How To Answer The Question “Why Do You Want To Work In Fashion?”

So you got a job interview at a fashion company. Hooray! You succeeded in completing the first step of a job application, and I am proud of you for getting to the job interview stage, which is a difficult thing to do among hundreds of applications.

I can imagine you must feel the excitement of going to a job interview with your favorite fashion brand. But you also probably have a lot of fears and anxiety about the questions the recruiter may ask you. 

There is nothing worse than living with this uncertainty. So, you should always be prepared to answer the most common interview questions. The recruiter will certainly ask you why you want to work in fashion if you are at the beginning of your career or you are in the middle of a career transition from another industry. In fact, this may be the second question that pops up preceded by the opening one: Tell us about yourself. So it’s important to answer it correctly to set the right tone for your conversation. Also, to create a positive impression from the beginning. 

To help you on this important day, we are going to help you answer the question “Why do you want to work in fashion?” to wow the recruiter and land the fashion job or internship of your dreams. 

This is a tricky question. The answer to it may sound simple: you love fashion so you want to work in fashion. But aren’t we all here because of that? The thing that unites all the different fashion professionals is their common passion for the industry. So, this is not a groundbreaking discovery, hence you should avoid using a banal “I love fashion” as it may sound superficial and not set you apart from other candidates. 

How to answer the question “Why do you want to work in fashion”?

Everyone can say I love fashion – even your friend who loves to dress up, post outfits on social media, or go shopping. But what makes a difference between an enthusiast and a professional is industry knowledge and a passion for specific roles. Therefore, if you want to work in this industry, you can no longer say I love fashion, but also explain why. Your answer should go beyond the simple “I love fashion. It’s such a wonderful world. I wanted to be part of since I was a kid and saw The Devil Wears Prada.” Always say why you want to work in fashion.

In this article, I am going to share 5 examples of how to answer one of the most apprehended questions “Why do you want to work in fashion?”. Plus at the end, we will reveal 3 bonus tips to not just tell, but show your passion for fashion. 

1. I love fashion because…

I want to start by saying that using a cliché phrase like “I want to work in fashion because I love fashion” and saying why you love it are two different things. There is nothing wrong with sharing about the pivotal moments in your life that led you to seek a career in fashion. 

It’s important, however, to be specific. Don’t just say “I love seeing gorgeous collections at fashion shows and want to be surrounded by clothes”. Instead, you should say what particular designer(s), stylist, editor, or another fashion professional inspired you to pursue a similar career path. 

Likewise, instead of stating “I love reading fashion magazines”, you can share which specific magazine/issue/editor/article you loved the most. 

In addition, think of everything else that inspired you to work in fashion. 

Were you captivated by fashion at school? Did you work on a project that was a game-changer? 

Did you read a book or watched a documentary that was eye-opening about the fashion world and made you realize “I want to do the same” or “I want to make something different”?

Maybe your concern for an issue in the fashion industry, say sustainability, made you want to contribute to the common effort to make fashion a better place?

I am sure you have personal, solid reasons to work in fashion. So, look deep inside yourself and try to formulate that answer to the hiring manager. 

2. Which aspects of the fashion industry do you love the most? 

The reason why the recruiter can ask you why you want to work in fashion is because they want to make sure you are here for the right reasons. It’s common that outsiders who don’t work in the industry but only connect with it through magazines and social media, see only the glamorous side of it. And I can’t blame them. When you see a beautiful collection on the runway, breathtaking editorials, and pictures on the web, you see the result and not the process of creating them. 

In reality, the behind-the-scenes is not as glamorous as it looks. Of course, people love their job. Even that poor Emily from The Devil Wears Prada who kept saying “I love my job, I love my job, I love my job” despite being in the office 24/7. However, loving your job involves dealing with tedious administrative work. It also include building spreadsheets in Excel, doing errands, and other tasks to keep the industry running. You will see that when you become a fashion intern. 

So where am I going with this? The recruiter wants to make sure you understand how the fashion industry works. Not all the details because you will learn them as an industry insider during your fashion job or internship. However, they want to see that you are at least conscious that fashion is not just a glamorous world that revolves around creativity and fancy events only. 

