International Interior Design student reflects on Australian Vogue internship

Thai Vy Nguyen's Vogue Living internship

From Saigon to Brisbane – International Interior Design student reflects on Vogue Living Internship

Thai Vy Nguyen was speechless when she found out she’d won the opportunity to intern at Vogue Living.

Vy, an international student from Vietnam, said Vogue Living Australia was a major influence in her decision to study a Bachelor of Interior Design (Residential) in Australia. It was her older sister, Thu, who inspired her career change to Interior Design after Thai graduated with a Bachelor degree in International Business in Vietnam in 2020.

Towards the end of her first semester. Vy spotted the opportunity to intern with Vogue Living on the Torrens University Careers Connect platform. Vogue Australia and Billy Blue College of Design were awarding 4 internship opportunities for current students. She was thrilled and excited to throw her hat into the ring.

Vy took the time to research Vogue Australia staff and previous interns on LinkedIn, and with advice from her lecturers and success coach, she went above and beyond to prepare a bespoke portfolio for her application.

“I wanted to show them I was willing to do more than what I was asked to and show my understanding of their magazine with visual proof rather than write a cover letter just like every other applicant,” she said.

Vogue Living

The cover page from Thai’s bespoke portfolio for her Vogue Living internship application drew from her personal journey.

“Landing the internship meant so much to me as I proved that I could achieve great things if I really put my mind to something,” said Vy. “It was the first time I’ve ever been proud of myself, and it proved my own value.”

Making a strong first impression at her internship

Being a Brisbane-based student, Thai travelled to Sydney so she could attend the internship in Vogue Living’s office in the News Corp Australia building in Surry Hills, alongside The Australian, GQ Australia, Delicious, and Vogue Australia.

The Vogue Living team is a small close-knit team who pull off incredible editions. Vy worked closely with her supervisors, Art Director Sandy Dao, Deputy Editor Virginia Jen, Digital Head of Brand Yeong Sassall, as well as Digital Content Producer, Gladys Lai, and our very own Billy Blue College of Design alumna Designer, Imogen Frost.

During her internship, she was assigned various tasks including preparing transcripts, creating social media and producing website content. 

“It was so varied, one day I would be editing a transcript for an interview with an internationally recognised designer, the next I’d be sourcing bedroom décor ideas to put on the Vogue website.”

You can read Vy's Sleep tight: 12 bedroom décor trends set to skyrocket in 2023 article that she worked on throughout her time with Vogue Living.

Sleep tight: 12 bedroom décor trends set to skyrocket in 2023

Art Director, Sandy Dao, offered herself as a referee for Vy’s future job applications and also said she’d be in touch for future roles as an assistant on any upcoming photoshoots.

“It was great to know that they’re happy with my performance at the end of my time there,” said Thai.

Whatever my plan is, I’m so grateful for this opportunity.

This internship teamed with Vy’s previous work experience as an Interior Design intern at architectural and interior design studio, LE Solutions, as well as her studies at Billy Blue, has set her up as she embarks on her design career.

“The internship with Vogue Living was such a milestone that helped boost my confidence,” said Vy. “I formed industry connections while exploring the intricacies of the amount of hard work it takes to create each issue.”

The opportunity encouraged her to continue to aim higher for success and express her love for architecture and interior design fields.

“Interning at Vogue Living opened a door of opportunities for me to reach out to other leading companies and get to know wonderful people in the field,” said Vy. “With this internship, I feel I now have such great power and motivation to pursue something bigger, become a top-notch designer and build my influence towards people.”

Vy now feels further prepared to launch her career post graduating, armed with a clearer idea of what to expect, and also keen to make an impression and proudly showcase her value.

“The fact that I landed an internship with an industry leader like Vogue also encourages me to aim higher for my career goals and strive for success."

And that’s just what she did. The next day, following the end of her internship, Vy landed a part-time role with industry partner Cult Design, a renowned Brisbane-based furniture brand whose products are featured regularly in Vogue Living.

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