There are a multitude of opportunities for those who have a passion for fashion
By Monica Lander CORRESPONDENT
The allure of New York Fashion Week, the challenge of Project Runway, the glamour of jaw-dropping gowns on the red carpet or just the fun of mixing and matching affordable separates into amazing outfits. It’s all about fashion. On the runway or not, there are a multitude of opportunities out there for those who have a passion for fashion from strutting down the runway, churning out original designs to writing about the next fashion trend or budding designer.
CAREERS IN FASHION Fashion Design
According to The College Board, a major in Fashion Design is a demanding course of study and, says Mary Stephens, Fashion Design Department Chair at the Institute of Design and Merchandising, is a “highly technical industry, requiring great attention to detail and patience.”
Creativity is coupled with technical skills like apparel construction, color and design theory, and pattern making and knowledge of textiles.
Fashion Merchandising
Blend an interest in fashion design with business savvy and venture into a career of fashion merchandising with sales and marketing. What gets a design out into the market and how is it made into the latest and hottest trend? That’s where knowledge of fashion and consumer trends comes in handy. Think retail management as one career path or take it further by learning all you can about a particular item of clothing or accessory and become a buyer for a retail store. Add a dash of creativity and join a corporate or retail advertising team and design the ads that lure customers into the store or to its website.
Production Management
So the design is a hit grabbed by top retailers across the country and the advertising is enticing lots of interest. Now it’s your turn as a professional in fashion production management to make sure that product is made the most efficiently and economically to keep the racks full and online stock ready to meet the demand. Production managers work with suppliers and retailers and make decisions about where the clothing or accessory is made.
Visual Presentation
Using fashion as your medium and relying on your creativity is behind designing visuals that attract attention. Think those store windows that everyone crowds around, museum exhibits, fashion shows and showrooms.
According to the Fashion Institute of Technology, visual presentation professionals “are storytellers in three dimension, creating environments that inspire, inform, and persuade.” The goal is to create eye- catching displays using visual and graphic elements and produce brand-related special events.
Sylist
Not only do you “dress” a celebrity for red carpet events (think Rachel Zoe), as a stylist you can also “dress” a set for fashion shoots, print or television advertising campaigns and catalogs. Working with a team or alone, a stylist will create the ideal ambience on location or in a studio to present and display clothing and accessories. When working with models, the stylist will also work with a creative team that can include a makeup artist and hair stylist. There are many types of stylists from editorial, commercial, television, live performance, catalogue and prop and set styling. Earn a degree specializing in visual presentation or a twoyear associate’s degree in fashion merchandising and create a portfolio of work. Gain experience through internships, networking and keeping current with industry trends.
Public Relations
Promote a brand’s image in a positive light and make sure people are talking about it. Also called fashion publicist or media relations specialist, the person in public relations promotes a fashion business oftentimes working with editors and writers to create articles about the company, its designers, and its products. As the spokesperson for the fashion business, the public relations specialist also handles customer complaints and concerns and works to resolve lost shipments or misunderstandings so satisfied customers keep coming back to shop and have good things to say about the brand/store.
Fashion Journalist
Write for published fashion magazines, newspapers, books, websites, blogs and more. A fashion journalist prepares stories, commentaries and critiques on the news in the fashion industry and therefore must have a significant knowledge of the industry including designers, models and experts. Degrees in fashion journalism are available but writing and communication skills are a necessity and internships are very helpful in landing a job.
FASHION SCHOOLS
We live in a mecca of fashion design right here in the San Francisco Bay Area and west coast with several schools offering high-ranking programs in fashion design.
California College of the Arts is a top ranking art and design school with two Bay Area campuses. Named the world’s best design school by Bloomberg Business Week in 2013, CCA’s program is accredited by the National Association of Schools of Art and Design. The private school offers a bachelors degree in fashion design and students focus on sustainable design using eco-friendly materials. They are trained in garment design techniques, sewing and patterning and are expected to create original collections for their senior thesis and may participate in the annual juried fashion show. Many students pursue internships at local and international companies in the fashion industry. Famous alums include Project Runway contestant Amy Sarabi and Erick Lopez, associate designer for Menswear at Abercrombie & Fitch.
San Francisco State University offers a Bachelor of Science degree in apparel design and merchandising with an optional fashion study tour in New York City’s garment district. The school’s annual fashion show has benefitted Goodwill Industries.
Another Bay Area option for fashion studies is City College of San Francisco where students can earn a two-year associate degree in fashion design and certificates in fashion merchandising, fashion design, image consulting, textiles, and styling. The course of study is offered at three San Francisco campuses. Students also participate in the department’s annual juried fashion show.
The Fashion Institute of Design and Merchandising has campuses in San Francisco and Los Angeles and serves as the backdrop for the popular TV show Project Runway. The school offers a wide range of fashion majors from Advanced Fashion Design and Film & TV Costume Design to Merchandise Marketing and Product Development.
The Academy of Art University’s School of Fashion in San Francisco is another local school that offers degrees in a variety of subjects including textiles, knitwear, merchandising and design. The school also offers online degree programs in fashion.
Designer Sonia Été established the Academy of Couture Art in Los Angeles in 2005. Its small classes meet in the Flynt Building in Beverly Hills with close proximity to many art, culture and fashion institutions.
The U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) reports that fashion designers earned a median annual salary of $64,030 in 2014 and held about 18,000 jobs that same year. The highest concentration of fashion designers works in either New York or California. The BLS projects a 3 percent increase in these jobs between now and 2024. Stylists earn an average salary of $50,346 per year according to payscale.com. Fashion marketers including advertising and promotions can expect a 12 percent growth in jobs between now and 2022.
Becoming A Model
There’s more to being a model than walking the catwalk in 6-inch heels without tripping. Sure the runway models are glamorous and get more than their share of attention at Fashion Week and Project Runway, but there are other types of modeling to consider. Consider print modeling that focuses on magazine photo shoots or specialize in swimsuits, eyeglasses, catalogue or even plus size modeling.
Research the market you want. Is it big city glamour or a suburban natural look? Do they want petite or plus size models? What are the clothing trends?
Look for an agency that specializes in the type of modeling you want to do. Check out what models they represent, the type of jobs they book and if there are any complaints about the agency. Reputable agencies do not ask for cash up front. Be prepared to work in a very competitive industry. Assemble photos of yourself including full-length and natural headshots and your measurements. Send these to the agencies or bring the photos to “open calls” that agencies host.
Think about what you would do if you got a job. Can you keep a part time job? Do you have to move to a new city?