As the fashion industry evolves to keep pace with new demands, so do its job roles. We spoke to Fashion Headhunter Angelica de Vito for her pick of the newest you may never have heard of.
Fashion graduates might be scrambling to land a dream designer job at a big fashion brand, but have you considered a new generation of roles that might give you a different but equally rewarding and creative career path, often with better pay and fewer applicants?
1. Fashion Coordinator
A pivotal role in many fashion brands. This job involves coordinating the design team’s schedule, meetings, and trips. Their role is to pass information from the Creative Director to the designers, so it’s not purely creating but all about understanding the designer’s language.
Key skills: organisation, communication, creativity.
2. Collection Merchandiser
This role is for a ‘numbers’ person who can assess the needs of both the market and the brand, as well as past results. They understand the economics of the collection, the margins, and the right price. They give the designer a brief to create a collection that satisfies the different markets of a global brand. “If you have analytical skills, this is a very interesting career. This role has a lot of power today within a brand.” explains de Vito.
Key skills: Numbers, data, analytics, marketing, product development.
3. Product Developer
Crucial within every brand today, Product Development can be a well-paid, long career that can be more stable than some designer roles. Working closely with the design team, they develop a collection from concept to prototype, sourcing ideas through trips and analysing the market and price. This role can involve travel, sourcing suppliers and overseeing production, as well as researching trends. It’s all about bridging the gap between numbers and creative – helping to create a product with quality materials and design at a good price.
Key skills: design skills, creative vision, technical knowledge, organisation, numbers
4. Merchandising Manager
“This role is becoming increasingly important”, says de Vito. Companies rely more and more on the analytical study of what will be tomorrow’s best seller or key items. Brands want to see what will work in new parts of the world, rather than just the core markets. This role is about looking at past results, determining price and having a deep knowledge of present and future trends.
Key skills: creative, trend forecasting, planning, organisation, numbers.
5. Sustainability Manager
Sustainability is no longer nice to have; “Brands must incorporate sustainability into their strategies”, says de Vito. No matter what category, every fashion brand needs sustainability specialists within the team to help transform their brand. Whether it be moving towards circular production, sourcing eco materials or monitoring fair working practices, sustainability and CSR roles are integral to every part of the creative process. This can be one of the most rewarding new roles in fashion – convincing brands to make a positive impact.
Key skills: sustainable design, collaboration, marketing, presenting.
At iLA, we boost graduate’s career paths no matter what direction they take – our courses teach a deep knowledge in core fashion skills as well as more niche expertise, with modules on sustainability, product development, digital marketing and more. We link students with mentors and work experience, so they can get pinpoint their next career move in the latest fields. Explore our specialist courses here and book to join our Masterclass with Angelica De Vito, Fashion Headhunter and Talent Acquisition Manager on 12 September at 6pm (CET) on how to fast-track your Fashion Career.
