Most of the people, especially the outsides of this industry, believe that fashion is based only on clothes, fashion shows, covers and the new hit bag of the moment. Although these represent the core business of fashion, the glamourous industry is closely connected and influenced by world socio-political-economic events. Just to name a few, think of the impact of the Brexit or the new US tariffs applied to Chinese imports which, during the first half, generated a loss of Chinese textile exports and clothing shipments to the United States estimated at $1.19 billion.
It is no coincidence in fact that, in addition to the historic careers specific of the fashion industry such as the designer, stylist, PR and merchandiser, there are many other figures in a fashion company, added from time to time as a result of cultural, technological, environmental, political transformations …
When the e-commerce boom occurred, for example, new careers such as the online merchandiser and the e-commerce manager were born. With the social networks, digital and social media managers were hired and the figure of influencer marketing manager and digital pr have been recently taken on in the companies when the influencers exploded and have been recognized as a fundamental marketing tool.
Although the careers such as the Buyer, designer, PR, will stay forever in the fashion industry (even if their approach and way of working compared to 10 years ago is completely different with the advent of digital) considering the trends of 2020, there are new unconventional careers, which you probably had not thought of, on which to focus this year.
If you prefer to get the information below while heading to work and you’re busy and cannot read, I do have the podcast version of it! Listen to the episode on the Fashion Careers of 2020 on Spotify, Apple Podcast or SoundCloud– If you prefer reading, here we are!
Fashion Careers related to material development
With the “plastic-free” movement, fashion companies have also started to work on this to replace plastic materials such as polyester and other unsustainable ones, used in many clothing products, especially from fast-fashion chains. That there is an interest in the search for sustainable materials is demonstrated by the fact that the fast-fashion pioneers such as H&M and Zara are promoting the use of recycled polyester in the windows of the main stores. Therefore, the careers related to the development of new materials and textile fibers is certainly one to consider for 2020.
Working in Fashion Diversity and inclusion
A hot topic of 2019 was certainly that of the diversity of the fashion sector. There were many episodes from established fashion houses that have touched the sensitivity of many. You might remember when Gucci, was accused of portraying blackface on a balaclava polo neck with red lips in its autumn/winter 2018 collection. Following the various episodes, large companies such as Macy’s, Gucci, Burberry and Chanel have hired diversity and inclusion managers and Prada has launched the Diversity and Inclusion Advisory Council, “which will highlight the identity of ethnic minorities within the company and the entire fashion industry. ” Fashion houses are so building internal teams to deal with the delicate but very important issue related to diversity and inclusion.
Working to Recycle and Reuse
If with fast fashion the number of clothes and accessories in everyone’s wardrobe has increased, today something is changing again and people are returning to the model of less but better quality, not for an economic reason but an ethical one. The fashion industry is one of the most polluting. According to the Ellen MacArthur Foundation, the fashion world produces about 53 million tons of fiber every year. More than 70 percent of that ends up in landfills or on bonfires. Less than 1 percent is reused to make new clothes. Fashion companies are looking for a solution to recycle clothing. A difficult challenge especially for products made of multiple materials where different fibers are mixed. After decades of research, Adidas has finally developed recyclable running shoes. Futurecraft.Loop will be available from 2021 and all those who purchase it at the end of its life cycle will be able to return it to the brand, which will take care of dividing it and reusing it to create new running shoes. The new generation cares about the problems that affect our planet and fashion companies know this. This is why working within companies to develop new recycling technologies or models or in companies that promote second hand such as Depop and Vestiarie Collective is an intelligent and perfect solution especially for those who have a particular interest in the environment to combine with that for fashion of course;)
Fashion Sustainability Careers
Sustainability was a trend that I added last year and I cannot but mention it for 2020 as well. The careers mentioned above are all related to sustainability but are more specific. There are also more general careers related to sustainability that works on the impact of emissions, disposal, production and everything that affects the world of environmental sustainability.
Careers related to sustainability can be divided into two macro-categories: you can choose to work exclusively for a sustainable brand and then choose any career as a buyer, designer, PR…
Or you can choose to work in all other companies to develop their sustainability model. Below you can find two examples of careers related to sustainability:
If you are interested in this theme, I suggest you listen to the podcast episode with Dana Thomas, author of Fashionopolis the price of fast fashion and the future of clothes and to pay attention to initiatives such as Fashion for Good that organizes events and exhibitions related to making the best fashion.
