Where to find fashion jobs

Purchasers buy raw materials for fashion designers to create clothing. Like many other fashion merchandising careers, they must use their best judgment and taste to procure materials.

Many purchasers come from non-fashion fields; strong general business skills can lead to success in this role. Much like purchasers, fashion buyers handle purchasing and materials.

They take responsibility for the clothes that a fashion company sells. These professionals also help designers develop clothes that target particular demographics. Fashion stylists dress clients from head to toe. They proactively send clients pieces that they may like and often work as freelancers or in Hollywood.

The following table details fashion careers for students who earn master's degrees in the field. Though industry experience and skills play a significant role in promotion, an advanced degree can help you earn consideration for promotions earlier in your career. Like regular fashion designers, senior fashion designers create clothing, including shoes and accessories, for companies or fashion lines.

However, they perform these duties in managerial roles -- overseeing new, less-experienced fashion designers -- and receive more autonomy in their work.

Senior fashion merchandisers perform many of the same tasks as junior fashion merchandisers: sourcing raw materials and requesting specific clothing products from designers that cater to specific demographics. However, these professionals benefit from increased autonomy and power in their work, often overseeing teams of junior merchandisers. Fashion industry employees with advanced degrees, initiative, and plenty of skill and creativity can advance into C-level positions.

Fashion executives oversee the big-picture direction of companies, often liaising with investors and providing high-level mandates to senior designers. They must possess strong business skills. Art directors coordinate the visual imagery for a fashion company's marketing materials, including advertisements and catalogs. They generally work closely with marketing managers to develop a common vision for a company's brand and campaigns. Though you can qualify for many different careers with a fashion degree, your education represents only part of what you need to become a successful professional.

Networking is critically important to your advancement potential at all stages of your career. You should also stay abreast of current and emerging fashion trends; this can help you anticipate the future direction of the fashion industry and position yourself accordingly.

Committing to continuing education offers an excellent way to stay on top of industry trends and shifts in buyer behavior that could influence your career prospects. The following section also offers guidance on additional steps you can take to further your professional journey in the fashion industry.

In competitive industries like fashion, even well-established professionals pursue continuing education to accelerate their career growth and increase their knowledge. Some individuals earn additional fashion degrees, but most people opt to supplement their existing education with professional programs that lead to certificates.

These programs may feature online and classroom-based delivery methods. Their content generally focuses on niche aspects of the fashion industry, such as fashion design technologies and best practices for inventory managers and fashion buyers. They can also boost your resume and signal a commitment to ongoing personal and professional improvement. Formal education can take you a long way in the fashion world, but so can soft skills and networking; you can draw on many different strategies to leverage these for your career development.

For instance, building a strong personal brand through your online presence can help. Many professional contacts and prospective employers will investigate your social media accounts, and a carefully cultivated internet presence can pay major dividends.

Many industry insiders also recommend that you follow the social media feeds of the fashion brands and labels you like and aspire to work for.

When you attend industry events and workshops, make sure to participate in associated social activities. Bring plenty of personal business cards, stay in touch with people you meet, and cultivate relationships that can lead to career growth.

Also, membership in professional organizations like the Fashion Group International and the Fashion Industry Association can provide many networking and professional development opportunities.

According to many experienced professionals, fashion is a very difficult industry to transition into from other disciplines. Beyond universal economic principles such as supply and demand, very few conventional truths apply to the fashion industry. It features a fragmented and decentralized structure in which companies often "follow the leader" when an innovative breakthrough leads to commercial success.

As such, even highly knowledgeable professionals with a strong general working knowledge of standard business practices struggle to adapt to the realities of the fashion industry. Fashion is also a place where delegating responsibilities may lead to lost learning opportunities, as many career paths build off practical experience. Aspiring fashion professionals with no prior experience have a great deal to learn. Thus, heading back to school to earn a specialized fashion degree or certificate can serve you well if you have the mental and emotional commitment needed to make a career change.

