No kidding, but ‘The Devil Wears Prada’ is not a realistic representation of the fashion industry. The industry is demanding, no doubt, but not demeaning by any means, be it the core profession of designing or other exciting fields such as fashion communication and fashion management. For instance, a degree in fashion management gives a lot of room to pick and choose from several professions – fashion journalism, visual merchandising, costume designing, visual presentation stylist, and fashion buyer, each with a unique scope. For someone starting out in the fashion management industry, the process of choosing a profession from such a wide range can be daunting! Here is a guide designed to help beginners start a career in fashion management.
1. Getting a degree
Mandatory or not, embarking on a career journey in the field of fashion management after pursuing a professional course in fashion management certainly pays off in terms of having a solid understanding of the area. Students will then possess a bank of knowledge that they simply need to apply. Students can specialise in different areas such as merchandising, retailing, supply chain management, export management, among others.
Keeping in line with the range of opportunities that the fashion industry offers, Pearl Academy offers one of the best fashion management courses in India – Fashion and Lifestyle Business Management – which prepares students for these very opportunities. The degree provides study modules ranging from Business Communications, Fashion Industry Appreciation, Retail and Visual Merchandising to Customer Experience Management and Advertising and Sales Promotions, giving students a holistic view of fashion management.
2. Pursuing Internships
After narrowing down the career options within the fashion industry, one should start looking for internships to get an idea of what the job entails. Not just that, gaining work experience in the form of assisting seasoned professionals from the field, will allow a beginner to understand what other people in the industry do because fashion isn’t a one-man-show, but instead, is a show run by several people, each possessing a unique set of skills relevant to the industry. So, knowing how the other verticals function will only make a beginner more efficient. For example, textile designers need to know how to source the textiles, dyes, have bargaining skills, in addition to just knowing how to create one-of-a-kind designs.
3. Starting one’s own enterprise
Starting one’s own enterprise need not necessarily mean a brick-and-mortar boutique or a clothing line. The same can also mean setting up one’s presence in the virtual space in the form of a blog or YouTube channel. Fashion blogging and vlogging are career options by themselves, and more and more fashion management graduates are venturing into this digital field, but these are more often than not convenient ways to establish one’s style and maintain an online portfolio.
If an aspirant has solid entrepreneurial skills, then one can even establish their personal brand. Having a proper store or even an office does require a considerable amount of investment, which can be difficult for a beginner to arrange. Thus, freelancing can be a way to start. Starting a boutique or a clothing line are the more common entrepreneurial avenues in fashion management, but requires one to don multiple hats at once. Beginners must seek proper guidance before starting a venture.
Finally, it is an indisputable fact that fashion management is the best course to take for those ambitious enough to create a name for themselves as fashion entrepreneurs. The pieces are all over the place; it is up to the aspirants to stitch them together and pave their way into this ever-dynamic and rewarding industry.
