Don’t say “I love fashion” in your applications. 7 reasons why you need to know about fashion to be successful

“So, why do you want to get the job?” “Because I love fashion…. ” Clichè

Well, this is not quite the right answer and indeed, in some cases, it may sound superficial and wrong if behind it is not supported by the knowledge of the fashion industry. Let me explain.

Everyone can say I love fashion. Even your cousin who loves to dress extravagantly, post outfits on social media, or go shopping. For you who want to work in fashion instead, I love fashion must mean something else. You must have an awareness and knowledge of the industry. You are not only a fashion enthusiast, you are a fashion professional or you are about to become one, and there is a big difference.

Do you know what the most successful fashion designers, marketers, editors, art directors, stylists, PR, buyers… have in common?

Yes of course they all have a strong passion for the fashion industry. But they don’t just say I love fashion, they know about fashion.

The only way people can write the best fashion articles, coordinate the best fashion shoots, design the best collections… is to have a deep understanding of the fashion industry from its origins. The history of fashion is in fact very important and relevant still today. What’s fascinating about the fashion industry is that even though it’s fast-changing and ever-evolving, every innovation and new trend in reality references back to its origin and history. 

In fact, fashion designers but also those who work in marketing, brand management, styling, photography, buyers, fashion editors… need to look at what happened in the past, in their archives to create the future. 

It’s impossible to create new designs, write articles, shoot photos, style looks, build marketing and PR campaigns… without knowing the past.

So it doesn’t matter if every day you read the latest news about fashion or you are always updated about your favorite brands on Instagram if you don’t know the history of fashion, how this industry works and how everything has come to become what it’s today, you’ll still have some important missing pieces that can affect your work and career in fashion.

If you want to work in this industry, you can’t longer say I love fashion. You are about to become a fashion industry professional, so you must know how the fashion system works. From now on whenever you’ll say I love fashion, you do it because behind these words there is also a strong awareness of how the fashion industry works and has evolved from its past.

I want you to be successful and we all know what the most successful people have in common: they are smart because they always keep learning new things.

If you’ve been reading articles on Glam Observer for a while, you know that I have already explained that it’s not necessary to go to fashion school to get a job or be successful in this industry. In 2021 there are so many ways you can learn about fashion and its history that are accessible to anyone. So just because you didn’t go to fashion school this is not an excuse to not learn fashion. And not having a fashion degree certainly does not preclude you from becoming successful.

So let me share with you in practice what opportunities knowing about fashion can unlock you. Here are the 7 reasons why you need to know about fashion and its history to be successful in this industry ( no matter what stage in your career you are at: student, graduate, already working in this industry, wanting to make a career change..)

Instead of saying I love fashion, you should really learn fashion.

1. First of all, for yourself. In a world where we are used to showing off everything on social media, it’s still important to do the things you enjoy and like just for you. While there could be other benefits related to learning about the history of fashion like for example showing your knowledge to other people like your future boss, there isn’t anything more important than doing something JUST FOR YOU! Your personal growth, ambition and desire to become the best version of yourself, in fact, should not just be tied to impressing others. The #1 person you need to satisfy and make proud is yourself! So if there is a topic you are particularly interested in then go and study it first of all for you.  

2. By expanding your knowledge and learning the history of fashion you are able to hold and join fashion conversations in any situation you might find yourself in: at a fashion event, during a job interview, when networking, at the office, with your boss or colleagues, when emailing a fashion professional, zoom talks…)

3. To do your job better. Yes because whether you want to work as a stylist, fashion designer, art director, buyer, in marketing or business or write fashion articles YOU need to know how the fashion industry works or you won’t be able to create new ideas. If you notice all the best articles, shootings, fashion shows, events and marketing campaigns always have a link to the history of fashion and that brand. You won’t’ be able to create successful works and projects if you don’t know the history. Everything goes back to its origins. You might have a new idea of a project because you think about something that happened in the past and that you are bringing back in its modern version.

4.To boost your confidence. Do you know that the worst enemy of confidence is uncertainty? If you think about it, we don’t feel confident in those situations when we don’t know much about. You are afraid they will ask you something you don’t know, but as soon as you know more about a topic, you feel immediately more confident because you are able to answer and hold a conversation. If you want to feel more confident during your job interviews, when writing your first fashion article, styling your first fashion editorials, working on a new marketing campaign… then you need to know how this industry works. As soon as you learn more, you’ll immediately feel more confident.  

5. To think, observe and act like a fashion industry professional. When you learn the history of fashion you start looking at everything with new and different eyes, the eyes of a fashion insider. Whenever you’ll read a fashion news, watch a documentary, read a label of a garment, watch a fashion show, look at a fashion photography, listen to the latest news about sustainability… you’ll finally have an understanding of why things work like that. Why a journalist wrote an article like that, why our garments are made of those fabrics and what’s behind the production, how fashion shows have evolved. You’ll finally look at everything knowing exactly how it works behind the scenes.

6. More knowledge = more opportunities. We all know that the best jobs and opportunities come to those who deserve them because they have been working really hard and are very smart (yes, sometimes also those who are not so smart but know the right people can advance their career, but we are not here for that, it’s something we can’t control, but you can control how smart you can become so you can get the best opportunities.)The most successful people became so because they have added ongoing learning into their daily routine. And you want to be successful right? Learn new things every single day.

7. Last but not least, knowing about the history of fashion can boost your applications so you have more chances to get the job. Like we said at the beginning of this article, saying I love fashion in your applications, your CV or cover letter is not enough and it might sound superficial. As we said, you are not only a fashionista, you are a fashion industry professional and there is a big difference. Recruiters and your future boss need concrete proof that you have a real interest in the topic. For example, adding a course about the history of fashion like Inside the fashion industry can give concrete proof of your knowledge and interest in fashion to recruiters. Plus especially if your CV is normally short because you are at the beginning of your career, adding online courses is the best and easiest way to immediately have something to add to your CV. We can all write beautiful words and list any skill to our CV so what makes the difference is when you are able to prove any skill concretely. Furthermore knowing about the history of fashion can help you pass the job interview test. Recruiters can test your fashion knowledge during a fashion job interview whether you are applying for a fashion designer, buyer, editor, styling, pr, communication, marketing, business, brand management role…

So if you are ready to become a true and successful fashion insider take a look now at the online course Inside the fashion industry or start expanding your knowledge with this free webinar first on the History of fashion capitals.