Study For A Thrilling Career in Fashion
Thursday, July 24th, 2008 Subscribe To Our Feed
Have you ever wondered why some styles of clothing are featured in fashion advertising while others are rarely mentioned? Have you ever been curious about planning and producing a stunning fashion show? A degree in fashion retailing can give you this knowledge and teach you these important skills. The intriguing world of fashion retailing and buying is replete with the insights of renowned fashion forecasters, fashion show coordinators, store and department managers, personal shoppers and more.
Most fashion retailers enjoy stimulating careers in specialty stores, boutiques, national department stores, discount chains, wholesale apparel dealers and clothing design studios. They endure a chaotic lifestyle, constantly on the go, meeting new clients, fabric venders, seamstresses, models, buyers, and more. This entails unconventional hours, constant travel, and enduring lots of stress. The success or failure of any given collection or campaign could make or break a design house, store, or vendor.
The best programs should include studies into the history of fashion retailing; the types of retailers; direct marketing; trends in the retail industry; qualifying for employment; and the options for self-employment in fashion. Moreover, students should be privy to studies in consumer psychology; the sociology of consumer buying patterns; how consumers make fashion purchasing decisions; spending characteristics at different stages of life, and so forth. Students who lean more towards the business end of the fashion spectrum should study the global marketplace; know what and when to buy; be familiar with both buyer and assistant buyer duties; and be familiar with the agencies of fashion forecasting around the world.
With more than a million retail businesses in the United States alone, highly motivated and skilled fashion retailers and merchandisers are projected to have their pick of employment opportunities. Additionally, fashion retailers can also enjoy careers as apparel buyers, personal shoppers (for executives and celebrities), specialty managers, manufacturer representatives, fashion directors, and fashion stylists. According to Salary.com, a fashion retailer has the capacity to earn a yearly salary between $28,395 and $60,117. These figures vary according to location, with the major fashion centers, including New York, Los Angeles, London, and Paris, offering higher salaries. Of course, location can be a important factor with design centers being in larger cities, such as New York City or London. The United States Department of Labor, www.dol.gov, suggests retail managers have the potential to earn a medium salary of approximately $72,000. By no means does a career in fashion retailing doom a graduate to a subsistence level life.
The earning potential of any fashion retailing graduate is bound only by the resourcefulness and imagination of the individual. Being a vastly competitive field, the fashion industry is best navigated by graduates who not only have the talent to design pieces, but those who can also have a penchant for business. Since the two fields are well entwined, a graduate should be aware of whether he or she is interested in one to the exclusion of the other. If this is the case, it is advisable that a graduate who is more inclined to sew, find partners who can compensate by being more interested in business.
About the Author: Steve Collins is a writer and Journalist based in Hollywood. His daughter recently begun a degree course at Ashworth College. Read his reviews of Ashworth College here.
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