The term "fashion industry" refers to many different fields that fashion degree-holders can pursue. Options include apparel wholesaling, the entertainment industry, sewing apparel manufacturing, design services, and management. The types of jobs that graduates can find in each industry depend on their level of education and experience. Fashion professionals can find roles related to design or purchasing for large clothing stores.

These positions, while sometimes less creatively stimulating, offer some of the best job security in the industry. Fashion designers and stylists who work in Hollywood design clothing for movies and television shows. They may work irregular hours on the sets of movies, with long breaks in between these periods.

Fashion professionals in this manufacturing industry create clothing in their warehouses, rather than designing them. The industry offers design and purchasing jobs. Some fashion professionals work for specific design companies or as freelancers.

This industry allows professionals to focus exclusively on design without any other obligations. The highest-paid fashion employees often work as managers or C-level executives who oversee business operations for multiple fashion companies. To attain these jobs, professionals often need advanced degrees and plenty of experience. Source: BLS. Employment data shows that fashion industry jobs in the United States are heavily concentrated in New York and California.

These two jurisdictions account for a large majority of all fashion jobs in the U. For context, the next largest U. Examples include Florida, Georgia, Oregon, and Massachusetts. Lauren started working in the industry during her fashion program as an intern and kept moving her way up in the company over 9. Lauren launched her own direct-to-consumer, sustainable clothing brand -- Paneros Clothing -- in August of , and she recently launched a limited edition women's line.

I decided to pursue a career in fashion design when I was in high school. I was very lucky in that my school had a great art department and offered fashion design classes. It was through taking these classes that I really became interested in a career in fashion design. We learned to sketch, read patterns, sew, and had two fashion shows a year. It was a great experience and definitely helped me with applying to FIDM.

I believe a fashion program differs from other college majors in that it's very hands on and it's creative! Unlike my friends who did not major in fashion, I did not have large lecture classes; my classes were small with no more than 25 students and all of my classes were focused around my major. I did not have any elective classes, either. I was fortunate enough to continue working for the same company I interned at and worked part time for during college.

I know for my peers, having an internship during college helped a lot to get a job after graduation. Additionally, our school hosted job fairs.

Being in LA, there are a lot of opportunities to work in the industry. I can only speak for my experience -- and in the city where I attended college -- but I know that a lot of my friends did not have a very hard time finding a job in the industry after graduation. I believe it is a versatile degree. I know of people who have gone into styling, costume design, patternmaking, and other related career paths from having a fashion design degree. You learn a variety of skills in a fashion design program, such as sketching, sewing, patternmaking, trend forecasting, fabric knowledge, and programs such as Adobe Illustrator and Photoshop, to name a few, that you can use towards a different career other than a designer.

You can also work on preproduction, product development, the production side, or become really interested in textiles and have a career related to that, as well. A year ago, I founded my own sustainable clothing brand called Paneros Clothing. I know not everyone wants to become an entrepreneur and have their own company, so I don't think my path to starting my own brand is necessarily the typical path of someone who graduates with a fashion degree.

However, I do believe my path up until I decided to start my own business was typical. Starting as an intern and working your way up assistant designer, then designer, and finally to a senior designer as I did would be the typical path someone graduating with a fashion degree would pursue. Again, someone might find that after being in the industry, they really enjoy the technical aspect of fashion design and change their path to becoming a technical designer.

In the early stages of working in the industry, you start to see what areas you might want to specialize in, including denim, knitwear, evening wear, or product development.

I love the feeling when I see someone wearing one of my designs and you can tell that they really love wearing it. As a creative, knowing that you produced something that brings someone else joy is a feeling like no other.

Along with that, seeing your design come to life as a sample is also an amazing feeling -- it's like Christmas morning when you get your proto sample and you get to see your actual design for the first time.

It's always really exciting and a little nerve-racking -- it might not always come out exactly how you wanted it the first time. The most challenging aspect of my job is creating on-trend styles that will last for many years.

