CAREERS IN THE FASHION INDUSTRY

Fashion Designer Textiles Analysis Magazine Editor Stylist Fabric Development Manager Tailor Sourcing

Textiles Colorist Department Store Buyer Fashion Merchandiser

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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

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.

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.

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.

Textiles Engineer- Duties Textile engineers

work in private and government organizations such as clothing retailers, military facilities or aerospace companies.

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.

Textiles Researchers or 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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.