Recruiters also want to understand which aspects of the industry you are most passionate about.

Fashion is a broad industry and there are many aspects involved, so to answer the question “Why do you want to work in fashion?”, you can focus on the aspects of the industry you like the most. Is it the creative or the business side? Are you more driven to marketing campaigns or reading about a sustainability project? Naturally, your answer should be connected to the role you apply for. It doesn’t mean that you cannot be passionate about aspects of the industry that are outside of the scope of your work, but it’s better during the job interview to emphasize what you like about fashion design, communication, e-commerce, etc. if that’s the department you are trying to get into. 

Saying why you love fashion and what you like about it exactly is important, however, it should be only the first part of your answer. What the recruiter secretly expects from you in the second part is to hear why the brand and the role you are applying for resonate with your love for the industry, and that the skills, experience, and motivation you have will allow you to fulfill that passion once you get the job. 

3. Focus on the brand you are applying for

You should know that the recruiter doesn’t ask the question “Why do you want to work in fashion?” because they are so curious to hear your emotional speech about how you were devouring fashion magazines and dressing dolls since you were a little girl or boy. What they secretly expect is to hear how you ended up here aka applying for this position and this company specifically. 

You can start by saying that you love the industry and why, as we saw above, and then redirect your answer toward why you see yourself working in this fashion company as a buyer, stylist, PR manager…. The hiring manager should be able to see a direct link between your interest in fashion and the career you want to build in the industry. 

Learn everything about the brand

One doesn’t always manage to get a job in their #1 favorite company, especially at the beginning of their career when they apply for many different jobs. And the job interview you get may not be at the n#1 company of your choice, but the recruiter shouldn’t know that! Every brand wants to feel special and meaningful to their employees. What’s more, every company is different – with a different history, mission, values, work environment…- that makes it stand out from the others. Hence I always recommend looking not for any job but for the job of your dreams at a place you like. So how about telling the recruiter why you see yourself working at Chanel, Prada, Loewe, Bottega Veneta…? 

By doing so, you are showing that what motivates you to work in fashion is because you admire that particular fashion house, its designs, and company culture, and therefore you would like to be part of the brand’s or magazine’s world and contribute to pushing it forward. You can support your speech with references to your research about the brand, saying something like: “As I am at the beginning of my career as an aspiring [the role you applied for] I see myself working in a place that values [include company values here] and focuses on [include here any relevant information about different aspects the company cares about] and according to the research I conducted about your company, (on the website, in a book, etc.) I found out that this is the best place for me to fulfill my passion for the fashion industry.”

4. Say why you are interested in the specific position

When you explain why you want to work for X company, you should do the same for the role you are applying for. 

If you apply for an internship as a fashion buyer, you could say something like: “When I see beautiful clothes in stores, I wonder what range of decisions the buyer had to make to place orders for this exact product assortment for this specific store, and I would like to learn how to do it as well. I am particularly interested in working on the business side of the fashion industry, and the role of the buyer would allow me to use my affinity with numbers and analysis while being connected to clothes to help build the right product assortment.”

For a job interview as a fashion intern or assistant at a magazine, here is a possible answer: “Every time I read an issue of Vogue, Elle, Glamour… it helped me develop a sense of aesthetics and gave me knowledge about what was happening in the fashion industry. The images and stories I saw in your magazine inspired me to be part of a team involved in bringing a magazine to life.” 

As you can see, what you want to do when answering the question about your reasons to work in fashion, is to drive attention towards the role you are applying for and explain how it connects with your interest in fashion. 

This way, you are demonstrating that:
1) You have a clear career goal
2) You obviously have passion for this role
3) And you are informed what this career entails.

Be confident when you answer this question even if you don’t have experience. If you are applying for your first fashion internship you can still make a strong compelling case for yourself. The way you answer this question is also important so keep eye contact with the recruiter and proudly communicate that you are there to become the best candidate they have ever had despite you don’t have experience yet.

