The fashion industry is global, it employs people coming from all over the world. In the office I am currently working in there are people hailing from Argentina, South Korea, Poland, Russia, France, Italy etc. Chatting with colleagues, we all realised we came to London because it offers opportunities we didn’t have in our countries. And very often, before landing in London, we all experienced working in fashion in other countries which gives us a broader vision of the industry. Working abroad makes your career richer while giving you the advantage of understanding the industry on a 360 level.
Working in fashion abroad was something I actively looked for when I realised what I wanted to do. Rightly because I knew what I wanted, I couldn’t picture myself working in the industry in France. But if you are not in my case, you need to inform yourself before making a decision. Working abroad as an expat can be a fantastic or a very lonely experience, especially in an industry like fashion as there are few information on the matter. You have many sites on living and working abroad but there are none on doing so in the fashion industry so, here I am with a post on the subject!
Choose where you want to go
When people think about working in fashion the first places coming to mind are the fashion capitals – Paris, New York, Milan and London. If I were a newcomer I would rightly look at these cities first because each of them are known for their specific fashion industries. If your choice is France, you will experience working for luxury conglomerates like LVMH or Kering, so you will see a side of fashion that is very corporate. In Italy you will see the same but with a focus on family owned businesses and a fashion industry that is more disseminated throughout the country, so yes Milan is the fashion capital of Italy but you could also end up in cities like Rome or even smaller towns like Reggio Emilia – headquarters of Max Mara. These are only two examples but it already reveals that before saying yes to a position abroad, you should carefully consider where you want to go as each country/city has a different approach to fashion hence a different type of industry. What I mean is don’t go to Paris if you expect working in online retailing but go for it if you want a position in which you will learn the inner working of a heritage fashion house. Look at your skills, do your research on Linkedin to see which type of profiles your favourite companies look for and above all, look if the type of fashion industry they have is made for you.
Remember I said I couldn’t picture myself working in fashion in France, right? It’s because I knew in Paris to apply for fashion jobs you need to have done some specific schools – which I clearly didn’t. But it wasn’t only this, Paris is home to Kering and LVMH – the two biggest luxury fashion conglomerates in the world – which means the fashion industry has a very businessy feel there. A lot of people hired by these companies went to prestigious business schools like HEC Paris or l’Institut Français de la Mode (IFM) – one of the most prestigious fashion schools in the world for its Fashion Business Masters programs. And as a matter of fact, France is a country where the school you’ve done is more important than experience, so from the start I knew it wasn’t the right place for me.
The beauty of fashion now is that, it has become more and more global. Fashion capitals are not the only players of the industry now. You can literally find a position anywhere in the world. Dubai, Berlin, or Munich, there are so many places you can go and experience fashion, so don’t limit yourself to four cities. I started my career in fashion in Munich, a place I would have never imagined I would go for that purpose. But being there I discovered that in Germany, Berlin wasn’t the only city harbouring a rich fashion industry. If the German capital is all about startups, Munich and Bavaria – its region – are home to established fashion businesses like Adidas, Puma, Mytheresa and Escada, while Hamburg is the cradle of some fashion German publications.
One of my best friends left Milan for Munich and found a traineeship at Escada in retailing, now she is an Assistant Store Director at Saint Laurent. I think this type of opportunity wouldn’t have come to her, had she stayed in Milan. A traineeship isn’t a program you have in Italy for example, it is apparently very specific to Germany. My friend already had a career in fashion before going to Escada but wanted a change. She previously worked for model agencies and Stylight and she saw in this traineeship, a way to try something new while being paid more than an intern.
Don’t focus only on your professional needs, focus on the personal ones too
Every city/country offers a different view on fashion but don’t focus only on that. Look outside of fashion to know if you will be able to call that new place home. New York might sound dreamy but are you ready to sacrifice your 20+ days of holidays in Europe for less than two weeks of rest and an insurance and health system leaving little to be desired compared to Europe? Will you be in a place with a lot of foreigners? How are the taxes there? Are you ready to work more than 37h a week?
If you have the intention to change place, I think it is important to not only focus on your career. You also need to look at things that will make your life better. Besides fashion, is there something else you enjoy about the place you are going to? When I left Munich for London, it was essentially for my career. I left a beautiful flat and a pleasant lifestyle to live the hustle and bustle of London and sharing a flat. So why I made this choice? Because at the time I didn’t feel like I needed a homey and peaceful life. I wanted to be in a place where I knew I could meet like-minded people and I wanted to be in a country which I felt culturally connected with. As much as I enjoyed my lifestyle and tried learning German, I didn’t feel I belonged there because I felt limitations for my career but I needed some fresh air too! I think it is important to individuate your professional and personal needs when you decide to move somewhere else. Both are often linked but I have also seen people coming in a country for a change only to realise they should have stayed home.
There are many reasons to accept a fashion job but don’t do it at the expense of your lifestyle. This said, there is always something you sacrifice moving but in exchange you should find something to compensate for it.
Before making the decision to accept a job abroad ask yourself:
- Why are you accepting this job?
- Why do you want to leave your current job and the city you are in?
- What will you lose leaving the job you currently have? What will you gain from that new job abroad?
- What will you lose leaving your city? What will make your life better in the new city you will be going?
Not everything goes as planned because life is all about unexpected events but, answering all these questions will help you figure out what you want from that new place you are going to.
Start with an internship
We will never say enough that internships are the best to set your foot in fashion. They are also a great experience to have a feel about a city/country. An internship is only 6 months of your life – the perfect amount of time to familiarise yourself with a field in fashion as well as the vibe of a city. If you didn’t like the experience, you can just leave, it was only for some months anyway.
Interning abroad and then staying in the same city/country will give you a tremendous advantage compared to a fashion professional who is moving in a totally new environment. You will be much more informed about all the bureaucracy, more often than not you will be employed by the company you interned for and above all you’ll have your network of friends and professional contacts as well as a great knowledge of the place.
So if you’re not ready to jump in a job immediately and you’re still studying or about to finish, go for an internship.
For people with a career already, I am sure there are companies in other countries that provide something like the traineeship my friend did. So keep your eyes and ears opened.
Don’t always go for the obvious companies (and jobs)
It’s easy to be swept away by what you read in fashion magazines or sites like BoF. But when you go abroad, the spectrum of opportunities will look different from what you have back home – this statement obviously depends on where you’re from. If you come from a country with a non-existing fashion scene, capitals or lesser known fashion cities will do for you. If on the contrary, you come from a fashion capital, it will be difficult to think you can find better opportunities elsewhere. But they are! Again it depends on what you want.
Sara, my ex-manager at Mytheresa, went from interning at Versace in Milan to Mytheresa in Munich to working for Al Tayer – the main fashion group in Dubai. Al Tayer may not be that well-known abroad but it is still one of the biggest fashion player in the Middle East. So Sara’s CV will be much more interesting to look at for a recruiter, especially now this region of the world is coveted by the most famous fashion houses in the world.
I might be biaised on this one but, both the USA and the UK are quicker at getting the zeitgeist hence quicker at creating new jobs opportunities, so always look for the job market in these countries. And also because these countries are more entrepreneurial, you will have plenty of fashion startups to send your CV to. Europe is catching up too, so keep an eye opened here too!
Have you worked abroad? Tell us your experience in the comments below! And if you need more advice please don’t hesitate to contact me at [email protected]
