1. CAREERS IN THE FASHION
INDUSTRY
Fashion Designer Textiles Analysis Magazine Editor Stylist
Fabric Development Manager Tailor Sourcing
Textiles Colorist Department Store Buyer Fashion Merchandiser
2. Fashion- Designer
Generally needs a bachelor's degree from an
accredited college or university.
Strong creative vision, style, adaptability to
stress, business management abilities,
communication skills and a keen
understanding of the fashion industry are
also required to be successful.
A designer must know what other
designers are creating to remain ahead of
the fashion curve and to become a trend
setter.
3. Fashion Designer- Duties
Include holding regular
meetings with store,
catalog and
organization executives
to review design ideas
and suggestions; setting
prices for garments and
upholstery the designer
creates; and supervising
the work of dyers,
cutters, sewers and
press operators.
A fashion designer is
also responsible for
purchasing material,
preparing models for
walkway presentations
and identifying markets
for clothing designs
based on gender and
age demographics.
4. Fashion- Tailor
Generally required to have a Bachelor's
degree.
A tailor makes adjustments to existing
clothing products to fit a designer's
specifications or in response to a customer's
request.
5. Fashion Tailor- Duties
Adjustments might
include resizing the waist
of pants or dresses,
shortening a coat hem or
letting out a portion of
the back seam of a suit
jacket.
A tailor also sews buttons
on existing garments,
takes customer
measurements and draws
patterns to sew new
outfits upon customers'
requests
. Design skill is required
for this position, as is a
strong working
knowledge of fabric,
specific material costs and
the use of cutting and
repairing tools.
6. Fashion- Buyers
Must work closely with designers, the
merchandising department and product managers
in order to decide which products will sell in
department stores and other retail outlets.
Skills required for this position include
exceptional knowledge in forecasting fashion
trends and solid communication and negotiation
skills in order to conduct successful business with
clothing suppliers and manufactures.
7. Fashion Buyer- Duties
Are also expected to
communicate with
internal and external
stakeholders in the
company and,
therefore, must
possess reliable public
relations skills as well.
They must also
monitor the
development of a
fashion line that is
aimed towards a
particular consumer
market.
8. Fashion Showroom- Sales Manager
Is required to properly organize a designer
or manufacturer's collection and present
the line effectively to buyers, fashion
editors and stylists.
9. Fashion Showroom Sales Manager-
Duties
Other critical tasks
involve establishing
strong relationships
and expanding the
company's client base
through effective sales
techniques.
Showroom managers
must also be
proficient in handling
multiple accounts,
processing orders and
taking inventory.
10. Fashion- Merchandiser
The main tasks of a fashion merchandiser
involve assessing appropriate product
categories for each design, determining the
product's quality level and assigning the
most appropriate price points in order to
satisfy consumer expectations and achieve
its company's sales goals.
11. Fashion Merchandiser- Duties
In addition,
merchandisers much
evaluate other
products in
development, while
monitoring product
redesigns.
Other tasks include
helping to plan a
company's product
development policies
and objectives.
12. Fashion- Product Manager
The job of a product manager entails
critical problem-solving skills in order to
devise the most effective methods of mass-
producing a fashion line.
Product managers must monitor global
markets and activities relating to
international trade on an ongoing basis in
order to identify new products and vendors.
13. Fashion Project Manager- Duties
Include developing
and implementing
product management
activities to increase
sales of a fashion line.
In addition, a product
manager must
formulate detailed
strategic plans in
order to reach target
sales goals.
14. Fashion- Stylist
Works with other fashion professionals and
those in the limelight.
They help choose what people will wear as
well as details such as how their hair should
be styled and what makeup to put on to
bring out a person's best features.
15. Fashion Stylist- Duties
A fashion stylist may
work for individuals,
as a freelancer or on
staff at a magazine
specializing in articles
about fashion design.
Rachel Zoe
June Ambrose
Sharon Davis
16. Fashion- Department Store
Buyer
Buyers work primarily for large retail stores.
They attend fashion shows and talk to fashion
designers.
They decide which items of clothing will be
purchased each season.
A buyer usually must make decisions at what
will appear on the shelves of a store 3 to 6
months in advance.
