Rejections are common in fashion. As a newcomer seeking your first experience in the industry, one of the biggest fears you may have—or experienced already, probably not even once— is to be rejected by companies. Whether it’s a direct rejection when a company informs you that you didn’t get the job, or an indirect one when you never even hear back, it can be extremely demotivating to pursue a career in fashion and not give up.
When you get rejected, you start thinking that something is wrong with you, reinforcing myths that it’s because you didn’t study fashion, don’t have experience, or lack connections. However, rejections are rarely about these factors. Instead, they often occur due to:
- Applying for jobs that don’t match your level of experience. Yes, you DON’T need experience to get into fashion, BUT if you have zero experience, you cannot start with junior and assistant positions. If that’s the case, it’s probably why you get rejected by companies, so you need to start with internships.
- Issues with your application, such as sending only a resume without a cover letter and portfolio, or a generic application make it hard to stand out among other candidates.
- Relying only on traditional application methods (e.g., job postings online) instead of using alternative strategies. Many fashion industry hires occur through direct outreach to recruiters and fashion professionals. So if you’re limiting yourself to job boards, you might miss out on hidden opportunities.
Truth is, there can be many other reasons. We’ve already covered mistakes you might be making with your applications, which you can read here, so today instead of focusing on the WHY you get rejected, we want to provide a roadmap to HOW to handle rejections in the fashion industry.
Handling rejections in the fashion industry
Landing your first internship or job in fashion requires a combination of tactics and a mindset that focuses on continuous improvement rather than feeling defeated.
First Thing to Do: Shift Your Mindset
Rejection is a natural part of any industry, especially one as competitive as fashion. However, it’s important to understand that rejection is not a personal failure. Even top designers, stylists, editors,—and almost all fashion professionals, really,— faced multiple rejections before making it.
A rejection doesn’t necessarily mean you aren’t talented or capable; it simply means that there were one or more mistakes with your application, or that you were not the right fit at the moment and the company preferred someone else. While it’s important to recognize these mistakes, blaming yourself for making them and not feeling enough won’t get you anywhere. Therefore, before you try other strategies, the first thing to do is to shift your mindset: Every NO is a NOT YET.
You are enough. You can do better. You will get your dream job in fashion (or your next role or a promotion)
Adopting this mindset will help you navigate the industry with resilience and prevent discouragement from derailing your progress.
Analyze and Improve Your Application
Once you regain your confidence, the next step is to see a rejection from a fashion company as an opportunity to analyze what you could’ve done better and refine your application.
- Ensure your Application is Personalized: Tailoring your application to each job and internship rather than sending a generic version is important. Customizing it to the brand goes from addressing the hiring manager by their name (or the company name) to highlighting relevant experience and skills that align with the specific position, and showcasing genuine enthusiasm for the role.
- Proofread Your Resume: A well-polished resume is a resume that says “hire me”. Proofread it for better readability, double-check spelling or formatting errors, and add keywords from the job description to your skillset and experience section.
- Include A Cover Letter and a Portfolio: A cover letter and portfolio will help highlight your skills and passion for the role. Your cover letter should explain why you’re a great fit for the position, while your portfolio should showcase your best work—even if it’s your personal or school projects.
- Build your Online Presence: When you don’t hear back from a fashion company, you want to increase your online exposure. So if you don’t have a LinkedIn account, or a website/blog, it’s time to launch them.
Getting noticed by recruiters is tough, so it’s important to do a complete review of your application and improve it. I teach everything you need to build a stellar application in my online course Break into the Fashion Industry.
Request Feedback
Something that can help you significantly improve your future applications is feedback from companies. Asking for constructive criticism can give you direction on adjusting and strengthening your future applications—whether it’s one specific aspect like the resume or your overall approach.
- If you receive a rejection email, politely ask for feedback. Some recruiters may provide valuable insights to help you improve. Note that this strategy thus works if you already had a previous interaction with the company; If you never heard back, don’t ask for feedback.
- If you made it to the job interview and didn’t get picked after all, you may find it even easier to ask for feedback, as you’ve met the recruiter in person (or via a call) and established a deeper connection with them.
- Suppose you already work in fashion and got rejected for a promotion, for example. In this case, it’s worth scheduling a meeting with your boss to understand what you lack to be entrusted with bigger responsibilities.
