Careers in Fashion

Sections:

Employment Trends | Skills for Success
Careers in Fashion | Corporate Fashion

Employment Trends

Fashion Design
Career opportunities abound in Fashion Design! The industry is large and growing because Americans spend a respectable amount of their budget on clothing. Employment is expected to increase an average of 6 percent through 2014.

Key positions and median incomes in the Fashion Design industry are Fashion Designer, $46,000; Assistant Designer, $38,500; Technical Designer, Apparel; $47,500; and Pattern Maker, $24,000.

Fashion Merchandising
Employment opportunities in Fashion Merchandising are expected to increase an average of 9 to 17 percent through 2014.

Careers in this field are many. Key employment opportunities and the accompanying median incomes include Buyer, $42,000; Sales Representative, $41,000; Sales Management, $31,000; Special Event Planner, $43,000; and Visual Merchandiser, $26,000.

Skills for Success

Fashion Design
Employees in this industry will need these attributes:

A strong sense of fashion trends
Be highly organized and flexible
Work well and effectively under pressure
Possess creative and artistic skills
The ability to communicate effectively

Fashion Merchandising
Employees in this industry will need these attributes:

The ability to communicate effectively
Effective listening skills
An eye for fashion trends and their influences
Contemporary marketing knowledge
High energy level
Leadership ability
Attention to detail

Careers in Fashion

Fashion is everywhere, and so are career opportunities for individuals who combine a knowledge of the fashion business with their own talents, ambitions and abilities. The fashion industry provides a wide spectrum of career choices, from raw materials to the final consumer purchase: stores, mail-order houses, other forms of retailing, manufacturing, advertising, newspapers, magazines, commercial photography, public relations and other creative areas.

Fashion Design Graduates
Textile/Surface Design Graduates
Fashion Buying and Merchandising
Fashion in Stores
Fashion Merchandising with Manufacturers
Apparel Production
Textile Development

Entry-Level Jobs for Fashion Design Graduates

Assistant Designer
Cutting Assistant
Sketching Assistant
Sketcher -- Assistant to the Designer
Stylist
Junior Designer

Skills: Well-organized, flexible, fast- working; ability to work under pressure; good eye for trends in silhouette, color and fabric; ability to analyze trends for customers; garment construction, computer drafting and technical skills, pattern making, draping and sketching.

Entry-Level Jobs for Textile/Surface Design Graduates

Textile-Surface Designer
Colorist
Assistant Stylist
Screen Print Artist
Woven Fabric Designer
Knit Designer

Skills: Initiative, reliability, following instructions, meeting deadlines, versatile portfolio, extensive art background, art and costume history, color and design courses, textile science courses, illustration, strong computer design skills.

Entry-Level Jobs for Fashion Buying and Merchandising

Management Trainee
Department Manager
Assistant Store Manager
Associate Buyer
Assistant Buyer
Distribution Planner
Product Development Trainee
Store Operations
Mall Management

Skills: Analytical ability, computer skills, strong communication skills, leadership ability, initiative, high degree of motivation and energy, maturity, fashionable appearance. High grade point average in math, business math, accounting, management, marketing, business, fashion marketing, fashion history, psychology of fashion, textiles, design principles.

Entry-Level Positions for Fashion in Stores

Assistant to Fashion Director
Special Events Planning
Visual Merchandising Team
Personal Shopper
Sales Associate

Skills: Good eye for trends and coordinating trends, great communication skills, ability to work with store policies and management, flexible, creative, fashion merchandising, textiles, product knowledge, fashion history, psychology of fashion, color and design, advertising, public relations.

Entry-Level Positions for Fashion Merchandising with Manufacturers

Showroom Sales Trainee
Showroom Receptionist
Clerical Assistant
Product Development
Retail Sales Coordinator
Merchandising Assistant
Assistant Piece Goods and Trim Buyer
Production Assistant
Administrative Assistant

Skills: Assertive, excellent communication skills, computer skills, high level of organization, sales experience, broad range of courses which will enhance specific jobs, knowledge of fashion merchandising, trend analysis, management, retail math, textiles, color and design, fashion history and psychology of fashion.

Entry-Level Position for Apparel Production

Production Control Assistant
Import Coordinator
Junior Industrial Engineer
Costing Analyst
Quality Control Specialist
Assistant Plant Manager

Skills: Organizational skills, quantitative aptitude, computer skills, accuracy, thoroughness, assertiveness, detail oriented, problem-solving ability, multi-cultural training, bilingual, understanding of textiles and apparel in the global economy, good mathematical skills, knowledge of construction and contemporary processes of cutting, pattern making and construction.

Entry-Level Position for Textile Development

Assistant Converter
Assistant Fabric or Yarn Stylist
Product Development Specialist
Textile Technology
Sales Trainee
Fabric Librarian

Skills: Detail - oriented, ability to analyze color and fashion trends, communication skills, computer skills, textiles, specialty courses in textile manufacturing, design courses, fashion and art history.

Don't Forget!
Magazine Editors, Writers, Costume Designers and Media Stylists, Photographers...
Fashion careers are everywhere!

Gainful Employment Information
View information about this program, including estimated cost and employment opportunities.