Retail
There are so many different job roles included in the retail side of fashion. Whether you would like to own your own business or be part of an existing one, these are the main job roles needed to form a store. Sales assistants are such a huge priority to a business, and this is also a great way to get your foot in the door. The main role for sales assistants is to handle the customers’ purchases, help customers, restock the floor and also make sure everything is clean and tidy.
There is also the visual merchandiser role, which is all about making the store look and feel appealing. A VM must have an eye for design, as they will deal with shop signs, window decals, rail arrangement, and more popular than ever - dressing mannequins. The store buyer is a vital role for any store, as they research into which garments should be sold in-store, and negotiate prices for the garments. You will then need the managerial roles, which includes those responsible for leading the team in-store, dealing with budgeting as a whole, and making sure that the store runs smoothly in general.
Design
If you are more interested in the creative side of the fashion industry, then becoming a fashion designer is a great role to have! There are lots of different aspects to this role; it isn’t necessarily just designing a garment. It includes making concept boards/mood boards to present to the other in-house departments, looking at costs and budgets for the making and producing of the garments, spotting trends, and maybe even noticing them before they become majorly popular and obviously working on briefs to design the clothes.
To be a fashion designer, you have to have a genuine interest in the making and creative side to this business. You also need to notice the tiny aspects and details of a garment to ensure you are making amazing quality items. To get into this competitive role, studying at college is helpful, as it can prepare you with what the industry will be like, build up your portfolio with guidance and also give you a degree at the end, which is extremely appealing to employers.
Manufacturing
There is a huge amount of negativity around machinists being underpaid and working in terrible conditions. If you are interested in sewing and hand producing garments but only hear about these awful situations, definitely do some research into slow fashion. Slow fashion is the act of producing better quality garments in an eco-friendly, sustainable, fair way. There are lots of brands practicing the slow fashion movement in a really amazing way that require machinists to help produce garments, so research into companies before taking the plunge.
There are so many different pathways into the fashion industry, and it can be hard at times to know where to look. Figure out what aspect you are interested in and then do some research into how to go about getting your foot in the door, whether that is from education, internships, apprenticeships or even just applying for a job if you feel you are ready.