers rare access to The Met’s world-renowned fashion collections while introducing students to museum-based fashion research and preservation.

5. NYC SYEP – Fashion/Retail Worksite Route

Location: New York City – all five boroughs (Manhattan, Brooklyn, Queens, the Bronx, and Staten Island); placements are at retail and other worksites across the city
Stipend: $17 per hour for older youth (ages 16-24)
Acceptance rate/cohort size: Selective; very large summer cohort citywide
Dates: Six weeks in July and August
Application Deadline: March 13th
Eligibility: Ages 16-24 for work-based worksite placements such as retail, while ages 14-15 complete project-based learning instead; reside within the five boroughs of New York City; legally allowed to work in the United States; working papers required for ages 16-17; not open to international students

In this internship, you spend up to 25 hours a week earning the full New York State minimum wage while learning how a store operates day to day. In retail and fashion placements, you support the sales floor by assisting customers, restocking and organizing merchandise, and helping maintain product presentation. You gain hands-on exposure to point-of-sale systems, inventory handling, and the rhythm of apparel retail operations.

Alongside the placement, you build work-readiness skills through the Hats & Ladders online platform, strengthening resume, interview, and professional communication abilities. You also practice teamwork, reliability, and customer service that translate directly into fashion and retail career pathways.

Why it stands out: It pairs a fully paid, real-world retail or fashion placement with structured work-readiness training, letting you explore the industry at no cost while earning the full New York State minimum wage.

6. NYC Work, Learn & Grow – Fashion/Retail Worksite Route 

Location: New York City, with jobs and internships taking place across the five boroughs or remotely, and students typically placed near their school or home
Stipend: NYC’s minimum wage
Acceptance rate/cohort size: Selective; cohort size varies by provider and host worksite
Dates: 22-week program during school year; generally in the winter and spring
Application Deadline: December via SYEP
Eligibility: Applicants between ages 16-20 (16 to 19 for CareerReady WLG); enrolled in a New York City high school or high school equivalency program; a prior participant of CareerReady SYEP or Special Initiatives SYEP; NYC resident legally authorized to work in the U.S.; not open to international students

As a Work, Learn & Grow participant placed at a fashion or retail worksite, you gain early-career experience while earning pay and receiving academic support during the school year. It is one of the most practical fashion internships in New York for high school students, especially if you want guided work-readiness sessions and experience with a host employer where retail and design-adjacent roles fall under the program’s Sales and its Art, Design, Entertainment, Sports, and Media occupational categories.

Day to day, you might support customer service, assist with sales-floor and front-of-house tasks, and contribute to social media using familiar tools such as Microsoft Office. Alongside the internship, you enroll in a CUNY course that can earn college credit.

Why it stands out: It pays New York City high school students to gain hands-on fashion and retail work experience while simultaneously earning college credit through a CUNY course during the school year.

7. Brooklyn Museum – Creative Practice Teen Internship

Location: Brooklyn Museum, Brooklyn, New York City, New York
Stipend: $16.50 per hour
Acceptance rate/cohort size: Highly selective; typically 10-15 students per year
Dates: September – June
Application Deadline: Usually late July
Eligibility: NYC teens enrolled in high school as a sophomore, junior, or senior at the start of the internship; requires enrollment at a New York City high school; not open to international students

As a Creative Practice intern, you join a paid teen internship that explores art through the connected lenses of fashion, design, and social justice while supporting art education at the Brooklyn Museum. You discuss how fashion and design intersect with community liberation and create your own artwork interpreting these themes. Alongside teaching artists, you collaborate with NYC peers on creative projects tied to Museum exhibitions and assist in a Studio Art Program.

This hands-on work includes preparing studios and materials, learning lesson-planning techniques, and practicing classroom management for audiences of all ages and abilities. You build communication, collaboration, time management, and organizational skills.

Why it stands out: It pairs paid, resume-building teaching experience at a major New York City art museum with a teen-led exploration of how fashion, design, and art connect to social justice.