You can say something like:

“What I bring to the [Intern Position Name] role, despite my lack of formal experience, is a fresh perspective, a steadfast dedication, and a wealth of ideas cultivated from my academic and personal engagement with fashion. I possess strong [mention any transferable skills( like communication, project management, or analytical skills) and practical direct skills (such as sketching, design, photography styling, Excel…)] and am eager to apply and further develop these in a practical setting. I am confident that my passion, willingness to learn, and inherent skills make me a valuable candidate for this internship, and I am excited about the opportunity to contribute to and learn from your innovative team.”

5. Connect your interest in fashion with your skills and experiences

The last tip I want to give you when answering the famous question is to show that you would like to be part of the fashion world because you are eager to use the skills that are relevant to the industry and the specific position. This is true, because if you have great communication and writing skills, fashion design skills, or negotiation abilities AND you have interest and knowledge of the fashion industry, it makes sense that you want to become a fashion writer, designer, or lawyer, right? 

Therefore, when a recruiter asks you why you want to work in fashion, you should drive their attention to the fact that you have the necessary skills, in addition to your passion for fashion, that led you to where you are now. 

It’s also possible that the recruiter will ask you this question if they see on your resume that you are making a career transition from another industry. Their intention is not to make you feel unwelcome but to understand what skills and experience you can bring from your previous job(s) that could be valuable to the fashion industry. Let’s say you worked as an accountant, economist or lawyer for an engineering company. What motivates you to switch to the fashion industry? 

Breaking into Fashion

You can break into fashion no matter what you studied and how much experience you have or in which industry. However, it’s still important to explain your career path during the job interview, and the reasons why you decided to end up in the fashion industry. 

And that, my friend, is how you check all the boxes to the question “Why do you want to work in fashion?”. Try to formulate your answer in a way that explains what inspired you to work in fashion on a generic level, and then link it to the fashion company and the role you applied for, as well as your skills. 

Bonus tip: How to show your passion for the fashion industry?

Answering correctly the tricky job interview question “Why do you want to work in fashion?” is the first step to success, and might be that one thing that gets you the job. However, I always say that showing is even better than telling. So when the recruiter hears you say why you love fashion, they would also appreciate seeing some proof of it. 

The best way to do so is by demonstrating you have industry knowledge. 

The most successful fashion designers, editors, art directors, stylists, buyers, marketing and PR managers…all have a strong passion for the fashion industry. But they don’t just say “I love fashion”; they know about fashion.

In this article, I shared 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..).

You can learn about the fashion industry in our 365 days of fashion newsletter and my online course “Inside the Fashion Industry”.

Create a fashion portfolio 

This is the best tool to show your skills and capabilities to perform certain tasks. It is a direct proof of your passion for the industry. No, it’s not only for aspiring designers, and yes, you don’t need any previous experience to build a fashion portfolio! In my online course Break into the Fashion Industry, I have a dedicated section about how to build a portfolio for a career in fashion from scratch. It also has a step-by-step guide for what kind of projects to include depending on your dream fashion role. 

Bringing your portfolio to the job interview will come in handy when you have to answer the question “Why you want to work in fashion.” You will be able to demonstrate your commitment to this industry despite you might not have experience yet. 

Thanks to the fashion projects you present in your portfolio you can then say something like this to answer the question: 

“I have been captivated by the world of fashion from a very young age. Even though I have not yet had the opportunity to gain formal work experience in the fashion industry, my academic pursuits (if relevant) and personal projects (the ones in your portfolio) showcase my passion and commitment to this field. While pursuing my [degree/major], I have engaged in various projects related to fashion, you can see an example of some of them in this portfolio. “

Use social media to show your passion for fashion

It’s a very common practice nowadays that recruiters check social media profiles of their candidates. So why don’t surprise them by curating a profile where you show your passion for the fashion industry and your dream role? We explain all about it in detail in this article. 

In this article, you learned how to answer one of the most popular job interview questions “Why do you want to work in fashion” and thus create a positive impression on the recruiter that may land you the fashion job of your dreams. Remember to prepare and practice your speech before every job interview so that you feel confident on D-day.

If you haven’t been invited to a job interview yet and want to learn 3 out-of-the-box application strategies that work, register here for my free masterclass.