The fashion industry, one of the creative industries, has always caused imaginations of many to run wild. A place that brings dreams into the real world and trends into existence. Evidently, both sides – the mass media and fashion industry – employ a variety of specialists who responsively contribute their efforts to introducing the trends into the public.
Fashion has job opportunities ranging from the product conceptualizers, who may be aspiring designers with big dreams drawing rough ideas on paper, to the crafters, or the ultimate designers who give physical form to the visions. No matter what your specialization is whether design, marketing or business, you will find your niche in this fast-growing field.
In this article I shall take my time and explore more on the ten best jobs in the fashion industry. Organizational affairs stakeholders will be enlightened on the duties, proficiencies, and competency expectations that come with the positions making the chapter relevant to fashion business seekers.
Here are ten coveted job roles in the fashion industry:
- Fashion Designer
Fashion designers are the people who design the clothes we put on our bodies everyday. They imagine, draw, and create the trends defined by the norms of dressing. On cocktail dresses, bridal wear, business suits, casual and any other type of wear, fashion designers are critical to our society. He or she must bear qualities of good observation, sound knowledge on fabrics, sewing machine thread and textile products and eye for beauty.
A fashionable designer must have a creative brief with different levels. Beginning with the factor of inspiration, which may be derived from the work of art, nature and world events. Designers then make interpretations and create illustrations out of the inspirations, and then transform into technical illustrations. She and her team choose fabrics, colors and patterns, and cooperate with pattern makers and seamstresses to create the clothes.
2. Fashion Stylist
Fashion stylist therefore is an elegantly dressed person who is employed in the role of choosing the right garments and accessories together with hairdos for models, advertisements, and popular icons. They coordinate their work with photographers, makeup artists and hair stylists to make sure that all looks are coordinated and pleasant to the eyes. Skills that fashion stylists demand are: an ability to pay attention to details, knowledge on fashion trends, and good communication skills when working with the clients and other crews.
There are three prime requisites which are needed to be fulfilled to become a good Fashion Stylist- Fashion history, Fashion Theory, and Fashion existing and Emerging trends. Maintaining a set of contacts also plays a big role since the players in the industry will be the target market of the social networking site. Any kind of internships and assistantships can be a good practice and the way to establish contacts with other employees.
3. Fashion Buyer
Everyone who knows about the fashion business sees fashion buyers as work horses or dwarfs. They are supposed to be the ones to choose and order the goods that are to be sold in shops or via the Internet. This includes informing oneself regarding new trends, evaluating the results of the market analysis and cooperating with designers and suppliers.
Fashion buyers are required to have good eye contact for fashion, good knowledge about the consumer behavior, and good bargaining abilities. The suppliers must be capable to analyse trends, consider probable future development in the fashion field and make a critical decision about which of the merchandise to acquire. Fashion buyers visit specific fashion weeks and trade shows in order to get acquainted with collections and new faces.
4. Fashion Merchandiser
A Fashion Merchandiser as a person, is a strategic thinker who works in between designers and sellers. They have to make sure that the right products are in the right locations at the right times. This requires strong comprehension of consumer behavior, market trend and the brand personality.
Brand managers are largely significant for a fashion brand to succeed in the market as fashion merchandisers. They interpret sales figures, predict trends and design merchandising plans with the specific aim of increasing volumes and revenue. They also report directly to the buyers, designers or the marketing department to help the brand align its communication with the consumers.
5. Fashion Marketing Manager
A Fashion Marketing Manager acts as the company’s architect and nurtures the overall direction that the fashion brand will be taking in the market. They exercise the responsibilities of creating and implementing promotional plans that create awareness and foster the creation of a market for their brands.
There are a myriad of tasks that Fashion Marketing Managers have to supervise, they include,”advertising operations, public relations and promotions, online and offline marketing channels such as social media and influencers collaborations, and among others. It involves studying trends within the market, behaviour of consumers and that of competitors in order to get the best marketing strategies. also work with designers, merchandisers and sales to deliver a clear brand image and continuity of the message and experience to the customer.