- If you’re seeking a new opportunity in a new company or role, and get rejected, you can also ask recruiters for feedback—if it concerns your experience or skill gaps.
Diversify Opportunities
If you are a student or recent graduate and didn’t get an internship at Chanel, Dior, or Prada, don’t give your hopes up on a career in fashion. While luxury brands offer many internships weekly, and you can absolutely, eventually land an opportunity there, they are very competitive. So it’s better not to make them your only option, and explore other types of fashion companies: emerging brands, start-ups, and fashion agencies to widen your opportunities.
In addition, stay open to related roles in your dream fashion department, as they can lead to your desired role over time. For instance, if you’re aiming for a buying position, consider merchandising internships: aspiring fashion PRs can make a good start in the marketing department, and vice versa.
It’s important to understand that diversifying opportunities doesn’t mean giving up on your dream role or company. Being open to different avenues at the beginning of your career increases your chances of landing a role that suits your skills and interests, and opening unexpected paths.
Leverage Connections
Rejections can happen more often when you don’t invest time in networking with recruiters and fashion professionals. While you DON’T need to absolutely know someone (who knows someone) to get into fashion, you need to leverage your industry connections while applying for jobs and internships. A well-placed connection can open doors that a standard application cannot.
- If you’re new to the industry, connect with fashion professionals and recruiters on LinkedIn. Many job postings mention the recruiter who oversees talent acquisition for that specific position, and sometimes, you can find a note from them mentioning you can reach out to them directly to apply or ask questions.
- Otherwise, you can apply on the job posting’s page on LinkedIn, and send a follow-up connection invitation to the recruiter and a short message saying you applied for X position, reiterating your interest in this opportunity.
- You can also follow and connect with recruiters and fashion professionals on LinkedIn to stay aware of future opportunities they may advertise on their feed (I indeed see this practice often) and request informational interviews to learn from their experiences.
- If you already work in fashion, you should keep expanding your existing network. Seek contact with colleagues in other departments, attend company events, and actively engage with industry professionals. Building strong relationships within your workplace can lead to more internal opportunities and career advancement.
Strengthen Your Skills
Rejections often lead to thinking you are running out of time to get your dream job but look at it the other way: they give you extra time to strengthen your skills and knowledge even more!
- If you’re a beginner, use your time to learn or improve your skills through online courses for example that will give you a competitive advantage. Whether it’s learning a new program like Photoshop or Excel or taking an introduction course on design, marketing, or journalism, expanding your skillset can make you a stronger candidate. So the next time you apply for a fashion job, you can showcase a more solid application.
- Stay updated with industry news and dive into the history of fashion and your dream brand to gather more insights that will be useful at the job interview.
Stay Passionate and Determined
It may sound cliché, but here is a word of advice in case you forgot it: Fashion is an industry that relies on extremely passionate people. Yes, being motivated and loving your job is important in any industry, but it’s even more crucial in such a creative, competitive, and fast-paced fashion world.
Only the most determined and passionate candidates make it through, and these qualities need to start developing long before you land the gig or prepare a big project; it starts at the application phase when you can show resilience and push forward rejection after rejection.
You may see rejections as a negative thing, but the truth is, that rejections often build strong personalities and qualities that will help you lifelong. Passion is the engine that will keep you going on the worst days—like when you get rejected by a company.
What If You Do Everything Right but Still Get Rejected By Fashion Companies?
It’s rare to have a 100% perfect application, and being too confident is not a good solution. Truth is, there is always something to improve, so when you think you did everything right, think again and double-check if you used all the tips mentioned above.
Then, if you completed the checklist, and followed all the steps, it can happen that companies will still choose another candidate. It happens often, and it’s normal. You won’t always get the job even if your application is perfect. Sometimes, it’s about the right timing or fit.
Perseverance is key.
Keep applying, applying, applying. Every rejection is a step closer to the right opportunity, and maintaining persistence is crucial. Your job WILL find you. Your breakthrough is ahead.
The fashion industry is competitive, and everyone gets rejected at least once. However, handling rejections with a positive mindset, a focus on continuous improvement, and perseverance will eventually lead you to the right opportunity. Keep refining your approach, remain open to diverse opportunities, and never lose sight of your passion.
Despite rejections in the fashion industry happen often, there is a way to prevent them. My online course Break into the Fashion Industry provides a mistake-proof step-by-step strategy to land your dream job in fashion even without experience and get more YES-es than NO-s.
