The Best Simple Guide For A Career in Fashion Retail
Do you love fashion? Are you interested in working in the retail industry? If so, a career in fashion retail may be perfect for you! In this blog post, we will discuss what you need to know about pursuing a career in fashion retail. We will cover topics such as job opportunities, salaries, and skills required for success. So if you are ready to take the next step in your career, keep reading!
What Do You Need To Study For Fashion Careers In The Fashion Industry?
The fashion industry is all about what is new and current in the fashion world. You need to be able to identify new fashion trends and know how to put together outfits that are stylish and flattering. If you want to work in fashion retail, it is important to have an eye for detail and be able to visualize how the clothing will look on a person. Additionally, strong customer service skills are essential in this field.
Most fashion designers’ studies consist of a mix of creative and technical courses. Many designers have a bachelor’s degree in fashion design or a related field, such as merchandising or textile science. If you are interested in pursuing a career in fashion retail, consider studying fashion merchandising or business. These majors will give you the skills you need to be successful in this competitive industry.
Another important thing for fashion designers to know about is fashion history. The fashion world first became iconic back in the year of 1858. Since then there have been many fashion designers who have come and gone, but the one thing they all had in common was their passion for fashion. If you want to have a career in fashion retail, make sure you have a passion for fashion and are up-to-date on the latest trends.
Fashion retail is all about new trends and personal style and you can get your start pretty much anywhere. Job opportunity with real-world experience is necessary to land that dream job.
What Are The Most Common Job Roles In Fashion Merchandising?
In the fashion industry, there are all kinds of jobs for careers in fashion. Some start as a sales associate that’s fashion related to gain knowledge about retail management. Here is a list of the most common jobs starting:
Creative Director:
A creative director is someone that is in charge of a team of creatives. They come up with the initial concepts and ideas for fashion shoots, campaigns, and runway shows. The main responsibilities that a creative director has daily are to oversee the art direction, come up with new ideas, and make sure that the team is on track to hit deadlines.
Education: Most creative directors have a bachelor’s degree in fashion, although some may have a master’s degree or higher.
Salary: The average salary for a creative director per year is $73,000.
Graphic Designer:
Graphic designers are people that design visual communications. This can be anything from a fashion magazine layout to a website or a mobile app. A career in graphic design within the fashion industry means that you would be creating visuals for fashion companies, retailers, and designers.
Education: Most graphic designers have a bachelor’s degree in graphic design or related fields.
Salary: The average salary for a graphic designer per year is $52,000.
Fashion Buyer:
A fashion retail buyer is responsible for purchasing the products that a retailer will sell in their store. A career in fashion buying means that you would be working with designers, wholesalers, and manufacturers to choose the right mix of clothing, shoes, and accessories for the season. A fashion buyer has other responsibilities such as setting the price of the items, negotiating with suppliers and managing inventory.
Education: A career in fashion buying usually requires a bachelor’s degree in business or a related field.
Salary: The average salary for a fashion buyer per year is $65,000.
Textile Designer:
Textile designers work closely with fashion designers and merchandisers to create fabrics that meet the needs of the fashion industry. They develop new textile designs, select colors, and patterns, and oversee the production of fabric samples.
Education: A career as a textile designer usually requires a bachelor’s degree in textile design or a related field.
Salary: The average salary for a textile designer per year is $61,000.
Fashion Merchandiser:
A fashion merchandiser is someone that buys and sells fashion products. They work with designers, manufacturers, and retailers to choose what clothes and accessories to sell in stores.
Education: A career as a fashion merchandiser usually requires a bachelor’s degree in fashion merchandising or a related field.
Salary: The average salary for a fashion merchandiser per year is $67,000.
Sales Associate:
A sales associate is responsible for helping customers find the right product and providing them with information about the products they are interested in. This is a great starting position at a fashion retailer in high street stores.
Education: A career as a sales associate usually requires a high school diploma or equivalent.
Salary: The average salary for a sales associate per year is $22,000.
Public Relations Specialist:
Public relations specialists are mainly responsible for creating and maintaining a good image of the company they work for to the public. They do this by writing press releases, organizing events, and working with the media.
Education: A career as a public relations specialist usually requires a bachelor’s degree in public relations, communication, or a related field.
Salary: The average salary for a public relations specialist per year is $73,000.
Fashion Stylist:
A fashion stylist will work closely with their clients to help them choose the right clothing and accessories for their body type, skin tone, and personal style. They also are responsible for new styles and consumer awareness as a personal stylist.