8. FABSCRAP – Volunteer Sorting Sessions

Location: FABSCRAP warehouse at the Brooklyn Army Terminal, Brooklyn, NY
Stipend: None
Acceptance rate/cohort size: Open registration; limited spots per session
Dates: Ongoing and year-round
Application Deadline: Rolling registration
Eligibility: Students aged 12 years and older; volunteers aged 12-17 must be accompanied by an adult age 18 or older; open to international students

As a sorting volunteer, you step directly into the textile side of the fashion industry, processing donated fabric scraps, swatches, and sample materials that brands send to FABSCRAP for reuse or recycling. After a short orientation, you spend about two and a half hours sorting fabrics by fiber content, removing hardware, stickers, staples, and paper headers with scissors, and separating usable yardage for the Reuse Room.

You learn to identify materials like silk, denim, and spandex while seeing firsthand how the fashion supply chain handles waste. The work builds practical skills in material identification, sustainable design thinking, and circular-economy practices, and you finish by shopping for discounted textiles for your own creative projects.

Why it stands out: It gives high school students rare, hands-on exposure to real fashion-industry materials while directly diverting textile waste from landfills, with each completed session rewarded by free fabric for personal design work.

9. Runway of Dreams Foundation – Summer Internship Program 

Location: Virtual via Zoom, with optional in-person events for those located in or near the New York City area
Stipend: Pad, amount not disclosed
Acceptance rate/cohort size: Selective; roughly 15-20 interns
Dates: Mid-June – early August
Application Deadline: Rolling until full
Eligibility: High school students interested in fashion, design, and disability inclusion; open to international students

In this program, you join a virtual, team-based program centred on adaptive fashion, making it one of the most inclusive fashion internships in New York for high school students interested in design and disability inclusion. You tackle the Summer Internship Pitch Challenge by designing your own adaptive apparel concept for an existing brand using market research and human-centred design. You participate in career development workshops and a summer speaker series featuring professionals from the adaptive apparel industry, gaining insight into how a fashion-focused nonprofit operates.

Across the cohort, interns have produced virtual adaptive fashion shows, built how-to resource manuals for college clubs, moderated expert panels, and amplified the foundation’s mission through social media and fundraising. Working alongside Runway’s leadership and assigned mentors, you build a portfolio rooted in real, inclusive-fashion projects.

Why it stands out: It is one of the few fashion-focused internships built entirely around adaptive apparel and disability inclusion, letting you design real adaptive clothing concepts and produce inclusive fashion shows while working directly with industry professionals.

10. Conde Nast – CondeFuture Program

Location: New York City (in person)
Stipend: $1,500 per year
Acceptance rate/cohort size: Highly selective; maximum of 12 students
Dates: Two academic calendar years with summer engagement
Application Deadline: Typically, August
Eligibility: New York City public high school students; currently in 10th grade at the time of application; New York City residency and school enrollment required, not open to international students

In this program, Conde Nast’s creative and editorial teams guide you toward a career in fashion and media. Connecting with professionals from brands such as GQ, Vogue, Allure, and Teen Vogue, you explore photography, fashion styling, creative writing, talent scouting, digital media and more in weekly in-person sessions.

You apply these skills hands-on by casting mock cover shoots and creating mood boards for styling spreads, sourcing stories, and producing photo and video content. Additional professional and travel opportunities will be arranged during the summer, including a possible trip to Los Angeles. By the final project that showcases each student’s portfolio, you graduate with a digital media portfolio and a network of fashion-industry contacts.

Why it stands out: It pairs NYC public high school students directly with editors and creatives from Condé Nast’s flagship fashion titles for a paid, two-year mentorship that few media programs offer at the high school level.

11. The Met – Teen Studio: Fashion Design

Location: The Met Fifth Avenue, New York, New York
Stipend: None
Acceptance rate/cohort size: Selective; small studio-sized cohort
Dates: Late July – Early August
Application Deadline: May 31st
Eligibility: High school students aged 15-18; open to international students

In this program, you spend a weeklong studio at The Met designing original fashion inspired by The Costume Institute exhibition Costume Art, which pairs garments with artworks to explore the dressed body. Working in the Museum’s galleries and studios, you explore the exhibition, then design, sketch, and learn basic sewing skills to bring your ideas to life.