6. Fashion Photographer
Fashion photographer is an artist who visually conveys the mood or idea of apparel, accessories and models. They always coordinate with stylists, aesthetician makeup artists, and hair stylists to develop attractive and effective photographs. These photographers are able to control trends and even consumer attitudes while building up brands and influencing them.
In this competitive field there is a need for extensive knowledge of composition, lighting, and storytelling. Fashion photographers need to describe the general emotive theme of the picture for any kind of shooting, be it editorial or commercial. Some of them work for many hours of the day and many of them move around different areas of the world to make that perfect shot for a particular project, together with other graphic artists who share the same ideas.
7. Fashion Editor
A Fashion Editor is a talented person who is responsible for selecting content that is to be published in fashion magazines, on websites and/or in social networks. Everyone is expected to contribute to the story of fashion trends and to create original content out of other trends within style. Photographers coordinate with fashion editors to have a well- presented and extremely well illuminated Fashion article.
An average day in the working schedule of a fashion editor might include the following duties; Attending fashion shows, evaluating designer creations, getting engaged in writing articles, and last but not the least, photocopying fashion photoshoots. They also work closely with other members of the team to ensure that they deliver outstanding content which will interest their target market. Therefore, to be useful in this career, one should possess an understanding of the fashion trends, a good command in writing, and good eyeshot.
8. Fashion Illustrator
A fashion illustrator is a professional drawing and painting specialist whose work involves capturing on paper, fashion works. Some of them work on the use of pencils, ink, watercolor as well as digital tools to create clothing accessories. Fashion illustrators are employed by designers, and are actually expected to take the designers’ ideas and sketch them down in a more elaborate style that can be used to portray look books, sales presentations and other fashion promotional materials.
The knowledge and skills that are imperative in a worthy fashion illustrator includes fashion trends and color sense and human body anatomy. In addition, their work needs to be detailed when transitioning from a detailed design plan to graphic illustrations of the plan. Fashion illustrators should, however, have good technical skills, good eye and arts sensitivity. Many of them set strict deadlines when providing their service and are always required to update their philosophy conforming to the new trends and styles.
9. Garment Technologist
When people talk about fashion, they do not usually remember those who perform fashion technologists’ jobs. They account for the space between design and manufacturing process with the need to produce garments that both look good and function correctly. These qualified experts consist of a combination of technical knowledge and creativity.
Fashion technologist duties include: The art of pattern making, constructing garments, selecting fabrics and assessing various garment aspects to ensure quality control. This helps them cooperate with designers in their attempts to transform ideas into usable clothing. Fashion technologists are involved every step of the way throughout the design process and, because of their knowledge of fabric, yarns like nylon sewing thread, fit and construction, are crucial to fashion design.
10. Fashion Public Relations Specialist
Fashion Public Relations Specialist is an important position in fashion companies. They are supposed to handle and control the face of a fashion brand or designer. This includes press events and fashion shows arrangement, SNS profiles, and handling work with influencers.
Thus, having good PR could be a major difference between a brand’s success and failure in society at the hands of a skilled PR specialist. They have direct contact with journalists, editors, influential Tweeters, bloggers and others who populate the media and encourage them to take certain actions. Together with the creation and distribution of press releases, staging closed events, and dealing with the management of a crisis, they also play an important role in the success of a fashion brand.
Conclusion
Currently, the fashion Industry brings about many apparent and innovative employment avenues. Every role starting from visionary designer and ending with precise garment technologist is equally important in creating the trends and styles that entice the world. Of course, like with any industry, the job types and opportunities change as the industry does as well.
Fashion industry, especially the designer industry, requires creativity, passion and most importantly business skills. If you love the aspect of dressing celebrities or if technology is your thing, there is a position that is suitable for you.
So when you are aware of the different positions that can be found in the fashion industry, you can plan and aim for the direction that lets you indulge in the things that you love doing most – fashion.