How to Make It in Fashion: Industry Insider Tips for Success

If you have always dreamed of a career in fashion, you are one of a growing number of young people who see their future in this influential industry. Fortunately, as evidenced by the best fashion staffing agencies in NYC, the fashion industry continues to grow, offering a range of potential career paths suited to differing talents. At the same time, fashion is subject to the often unpredictable ups and downs of a global market, and the fast-changing tastes of consumers, which in turn affect job growth and stability.

Fashion Recruitment agencies in NYC are at the heart of the job market in the most important fashion hub in the U.S., offering direct access to currently available jobs. Working in fashion is intense, requiring high energy levels and determination. Chances are, you’ve already got that covered. Read on to learn more about how to find your way forward. The advice of successful industry insiders is a great resource for ideas on getting started and going the distance in fashion.

Set Your Own Goals

• Industry Insider Tip: Princess Reema Bandar Al-Saud, chief executive of ALFA International, interviewed for the “5 Women Leaders on Getting Ahead in Fashion” article, posted on the Business of Fashion web site suggests, “… I recommend setting personal goals and focusing on strengths that can be benchmarked. Comparing yourself to anyone, whether male or female, is counterproductive to progressing professionally.”

If you had a dollar for everyone who’s told you to be goal–oriented, you could probably skip the career in fashion. There is, however, a reason why that advice is so popular—it does tend to work. Goals help you focus and direct your efforts, and keep track of your forward progress. They should not lock you into a rigid formula for success that keeps you from seeing unexpected opportunities when they come along. Plan on updating and revising goals periodically, to reflect your growing expertise and evolving ideas about the direction you want to take.

Pick the Fashion Job that Fits You

You can have that successful fashion job in one of a great range of roles, and chances are you will try more than one of them as you move through—and up—in your career. Think about what specifically motivates your interest in fashion, and what your best talents are. Here are some of the top choices to consider, as outlined on Wake Forest University’s Career and Professional Development page:

• Designer, and Assistant Designer
• Pattern Maker
• Merchandiser
• Buyer and Assistant Buyer
• Retail Management Trainee; Department or Sales Manager
• Merchandise Manager
• Market Analyst
• Director of Marketing
• IT

Build a Network and Keep It Fresh

• Industry Insider Tip: An innovative online and brick-and-mortar retailer, Rob Babigian of WHARF, interviewed in an article on “10 Rules for Success from Fashion Industry Insiders,” published on the Complex.com Style page, advises, “… if you are willing to accept there are people smarter than you, with more expertise in what you are trying to achieve, be humble and ask them.”
• Industry Insider Tip: Research reported by Tara Gerber and Diana Saiki, and referenced on Chron.com’s Small Business page, indicates that networking is “… the lifeblood of the fashion industry …” according to fashion achievers interviewed for the 2010 research article.

Success often depends on working from a level of confidence and belief in yourself. However, successful people know when to be humble and ask for help. It is rare to achieve success working or living in a vacuum. In fashion, it is impossible, and who you know can make all the difference. Networking requires that you make connections and keep them fresh. If you need to know more about a career or a company, reach outside your comfort zone and ask someone—you may be establishing a connection you’ll keep and develop throughout your working life. You’ll hear similar advice from professional fashion search firms in NYC, where you can expand your network through access to currently available jobs.

Cultivate Your Confidence

Women in particular can come up short on confidence in building a career and developing expertise, but anyone who feels intimidated by the challenges of the workplace can learn from the advice of those who have made a huge impact on the fashion and retail world.

• Industry Insider Tip: Fashion icon Tory Burch, chief executive and designer of Tory Burch, quoted in the Business of Fashion article, zeroes in on the confidence issue, counseling, “… get out of your comfort zone and be willing to take risks. Don’t shy away from a big project or an assignment that taps skills that are still evolving … Confidence grows out of saying ‘yes’ to unexpected opportunities – even if it scares you.”
  
• Industry Insider Tip: Also quoted in the Business of Fashion article, Balbina Wong, chief executive of ImagineX advises that women avoid the pitfall of focusing on the disadvantages of their gender, saying, “I would advise women not to fixate on gender, not to compete on gender but compete on capability. You build confidence in your abilities by demonstrating your abilities consistently and becoming known as solid, reliable and trusted — the go-to.”

Launching Your Own Label

Many are attracted above all to the role of designer, envisioning their own brand, their name on a label, their creations shown on the runway. If this sounds like you, advice from some high-achievers who have launched breakthrough menswear labels, quoted in the article on complex.com, will have special meaning.

• Industry Insider Tip: Shimon and Ariel Ovadia of Ovadia & Sons stress authenticity in designs. They say, “A key component is to stay true to yourself and design things that you love and want to wear. The result will be clothing you believe in …”
• Industry Insider Tip: Eunice Lee of UNIS, stresses a pragmatic balance to channel your creative impulse, “Who are you designing for? What do they expect of you? Are there actually people out there willing to pay money for your ideas? Don’t ever forget: fashion is a business.”
• Industry Insider Tip: Frank the Butcher of Butcher’s Block/Boylston Trading Co. talks about the difference between taking inspiration from others’ ideas and simply taking their ideas, “It’s the circle of creativity when past and present designers inspire you — but there’s a fine line between inspiration and trying to replicate what sparks you. One can build off inspiration, turning that seed into something new.”

Sources:

http://www.complex.com/style/2012/06/how-to-make-it-10-rules-for-success-from-fashion-industry-insiders/andrew-chen

http://www.businessoffashion.com/articles/people/5-women-leaders-on-getting-ahead-in-fashion