The Devil Wears Prada. Your application wears flip flops.

The Devil Wears Prada gave many of us a very specific life plan: fashion, big city, iconic outfits, and slight emotional damage. Still? Worth it.

I’m Maria, 22, and I just started as a communication and press intern at #DAMUR – my first real step inside the industry. And I’ll be honest: I expected more runway and less “why is this portfolio a Google Drive link that needs permission?”

Design, marketing, and creative roles felt close enough to touch. I felt that pull too. I prepared, learned, and built skills while fully imagining my main character moment as Andrea or Emily. But fashion is not about talent; it is about intuition and attention.

Fashion conversations love big words like creativity, innovation, and sustainability. But most applications don’t fail because someone isn’t creative enough. Instructions stay unread. They fail because someone failed at the easiest thing ever: reading.

Fashion is not short on creative people. It is short on attentive ones.

What truly makes someone stand out is not raw talent. It is consistency. Understanding. The ability to notice what everyone else ignores – starting from the very first email.

To explore this reality, I asked Damur (founder of #DAMUR) what truly makes someone stand out. Because when you get more than a thousand applications, you need to know how to choose what you want and try to evade the chaos.

What makes someone stand out when applying

for an internship?

Damur: The basics. A professional CV and a clean portfolio. And please, send it in the format we asked for. If you are asked for a PDF, don’t send a DOC.

What’s the mistake most people make at the first point?

Damur: They don’t read. Some people send applications in Spanish or Italian when we ask for English, or they just send a portfolio with no context. Some don’t even know which brand they applied to, they think they’re applying to FashionUnited, not #DAMUR. That’s not ambition.

That’s mass emailing without real intention.

How can you tell within ten seconds that someone did not read the brief?

Damur: “I add one specific question or task. If they ignore it, I delete it.” It is brutal, but it is fair. If you can’t read one paragraph in the first step, you’ll definitely miss a deadline later.

What matters more in the first round, proven thinking or simply claiming creativity?

Damur: Saying “I am very creative” is a red flag. Creativity is not just talent; it is not a personality trait. It is intuition, experience, and problem-solving under pressure. We need people who can execute.

Do young applicants not care, or do they simply not understand the importance of detail?

Damur: Most people do not use their time on the simplest but most important things: reading and writing. Using AI is not the problem, but copy-paste is. Use tools, of course, but read, rewrite, and make it yours.

Is the issue experience, attitude, or both?

Damur: Both. Some interns have years of experience and still take it personally when asked to redo a task. Being here is a choice, and ignoring rules shows a lack of respect. Taking the work seriously is not optional.

What is the biggest myth young people believe about working in fashion?

Damur: That fashion is all about creativity. It is not. Today, fashion is research. It is also not a nine-to-five job, work doesn’t switch off until you’re really done with it.

If you could give one rule to stand out, what would it be?

Damur: Follow the guidelines, respect the rules, and show real commitment. It can sound boring, but it is the cheat code. Everyone wants to say that they work in fashion, but just a few people are really committed to do what it takes: read carefully, deliver properly, and redo things without taking it personally.

So if you’re applying for fashion internships, here’s the truth: You don’t need to be a prodigy, you need to be reliable. Pay attention, follow through, and treat every task with care. Because in fashion, the smallest mistake travels faster than your talent.

And yes, you can be creative, but you should be responsible. Just don’t attach a portfolio called “new new new portfolio FINAL.” That’s not fashion. That's chaos.