As a sustainable clothing line, we are trying to create high-quality, ethical pieces as an alternative to the fast-fashion trends. The industry keeps innovating, and we are always working hard to keep up! I would tell them that it's probably a lot harder and a lot more work than you might think it will be, but completely worth it if you are truly passionate about it!

Always try to remember to have fun with it! I would also advise students to get an internship during college, and don't worry if it's not at a huge company; you might learn more at a smaller company than you would have at a larger one. I think it is really important in today's fashion industry for designers to think about the entire lifecycle of their designs, including where the fiber is made, where the garment is manufactured, the quality of the designs and all of the people involved in the process, and the end of the product's life which hopefully is not a landfill!

One thing I'd love to see future designers think about is upcycling and repurposing garments and fabrics; that can lead to a much more sustainable future for us all to enjoy. Professional and educational resources offer great value to students planning to launch their fashion careers. These include major national and international professional organizations, along with open courseware and industry publications.

The following sections detail some of the most popular examples of resources you can draw on to build and advance your career. Professional organizations provide aspiring fashion designers with opportunities to identify and develop their skill sets.

They can also help workers network and find jobs. AAFCS also offers certifications related to fashion, textiles, and apparel. American Sewing Guild : Members receive discounts on materials and supplies from participating retailers, including Jo-Ann Fabric and Craft Stores, Hancock Fabrics, and other retailers. At its annual meeting, members attend two days of seminars, lectures, and workshops.

Association of Sewing and Design Professionals : This association's members work as tailors, dressmakers, and seamstresses -- many of whom create and craft custom designs and patterns for clothing, jewelry, and accessories. Members enjoy networking, training, and mentorship opportunities; client referrals; and discounted rates for the master sewing and design professional and master alteration specialist certification programs.

Costume Society of America : Dedicated to advancing the "understanding of all aspects of dress and appearance," CSA encourages academic scholarship in the field. Members can also access special resources through the organization's website and a subscription to its journal.

The Fashion Group International : Founded in by Elizabeth Arden, Edna Woolman Chase, and Eleanor Roosevelt, this organization strives to be the "preeminent authority on the business of fashion and design.

Members enjoy networking and collaboration opportunities through organized in-person gatherings and online forums. Members can also post profiles and events. World Model Association : WMA, founded in , connects models with agencies, photographers, and talent scouts. Models receive access to an online job board and special events.

Each model can create a profile page to receive discounts on rental cars, cosmetics, and other beauty products. Agencies, scouts, and photographers can receive calls for offers and access networking opportunities through the association's site.

Students who want to develop their skills and keep up with the latest practices in fashion design may not have the time or resources for full-time programs. Fortunately, a growing number of schools are offering massive open online courses for free.

Participants can also learn about techniques related to dyeing, painting, and distressing fabric. Presented on YouTube, topics include fashion design for beginners, designing and drawing fashion sketches, and ways to maximize clothing boutique space. Special Topics: New Textiles - MIT : This hands-on, graduate-level course focuses on applying new technologies to traditional craftwork. Topics include using composites, textile-based electronics, algorithms in pattern design, and fabricating textiles.

Students explore a variety of fibers and fabrics, including some made with resins, plastics, and metal. Laser cutting, digital printing, and CNC knitting and embroidery are also covered. We are looking for energetic, positive candidates with strong media relations, pitch comfort, excellent editorial contacts and in-depth knowledge of the fashion and luxury industries. Must have years of experience.

We sit at the unique intersection of style and innovation, deeply rooted in both current culture and our twenty-year legacy. Nam Cho Fine Jewelry is looking for a responsible Administrative Assistant to perform a variety of administrative tasks.

We are a small company but fast growing, with family like environment. Inside Out Agency is a New York based boutique fashion agency offering wholesale representation and brand development resources for independent designers and brands. We are expanding our small team and looking for individuals that enjoy the business of fashion as much, if not more, than the clothes themselves.

Ideal candidate would be interested in becoming an agent when their career starts. NYC Job Listings. LA Job Listings. Fashion Week. Editors' Picks. Home Careers. Sponsored Story.