Guided by an expert teaching artist, you develop concepts, refine technique, and build pieces for a growing design portfolio. You receive feedback on your work and exchange ideas with other teen designers across five consecutive sessions. All materials are provided, no prior experience is needed, and Museum admission is free throughout the program.

Why it stands out: It pairs hands-on garment design and basic sewing with direct study of a Costume Institute exhibition, letting you build a fashion portfolio inside one of the world’s leading art museums at no cost.

12. Henry Street Settlement – Rambler Studios

Location: Abrons Arts Center, New York, NY
Stipend: New York State minimum wage for ages 16-24; undisclosed amounts for ages 14-15
Acceptance rate/cohort size: Selective; approximately 10-11 students
Dates: Six-week summer program running across July and August
Application Deadline: March 13th
Eligibility: New York City residents ages 14-24 across the five boroughs; legal authorization to work in the United States; applicants ages 16-17 need working papers; not open to international students

In this program, you work under Creative Coaches and a professional fashion designer, learning to sketch original concepts, operate sewing machines, and construct garments largely from upcycled materials under the program’s signature “nothing new” approach.

You design, sew, model, and sell your own pieces, then present a finished collection on the runway at an end-of-summer Rambler Fashion Show. Studio visits and mentorship expose you to real industry workflows, while a Henry Street social worker provides holistic support. You leave with hands-on garment-construction skills, a personal portfolio, and a clearer path toward a fashion career.

Why it stands out: It turns a paid city summer job into a genuine fashion-design apprenticeship, where young New Yorkers build an entire runway collection from upcycled materials and learn directly from a working New York designer.

13. Parsons Scholars Program

Location: Parsons School of Design, Greenwich Village, NYC
Stipend: None
Acceptance rate/cohort size: Highly selective; 25-30 students per year
Dates: 2.5 years starting in the spring of 10th grade till graduation
Application Deadline: Typically, mid-October
Eligibility: 10th grade students in NYC public high school who meet income guidelines; not open to international students

This program offers a three-year scholarship to explore art and design, where you will dive into topics like fashion design principles, self-discovery, social justice, and college preparation. Throughout the program, you will actively take hands-on studio classes, build a competitive college admissions portfolio, participate in industry field trips, and collaborate with undergraduate mentors.

This program is uniquely designed to support youth of color from low-income backgrounds by fully covering tuition, art supplies, meals, and SAT prep. By the end, you will learn practical skills like fashion sketching, basic garment construction, and critical thinking to prepare you for a creative career.

Why it stands out: It dismantles systemic educational barriers for marginalized students by combining fully funded, long-term college preparation with rigorous, credit-bearing design instruction.

14. Whitney Museum “Youth Insights” (YI) Artists

Location: Whitney Museum of American Art, 99 Gansevoort Street, New York, NY
Stipend: None; MetroCards provided for transportation
Acceptance rate/cohort size: Highly selective; ~15-20 students
Dates: Fall: October – January; Spring: February – May
Application Deadline: Spring: Early January; Fall: Early September
Eligibility: High school students who are residents of and attend school in New York City; not open to international students

The Whitney Museum’s Youth Insights (YI) Artists program offers you a free, semester-long opportunity to explore contemporary art and fashion alongside working designers. For students exploring fashion internships in New York for high school students, you will dive into topics like unconventional garment design, environmental sustainability, and using mixed media to express personal identity.

As a participant, you will critically discuss contemporary fashion, construct wearable pieces from recycled items like plastic bags, participate in hands-on textile workshops, and help organize interactive teen events such as fashion shows. A unique feature of this program is its focus on treating fashion as an experimental, socially engaged art form rather than a purely commercial industry. Ultimately, you will build practical skills in alternative garment construction and material sourcing.

Why it stands out: It gives teenagers unprecedented, direct access to contemporary artists, turning a world-class museum into an interactive workspace for youth development.

