I want to work in fashion. Where do I begin?

Fascinated by pursuing a career in the fashion industry but don’t know where to start? Fashion is a big industry made up of different possibilities and sometimes it can look intimidating and unknown from the outside. So in this article, I’ll break down the first steps you should take if you want to work in fashion.

I Want To Work In Fashion but Where Do I Begin? 

1. Identify the career that is made for you

It’s common to express a desire to work in fashion without specifying a particular role. The first crucial step involves narrowing down your focus. Where do you see yourself? Do you daydream about sketching designs or maybe you’re all about the business side, running the show behind the scenes? Or perhaps you are working at a fashion magazine?

Fashion is a huge industry in terms of roles you can pursue but also companies you can work for. The possibilities are a lot. While you might be familiar with the most popular careers such as fashion design, stylist or editor, there are many other careers and roles.

Also in terms of companies, there are different possibilities: do you want to work for a luxury brand, a mainstream one an online retailer, a department store, a magazine?

Do you want to get a full-time job as employee or become a freelance?

Identifying your passion is the first crucial step toward building a career that aligns with your interests.

If you need help to identity the fashion career that is made for you check out these two resources:

1.Click here to read my article about How to find the right career in fashion for you.

2.Click here to download my free PDF guide about different departments inside a fashion company.

2. Educate yourself about the industry

While it’s not mandatory to attend a fashion school to work in this industry, still knowing how it works is important for yourself but also to impress employers.

Identify the skills required for your chosen path and explore educational opportunities that align with your goals. For example, if you want to become a fashion buyer, a skill such as Excel is crucial so your next move should be to acquire this skill to become more employable via an online course such as Excel for Fashion.

Get obsessed with wanting to learn more and more about fashion.

Read (a lot) of books and online articles, watch Youtube videos, listen to podcasts, watch fashion documentaries, follow the brands on social media, and take online courses.

Fuel your obsession with knowledge, turning every moment into an opportunity to deepen your understanding of fashion. The more you immerse yourself, the more confident and prepared you’ll be to navigate the ever-evolving landscape of the fashion world.

If you want to work in fashion you should be knowledgeable. As I said, it’s not necessary to attend a fashion school. But still being smart, having an open mind, being informed about what’s happening around the world, and speaking more languages is necessary. I know it’s not easy but don’t get discouraged by these things and don’t let them be obstacles for you. It wasn’t easy for me either. When I was at the beginning of my journey to becoming fluent in English (I am Italian mother tongue) , it took me two hours to read 10 pages of a book in English. But I kept going and now I read in English as I do in Italian (even faster sometimes!).

Continuous learning not only enhances your knowledge but also makes you more appealing to potential employers.

Read here why saying “I love fashion” is not good enough if you want to work in this industry.

3. Start looking at everything with an analytical eye and ask yourself why it works like that. 

Change how you see things – start asking why things in fashion happen.

When you watch a fashion show from now on, look at it with an analytical eye. Be curious to learn what’s behind it. Same when you read a Vogue article.

Next time you go into a store, check out how they put outfits in the windows. Ever think about why some clothes are at the front or by the cash register? It’s all thought out.

Now, when you look at what’s happening in this industry,do it with a curious eye. You’re about to be part of the fashion world – one of the players.

Ask yourself questions about the things you see, like in Vogue or in a store. Look closely at what’s around you because soon, you’re going to be a fashion expert. Ask questions online (there are tons of articles on this website about getting a job in fashion) or reach out to people in fashion on LinkedIn, emails, or Instagram.

4. Build your resume, cover letter and portfolio

To get a job in fashion and begin your career in this industry, you need to apply for fashion jobs and internships but to do so you need to prepare your CV/resume that you’ll send over with your application. 

Together with your resume, you need to prepare your cover letter and or/your portfolio. So if you want to work in fashion you need to begin working on these documents.

5. Look for your first fashion job

If you want to work in fashion, you need to begin with internships. Internships are great opportunities for those who don’t have any or much experience yet such as students, and recent graduates. You can even do a part-time internship while you are studying. The people working in this industry have different stories, experiences and backgrounds. So while there isn’t a common path for anyone to get into fashion, we can say that the thing that everyone does to get started in fashion is to begin with internships.

Anyone in fashion started their career with one or more internships. 

Think about any career in fashion and there is its internship: fashion design internship, fashion internships at magazines in the editorial, advertising, or marketing departments, fashion pr internships, marketing ones…You can become an intern or assistant for a fashion stylist or a fashion photographer. There are buying, merchandising, finance, project management, and graphic design internships… 

I guess it’s clear: whichever career option you have in mind, rest assured there is one internship for it, which is your starting point. And if you are undecided about two different career options, there isn’t anything better than doing different internships to understand what you prefer and what you don’t like. 

Prepare for one year on average of internships, but not necessarily a year in a row in the same company. Internships go from a couple of weeks to one, two, three, and six months. That’s why, in order to gain that one year of internship experience, people need to do several internships before getting a full-time job. It’s not a rule, you could get offered a full-time job after a one-month internship. But if you need some data, consider one year as the average internship period. You can find internships online, but if your favorite brand doesn’t have one open today don’t wait. Email them and request an internship in your selected department. For example, you can email editors to request an internship at a fashion magazine. Or reach out to a stylist and ask if you can be her assistant even for a single shooting. I teach more about this strategy in my Break into the fashion industry course.

6. Move to a fashion capital

If you want to work in fashion, you’ll need to be prepared to move to a fashion capital or to a city where fashion companies are located.

I was living in the south of Italy where there are no fashion companies. So I moved to Milan years ago when I wanted to get started in fashion with my first fashion internship. Of course, it was not easy, I had to leave my family and friends. But you know, great things are never easy. You’ll be happy and satisfied in your fashion office. But there are many sacrifices and hard work that are waiting for you in the following months.

So you can’t get into fashion if you don’t live in a fashion capital?

Well, some companies offer remote jobs or have offices in smaller cities. The key is to align your preferences with the type of companies you aspire to work for. If you have a particular brand in mind, check whether they have headquarters or offices nearby. In the dynamic world of fashion, flexibility is the name of the game, and opportunities can arise in unexpected places. However yes Milan, Paris, London and New York is where you’ll find most of the fashion career opportunities as most of the biggest fashion brands have their HQ there.

7. Connect with people in fashion

Start to get yourself into the fashion environment and surround yourself with people from the industry. Whether in-person or online, seize opportunities to build your fashion network. Nowadays, expanding your connections in the fashion world is more accessible than ever, even from the comfort of your home. Engaging with fashion professionals on platforms like LinkedIn and Instagram is a pathway to unlocking valuable connections and gaining insights.You can read here how you can network in fashion.

Want more tips? Register for my free masterclass where I’ll teach you 3 unconventional strategies to land your dream job in fashion. Click here to register for free.