Education: A career as a fashion stylist usually requires a bachelor’s degree in fashion design or a related field.
Salary: The average salary for a fashion stylist per year is $42,000.
Store Manager:
A store manager is someone responsible for the overall operation of a retail store. This includes supervising employees, managing inventory, and providing customer service.
Education: A career as a store manager usually requires a bachelor’s degree in business administration or a related field.
Salary: The average salary for a store manager per year is $46,000.
Runway Model:
Runway models are people that help fashion forecasting and represent the latest trends in the fashion industry. The main responsibility a runway model has is to showcase clothing and accessories during fashion shows.
Education: There is no formal education required to be a runway model, but some knowledge of the fashion industry is helpful.
Salary: The average salary for a runway model per year is $42,000.
Sales Assistant:
A sales assistant is someone on the shop floor who helps customers with queries and sales.
Education: There is no formal education required to be a sales assistant, but some customer service experience is helpful.
Salary: The average salary for a sales assistant per year is $21,000.
Product Developer:
A product developer is similar to a trend forecaster or print designer. The main responsibilities of a product developer are to develop new products, improve existing products and oversee the production process.
Education: A career in product development usually requires a bachelor’s degree in fashion design or a related field.
Salary: The average salary for a product developer per year is $52,000.
Each job title has different responsibilities, but working your way up the career ladder in fashion retail is a great way to learn more about the industry. Fashion shows can help you learn more about market research and build relations with fashion buyers during fashion weeks.
Search For Retail Fashion Jobs Near You:
How To Be Successful With A Retail Fashion Career In Luxury Brands
Understanding your clothing brand and target audience for department stores is crucial for being successful as a designer. Computer-aided design can also be helpful to be knowledgeable with for originally published sketches or to create digital prototypes. Strong communication is important to explain the vision for a clothing line to buyers, and working well on a team is essential since most design projects are collaborative. According to the National Association of Schools of Art and Design website, most fashion designers have a bachelor’s degree in fine arts, which can include courses like fabric styling, merchandising, and fashion design.
Having a great cover letter that highlights your expertise in designing, fashion styling, and marketing will help you land a fashion job sooner. Promotion for upcoming events can also be a great way to get your cover letter out to jobs or brands, just make sure the job is of similar interest to your knowledge and understanding of designing.
If you don’t consider yourself management level for interior design, that’s okay. Retail experience is earned not learned, so get out there with the trend forecaster and look online for e-commerce fashion trends. Sometimes customers have an interest in a different direction for fashion so broaden your horizon and travel to New York to meet different potential clients and compare events that you have attended before.
Whether You Are A Fashion Designer, Graphic Designer, or Fashion Retail Buyer
If you’re interested in a career in fashion retail, there are a few things you should know. First and foremost, market research is key. Knowing what buyers want (and don’t want) is essential to keeping your store’s inventory fresh and appealing. Additionally, building relationships with other members of the fashion industry (such as designers and fellow retailers) is crucial to success. Finally, having an understanding of computer-aided design (CAD) software will give you a leg up when it comes to creating prototypes or original sketches.
Depending on your job search, the right stores, the right career, or the right design studio that is perfect for your life doesn’t happen overnight but it can if you know the right people. Networking is the greatest skill anyone could work with the public image and street fashion. Some other key skills can also include:
-Leadership
-Communication
-Teamwork
The industry is always searching for new trends and the people who set them. A career in fashion retail can be very rewarding, both financially and emotionally. With the right attitude and a bit of hard work, you can achieve success in this field.
What Are The Pros and Cons of Working in a Fashion Retail Career?
There are pros and cons to everything but when it comes to fashion careers, it can depend on what career path you choose. For instance, digital marketing is much easier to learn than computer science.
The fashion industry is a very broad field. There are many career paths you can take, from design and marketing to merchandising and retailing. It can be a very exciting and fast-paced industry, but it is also very competitive. If you’re thinking about a career in fashion, you need to be prepared for long hours and hard work. But the rewards can be great, both financially and emotionally.
Some retail buyers in the retail business need a visual merchandiser with product knowledge and gaining that retail experience on a design team is invaluable. The biggest pro for jobs in the fashion retailer business aside from the shopping and quality but the relationships. Find jobs that deal with fashion marketing and you’ll meet all the right people to network with whatever career path you want.