17. Fashion Dept. Store Buyer- Duties
The buyer works with
other company
officials to determine
what the public will
buy.
He/She may also work
with companies that
create finished
garments to ensure
deadlines will be met,
and the item is ready
for shipping.
18. Textiles- Engineer
Many employers require that textile
engineers have a Bachelor's degree as well
as 3 to 5 years of experience working with
fabric.
Works with a team of engineers and
product development specialists to create
new products for a specific target
population.
19. Textiles Engineer- Duties
Textile engineers work
in private and
government
organizations such as
clothing retailers,
military facilities or
aerospace companies.
20. Textiles- Researchers or
Developers
A researcher or developer must have a
Bachelor's degree.
This individual selects the clothing that
the store purchases and sells, having a
strong understanding of the impact of
color, material thickness, type and style on
the store's target customers.
21. Textiles Researchersor Developers-
Duties
Researchers or
developers in the
textile industry are
generally employed by
companies such as
Macy's, Fashion Bug,
Target or Sears.
Positions are available
at the employee and
manager levels.
22. Textiles- Fabric Development
Manager
The position requires a Bachelor's degree;
extensive work experience in the textile
industry; an understanding of mill and vendor
agreements; and knowledge of knitting,
weaving and technical procedures.
A fabric development manager is responsible
for creating and promoting fabric and design
awareness of products created by competitors.
23. Textiles Fabric Development Manager-
Duties
Textile industry fabric
development managers
head up the research,
development and
application of fabrics
selected by designers
during the design
seasons.
These managers also
identify mill
development partners
and create sourcing
agreements with the
mills.
The fabric development
manager must also have
superb project
management and
communication skills.
24. Textiles- Sales
A salesperson in the textile industry must
have a 4-year degree from an accredited
post-secondary school.
Also required is solid experience in
marketing and promotion; an
understanding of the wants of certain
demographics; and the ability to negotiate
deals with organizations, retailers and
designers.
25. Textiles Sales- Duties
Duties of the position
include cold calling
existing and
prospective clients
and creating direct
sales materials such as
brochures and
catalogs.
Other skills necessary
to successfully
perform the job
include the abilities to
work well
independently and to
motivate sales teams.
26. Textiles- Fabric Development
Fabric developers are often employed by
large fashion companies and serve as a
liaison between fashion designers and
fabric mills.
They work with mills to develop textiles to
a designer's specifications and needs.
27. Textiles Fabric Development- Duties
Responsibilities
include working with
mills to develop new
prints, determining
when certain textile
finishes are necessary,
and negotiating costs.
According to
simplyhired.com, in
2009 the average
textile developer
earned $55,000.
This position usually
requires a four-year
textiles-related
education.
28. Textiles- Sourcing
Generally, a bachelor's degree is necessary
to get into this field, preferably in business.
The sourcing representative negotiates
costs and manages fabric production until
the textiles arrive at the factory to be cut
into garments.
29. Textiles Sourcing- Duties
After a designer
commits to using a
certain textile, the
sourcing team works
with mills to produce
that fabric as
inexpensively as
possible.
According to
simplyhired.com, in
2009 the average
salary of a sourcing
manager was around
$60,000.
30. Textiles- Quality Assurance
Are responsible for providing accurate care-
label information and ensuring that all
garments meet textile and consumer safety
standards.
This group will inspect a sample of every
product to be sold before it arrives in stores.
31. Textiles Quality Assurance- Duties
If a faulty issue or
defective product is
sent to stores, quality
assurance
professionals would
be responsible for
issuing a recall.
According to
salary.com, in 2009
the average quality
assurance specialist
salary was around
$50,000.
32. Textiles- Colorist
Ensures that fabric mills and factories are
producing fabric to meet expected color
standards.
They use special lights to compare vendor
color samples against the company's color
standards.
33. Textiles Colorist- Duties
This guarantees that
all colors in a store
will look as expected
and that the colors
will coordinate with
each other.
According to
simplyhired.com, in
2009 the average
salary for a color
technician was around
$50,000.
Special training is
necessary; some
fashion schools offer
specific degrees in
color theory.