Fashion Design

The Role

Designing and developing seasonal ranges that are relevant to key trends.

Involves trend forecasting, market research, production innovation, sketching, sourcing fabrics and trims, liaising with patternmakers, sample cutters and machinists to create and develop designs of a high quality.

A designer would oversee the development, fitting and production of sale sample collections.

Experience Needed

Sample cutting, patternmaking, knowledge of production process, computer skills, design assistant experience.

Personal Skills

  • Creativity
  • Love of fashion and trends
  • Eye for detail
  • Interpersonal skills
  • Organisational skills
  • Very determined

Stepping Stones

Diploma of Fashion Business and Design.

Design assistant internships or Workplace Training within a fashion label.

Portfolio development.

Design room assistant.

Develop Skills & Knowledge

  • Design qualification
  • A course in Fashion Business
  • Computer skills in Adobe Illustrator and Photoshop
  • Sewing Skills
  • Pattern Making and cutting skills

Research

Get to know key designers and labels.

Understand current trends and forecasting.

Understand concept of product development e.g. target market, price points, manufacturing processes, marketing material.

Fashion Styling

The Role

Styling for Magazines, Campaigns, TV, Personal Styling.

Experience Needed

Develop a portfolio- You will never be hired without a portfolio.

Get in touch with models, photographers, hair/makeup and create a test shoot.

Personal Skills

  • Creative
  • Good communication skills
  • Hard working

Stepping Stones

Retail experience


Styling merchandise all day.

Getting to know different bodies and what suits their shape.

Knowing what sells and what appeals to specific tastes.

As much Workplace Training in Styling as possible

Establishing contacts – Photographers, Models, Stylists.

Always be available for any shoots that arise. A lot of the time opportunities will come up at the last minute. Reliability is the key.

Get a kit together

Every Stylist needs to have a kit on hand. Be prepared for anything that can go wrong on the day.

Develop Skills & Knowledge

Complete a hair and makeup course

The more skills you have the less people that need to be hired for shoots. Also the more control you have over the entire look.

Do a design course

Clothes never fit models, hems always break. You need to have basic sewing and design skills to alter and make clothes work the way you need them to.

A course in Fashion Business

Get your driver’s license

Stylists will be forever driving to remote locations, lugging around merchandise etc. A license and a car are really a necessity.

Research

Research stylists

Know who is out there styling and be familiar with their signature looks. Be up to date with trends and looks for the seasons. Read magazines and blogs, anything to be up to date with the Fashion Industry.

Public Relations

The Role

In-house PR / PR Agency

Some brands choose to have the PR done in-house as this means they have absolute control over all their marketing. This also means that they need to pay a wage. In-house also means that the brand is the soul concern. PR agencies represent different brands.

Experience Needed

Workplace Training in PR.

Personal Skills

  • Excellent communication skills
  • Creativity
  • Good writer
  • Organised
  • Able to negotiate

Stepping Stones

As much Workplace Training in PR as possible

Workplace Training is the best experience someone can get.

Retail experience

Getting to know why people buy certain pieces.

First-hand experience with how a brand is marketed and the audience that is attracted.

What marketing strategies do and don’t work.

Develop Skills & Knowledge

  • Writing Course
  • A course in Fashion Business

Research

You can never do too much research when it comes to working in PR. Research PR companies – know what they do and who they represent.

Yearly plan for what magazines/ media are doing. You need to be working in advance. Timing is crucial.

You must understand your target market and where everyone sits. Know where they shop, what magazines they buy, where they live. These are all aspects you need to know so you can successfully market your product to them.

Fashion Agencies

The Role

An “Agent” is someone who acts on behalf of someone else. In this case, the Fashion Agent acts on behalf of the Fashion Designer by liaising with buyers and selling their range or collection to stores, boutiques and department stores.

Sales agents are paid on a commission based on what they sell.

Experience Needed

Retail sales experience

Internships within Sales and Marketing

Personal Skills

  • Good communication skills
  • Interpersonal skills
  • Strong ability to understand brands and their market
  • Professional characteristics
  • Ability to work alone and set and meet sales targets as well as give constructive feedback on ranges

Stepping Stones

Workplace Training at a Fashion Agency or within an internal Sales Department.

Retail experience


Customer service.

Getting to know why people buy certain pieces.

Establishing Industry contacts – Designers, Buyers.

Develop Skills & Knowledge

Marketing or Communications Course could be beneficial.

A course in Fashion Business

Get your driver’s license

Agents occasionally travel to different boutiques to present different ranges.

Create a good reputation in the Fashion Industry and have a strong selling history.

Research

Know what brands are stocked in which stores.

Keep up to date with trends and collections.

Fashion Magazines

The Role

There are two main avenues within a Fashion Magazine:

Styling: Fashion Department

Journalism: Editorial Department

Experience Needed

Fashion Department

Workplace Training.

Editorial Department

Journalism degree or course.

Personal Skills

  • Initiative
  • Hard working
  • Very determined

Stepping Stones

Fashion Department

Workplace Training

This is purely performance based. There are hundreds of students who intern at Magazines. The ones who are outstanding are the ones who get hired. You must be outstanding, better than every other intern.

Use your initiative to stand out.

Example; clean, tidy, do everything with a smile on your face etc.

 

Editorial

Get your work together

Portfolio of articles.

Send articles to get published.

  • Make sure that what you are sending is relevant to the magazine
  • Any work which is published looks great in your portfolio
  • Workplace Training
  • Get as much hands on experience within an editorial department as possible. Take an avid interest and use initiative to stand out in the crowd.
  • Any experience where you get to write Eg: PR- press releases.

Develop Skills & Knowledge

  • Writing course
  • A course in Fashion Business

Research

Get to know magazines- who works there, what their target market is etc.

Fashion Buying

The Role

The primary objective of buying is to purchase target market specific ranges and products in order to achieve budgeted sales.

It is crucial that you understand the needs and wants of your targeted customer.

Experience Needed

Any experience within accounts/ figures is an advantage. As a Buyer, you will be constantly working with figures. You do need to enjoy statistics.

Experience within a head office environment/ administration role.

Fashion retail experience – knowing why people buy certain pieces/ what sells and what doesn’t and why/getting to know target markets.

Design Course.

Often Buyers will assist in Product Development eg. David Jones brand.

Knowing cut, textures, fabrics, what suits certain body shapes etc.

Personal Skills

  • Diplomatic
  • Assertive
  • Organised
  • Intuitive in what will sell

Stepping Stones

Workplace Training in a Buying Office

This can often be difficult to come by. There are many other ways to get relevant experience.

Marketing/ PR /Head office/ Fashion Agent.

Appling for Assistant Buying Positions

Often students with other relevant experience can apply for junior or assistant buying roles.

Develop Skills & Knowledge

  • Tertiary education- a course which is relevant
  • A course in Fashion Business

Research

As a Buyer, you need to know your target market back to front and inside out. You need to know how much they will spend, where they shop, where they will wear these clothes etc.

Fashion Events

The Role

Organise functions, events, fashion shows.

Experience Needed

Previous experience in organising or being part of the running of events.

Personal Skills

  • Extremely well organised
  • Methodical and precise
  • Work to timelines
  • Good communicator

Stepping Stones

Workplace Training

Whether this is through FBI or contacting companies themselves.

Any experience where you are assisting or organising and event is extremely beneficial.

Develop Skills & Knowledge

  • Develop great industry and media contacts
  • Marketing course
  • Event Management course
  • A course in Fashion Business

Research

Have an excellent idea of target market and marketing.

Get to know who the events people are in the fashion industry.