One of the most widespread preconceptions of working in fashion is that people must necessarily have studied something related to fashion in order to find a job in this sector.
As I’ve said here on Glam Observer in the various articles and also demonstrated with the interviews, the truth is that fashion companies employ in the same number people who come from fashion schools and who have studied something more “generic” like marketing, economics, communication, literature, business, law …
Fashion is a business like all the other industries, so in addition to the most specific figures of the industry like the designer, the merchandiser or the stylist, there are also all the other roles in marketing, finance, pr, administration whose notions are certainly studied in non-fashion-specific courses.
For fashion industry roles such as the figure of the merchandiser, the designer and in some cases of the buyer and the stylist, some companies could add among the application requirements to have attended a fashion course. If until now you have only found job offers that required to have attended a fashion course and you gave up for this, I invite you to keep looking. I assure you that most of the fashion companies do not require it, therefore, they hire both those who have attended a fashion course and those who have a “generic” degree. This is because more and more fashion companies consider the experience more than one’s education, which anyway undoubtedly remains important. A bachelor’s degree in fact, even if not specific to the fashion industry, is necessary to work in fashion.
There are obviously exceptions, as you can read from the interview to Hetty that with no degree, but thanks to her experiences has become Junior Stylist at Burberry.
The advantages of attending a fashion school are above all linked to the network: fashion students meet professors and guests who work at fashion companies, and also apply the concepts of pr, marketing, communication, journalism directly to the fashion industry.
So today I want to tell you how you can fill these gaps and make it even if you haven’t attended a fashion school:
- Fashion Internships
Apply for fashion internships, now. Better, if you can intern during university, every summer for example or manage a part-time internship to balance with your studies. Nothing is more important than the experience, so whatever course you are or have attended, remember that internships represent your entry ticket into the fashion industry. Apply for as many internships as possible and you will see that in the end, one will turn into a full-time job and you’ve entered the fashion industry without a fashion degree. Don’t let yourself be intimidated and don’t think that just because you have no experience in fashion and you haven’t even attended a fashion course, companies don’t consider your application. If until now you applied for internships/jobs but without results, surely the problem is not linked to not having attended a fashion school, but to the application itself. Perhaps your CV is not effective, the cover letter is not personalized or you are applying for the wrong jobs and you are not using Instagram and Linkedin in your favor to get a job. In this case, I suggest you take a look at the online course How to break into the fashion industry where I teach you the strategies for the perfect job application with unconventional tricks and templates as well as how to use Instagram and LinkedIn to get a job, personal branding tips and everything you need to get into the fashion industry quickly. Students have completely changed their strategies and got fast access to the fashion industry.
2. Attend industry events
Events such as fashion panels or conferences are the best way to get to know people of the industry. Just last weekend there was the Teen Vogue Summit and almost every month there are fashion industry events especially in fashion capitals: Milan, Paris, London and New York. Keep an eye on Eventbrite every week and find events related to fashion and try to participate in as many as possible. Our new events are coming soon 😉
Even if you are not a fashion student, most of the events organized by the schools are open to everyone. So follow on Instagram the accounts of the main fashion schools and attend their conferences to meet people exactly like you were a fashion student.
3. Take short or online fashion courses
Even if you have just graduated in something else, nothing prevents you from attending some short fashion courses or online courses if you want to learn more about the industry quickly. Almost all the fashion schools now offer short (weekend, week or a couple of months-long) courses as well as also online ones.
4.An easy way to learn the secrets of the industry and network at the same time
Being part of a community of people who share your interests, discuss and talk about the struggles and support each other is the number one way to enter the fashion industry especially when you don’t know anyone or you’re still at the beginning of your journey. I created the Glam Observer community with the aim of revealing the secrets of the fashion industry, helping all the girls to start a successful career in fashion and at the same time, giving the members the opportunity to network online and offline. Join us and you will immediately have access to all the exclusive articles, mentorship sessions with me and industry professionals (see the last one with Kristina Rodulfo) as well as to the WhatsApp and Facebook groups to network. Click here to read more about our membership program and join us today
5. Study and stay up to date
The fashion industry is very competitive and most of the people who work inside are knowledgeable and so passionate that they know everything about fashion and are always up to date with the latest industry news. So start reading some fashion books to learn the history of fashion, listen to fashion podcasts (do you know we have a podcast? Check the Glam Observer Podcast on Apple Podcast, Spotify and SoundCloud and subscribe to get all our latest episodes), and check industry websites such as WWD and BusinessOfFashion every day to keep up with what’s happening in the industry. Start today and you’ll see that you can never stop doing it if you want to work in this industry.
I have a free masterclass with 4 tips to get a job in fashion quickly 🙂 You can register here.
