We have said repeatedly that connections are everything in the fashion industry and that job offers are not all published on the jobs sites because they have already been assigned by word of mouth. Unfortunately, it’s all true. However, in this article, I want to share with you a golden tip, or rather a smart step that will help you get the job of your dreams, especially if you can not find a job at your favorite fashion company.
There are those who do not mind working for a specific company, and those who would like to work only for some fashion companies. Finding the job in the company of your dreams is not always easy, because maybe there are no positions suitable for you open at that time or because you continue to send your resumes and not receive an answer. Everyone wants to work for the most famous fashion companies that’s why getting a job at these companies is even more complicated, but today you’ll learn something that will change your career.
Let’s do some theory. In fashion, there are a few large groups of fashion, luxury and beauty brands.
Think of Dior or Fendi, two of the biggest fashion/luxury brands, they are part of the LVMH conglomerate or MAC Cosmetics or Clinique that are part of the Estee Lauder Companies.
These groups are made of different brands, but they are like a big family where they know each other.
These are the most famous fashion and beauty groups:
- Kering (Gucci, Saint Lauren, Alexander McQueen, Brioni, Balenciaga,
- LVMH Fashion Brands: Christian Dior, Fendi,Louis Vuitton, Givenchy, Celine, Kenzo, Berluti, Emilio Pucci, Loro Piana, Loewe, Marc Jacobs, Nicholas Kirkwood, RIMOWA, Moynat, Thomas Pink.
- LVMH Beauty Brands: Sephora, Benefit Cosmetics, Fenty Beauty, Acqua di Parma, Fresh, Givenchy, Kat Von D, Make up for ever, Marc Jacobs Beauty, Kenzo, Guerlain, Christian Dior, Loewe)
- Richemont (Yoox Net A Porter, Chloè, Alaia, Montblanc…)
- L’Oreal (Lancome, Giorgio Armani, YSL, Biotherm, Kiehls, Ralph Lauren, Shu uemura, Diesel, Urban Decay, House 99, Atelier Cologne, Garnier, L’Oreal Paris, NYX, Maybelline, Vichy…)
- Estee Lauder (Estee Lauder, Aerin, Bobbi Brown, Bumble and Bumble, Clinique, MAC, Jo Malone, GLAM GLOW, La Mer, Origins, Tom Ford Beauty, Too Faced..)
Very often people move from one brand to another within the group. A person in charge of Marketing at Celine can find himself, after a few months or years, covering the same role at Givenchy, also part of LVMH.
If you dream of working at Gucci, but your attempts to apply for the various positions of the company seem vague, try instead to look for jobs at Bottega Veneta or Alexander McQueen or Saint Laurent. Being part of the Kering group, they have an internal portal with job offers and the connections are practically all built up. Gucci’s HR knows Bottega’s HR and moving to the other brand is much easier. Everything is even simpler because generally the brands that are part of the same group, have more or less the same structures, so those who worked at Gucci, will adapt more easily at Saint Laurent since the programs used and the working methods are very similar.
So the advice is:
if you want to work for a specific company but you can not get the job there, try to apply for companies that are part of the same group, because it will be easier to move later. As all the brands of groups are very famous and known, there are always the most popular and those less. Bottega Veneta is very famous and has a spectacular heritage, but Gucci is now more popular so there are many more people who would like to work for Gucci and not for Bottega Veneta. It would, therefore, be smart to make these considerations when looking for a job offer within one of these groups.
A colleague of mine worked for Brioni and has moved to Gucci internally. This does not mean that you will not do the interview and you will get the job directly, but that the processes are definitely simplified.
Take a look at the groups listed above and the brands that are part of it and start visiting the careers pages to see the job offers of the various brands.
