A career in the ‘Fashion Industry,’ is a dream for many. Unfortunately enough, it remains so. Either one has parents pressuring them into taking a college course that will yield you in landing a job that pays you well as a starter, or one just didn’t have enough opportunity to understand and explore this Industry better. Hence, you went ahead with your next best option. Today, where knowledge and awareness of various social, economic, and political matters are so widespread, we still find that a fraction of the world’s population thinks ‘fashion designing’ is all that the Fashion Industry comprises as a ‘real job.’ Anything else that supports the designing aspect isn’t a job and is merely a hobby.
If you are one of those that studied something that didn’t have your heart entirely but went ahead with it to impress and/or avoid difficult conversations with people around you, here is news for you, it’s never too late. What you studied has probably made you that happy, but what you do for a living for the rest of your life just might.
If fashion is something you’ve been passionate about and want to work with Companies/Brands in the field, you still can with the degree you already hold. Though, doing short certification courses (online or offline) in a specific area of interest is always a plus.
Please Note: The list includes 2-3 career options per educational field. You can always dive into more options that are/can be a combination of 2 or more pathways.
If you studied Finance: Fashion Merchandising and/or Buying
Earlier, merchandising and buying were done by the same person, but with time, they’ve come about to be 2 different jobs, strongly linked together. As a merchandiser, one evaluates sales performance, does budget forecasting, and manages the allocation and stock distribution to stores to achieve estimated profit and sales margin driven. A buyer’s role entails sales analysis, trend forecasting, developing and sourcing products, and curating and editing range plans. While a merchandiser is analytical, scientific, and numbers-focused, buying demands the same but is also more creative, artistic, and product-driven.
If you studied Law: Apparel Law
Widely recognized as Fashion Law, Apparel Law is a union of many laws where lawyers work with big brands that have their in-house legal teams or outsource legal firms dealing with the same. These lawyers deal with anything from Contracts, employment law, consumer protection, Distribution agreements, etc. But, the most important of those they deal with is Intellectual property law dealing with brands, designs, trademark protection, and copyrights that stop small businesses, individuals, and competitors from outright copying brand designs and/or creating counterfeits at a competitive price range. Without proper legal recognition and protection of a designer’s creations and trademarks, the brands would have a tough time surviving in an industry that requires constant creativity and innovation.
If you studied Marketing: PR & Communications, E-commerce, Digital Marketing
Marketing in Fashion is quite an important area of focus where Fashion and the business side of it become one. Only when done right, does the product sell. The field often requires someone who does possess smooth communication skills (written and verbal) and quick strategic, creative and analytical thinking that helps brands deliver business objectives and KPIs (Key Performance Indicators). No two days at any job in this field are the same. There is always room for learning a wide range of new skills.
In E-commerce and digital marketing, different marketing techniques and strategies are applied to develop content for social media channels, helping with ambassador and influencer partnerships, press releases, assisting in production, trade reporting, etc.
If you studied Management: Event Management, Sales coordinator, Studio Assistant
Management, irrespective of any industry, holds an organization/firm together. They exist with a brand as an in-house team or a separate entity. People in Fashion Event Management are responsible for planning and organizing events and shows such as runway shows, pop-ups, couture week, product launch parties, and store openings, to name a few. From selecting a venue till the day of the event, when the last guest leaves, an event coordinator and their team are on their feet to assist with whatever it is.
A Sales coordinator and a studio assistant’s jobs are pretty similar. It is spread out between logistics, press, and administration. Some duties undertaken involve reaching out to publications, handling, distributing, and returning samples, planning brand team events, processing orders, managing customer accounts, assisting the admin side, arranging shipments, and helping with other day-to-day tasks.