15. MoMA’s In the Making Program 

Location: Museum of Modern Art (MoMA), NY
Stipend: None
Acceptance rate/cohort size: Highly competitive; ~15-20 students
Dates: 6-7 weeks in summer (Three times a week)
Application Deadline: Late May/Early June
Eligibility: High school students aged 15-18; enrolled or enrolling in an NYC high school or GED/TASC program; not open to international students

This program immerses you in the intersection of fashion, identity, and performance art through specialized design cohorts. You will explore complex topics like the art of masquerade, persona invention, and clothing as a radical public statement. During the course, you will tackle hands-on activities such as designing intricate masks, constructing wearable costumes from found materials, visiting the studios of working artists, and exhibiting your pieces at the Teen Art Show.

The program’s unique features include entirely free tuition, complimentary transit passes, and behind-the-scenes access to MoMA’s collections. Ultimately, you will develop practical skills in garment fabrication, material upcycling, and portfolio building to refine your creative voice.

Why it stands out: It eliminates all financial barriers for New York City teens while giving them unprecedented, hands-on authority to exhibit their own wearable art inside a world-renowned museum.

Frequently Asked Questions: Fashion Internships in New York for High School Students

What is a fashion internship for high school students?

A fashion internship gives high school students hands-on exposure to the industry beyond design, including merchandising, styling, marketing, and museum-based fashion history work. Most NYC-based internships place students with a brand, museum, or city agency, often pairing them with a mentor for structured project work. Programs run from a single week to several years. Many conclude with a portfolio piece, runway showcase, or final presentation.

Do I need prior design experience to apply?

No, most fashion internships are designed to introduce students to the industry regardless of background. The Met’s Teen Studio explicitly states no prior experience is needed and provides all materials, while the Parsons Scholars Program builds students up from foundational sketching and garment construction skills. Immerse Education’s Fashion & Design Summer Internship similarly introduces foundational design concepts from the ground up through 1:1 tutorials.

Are fashion internships in New York paid?

Many are paid, though amounts vary considerably. Design Hive at Cooper Hewitt offers a $2,000 stipend, while NYC SYEP placements pay the full New York State minimum wage. Programs like the Parsons Scholars Program and Whitney Museum’s Youth Insights are unpaid but free to attend, sometimes providing transportation support instead.

Can international students apply to these internships?

Most internships on this list are restricted to NYC residents, since many require legal US work authorization and NYC public school enrollment. Programs like the High School of Fashion Industries internship and Conde Nast’s CondeFuture Program are not open internationally. FABSCRAP’s volunteer sessions and Runway of Dreams Foundation’s internship are notable exceptions, both open to international students. Immerse Education’s Fashion & Design Summer Internship is open to students worldwide aged 15 to 18.

What age do I need to be to apply?

Age and grade requirements vary, generally falling between 12 and 18. FABSCRAP’s sorting sessions accept students as young as 12 with adult supervision, while most museum-based internships target students aged 15 to 18. Immerse Education’s Fashion & Design Summer Internship accepts students aged 15 to 18 from anywhere in the world.

Will I build a portfolio during the internship?

Yes, nearly every program on this list helps students build portfolio-ready work. The Met’s Teen Studio has students design and sew original pieces inspired by a Costume Institute exhibition, and Henry Street Settlement’s Rambler Studios culminates in students presenting a full collection on a runway. Immerse Education’s Fashion & Design Summer Internship also concludes with a personal project that contributes to a student’s broader portfolio.

How do these internships help with college applications?

Completing a fashion internship demonstrates genuine industry interest and the ability to work in a professional creative environment. Programs like Conde Nast’s CondeFuture Program have students graduate with a digital media portfolio and a network of industry contacts, while Immerse Education’s Fashion & Design Summer Internship provides a certificate of excellence and 1:1 mentorship. Both give students concrete material to reference in personal statements and interviews.

Explore More Creative Career Possibilities

New York gives you a close-up look at adaptive apparel, textile sustainability, fashion media, museum collections, garment construction, and retail operations.

Through these fashion internships in New York for high school students, you can test interests at FABSCRAP, The Met, or Rambler Studios.

These experiences reveal which creative settings energise you, giving you clearer direction before exploring broader pathways in design, media, business, and the arts.

Ready to discover where those interests could lead next? Visit our Career Exploration blogs for practical guidance and confident next-step ideas.