Turn Your Love of Fashion Into a Career
Instead of just observing the fashion scene, what if you were to play an active role in creating it?
After all, you are interested in everything from how elite designers consistently come up with genius ideas to what fabrics to use for summer blazers to look cool without getting hot under the collar.
Why simply choose to settle on shopping for clothes you like and advising your friends on what accessories to get to complement their latest outfits when you could participate in the fashion industry?
There are three ways to be a player, not just a fan:
- Decide on the place: Where should you go?
- Decide on the people: Whom should you get to know?
- Decide on positioning: What do you need to know to impress influencers and business leaders?
Let’s take a look at all three to create a strategy for turning your passion into profit:
Where to go
Ultimately, you want to go to work in the fashion industry, but you can go indirectly via school or directly via job applications. The school route will help you secure a better position faster.
1. Go back to school.
Research fashion graduate programs and then enroll in a school that offers you a bright future. You can do this at any age. If you are in high school, then consider the option of going to college. If you have already graduated from college, but have taken a career path that doesn’t fulfill you, then think of going back to school, enrolling in a graduate school program where you can get a masters in fashion.
If you do have an opportunity to go to college or get a post-graduate education and can specialize in something that you feel passionate about, then you should definitely go for it. It will be the fast-track to get into the world of fashion.
In school, you will learn all sorts of amazing things. For instance:
- You will learn sewing techniques to finish garments, studying all sorts of things like serging a raw edge, making French seams and sewing rolled hems.
- You will learn how to confidently present your ideas as sketches, proposals and presentations.
- You will learn how to create a cohesive but varied collection to showcase your creative thinking.
When you graduate, you will be able to pick and choose your jobs because you will have developed an unusual and high-demand skill set.
2. Get a job in the fashion industry.
You may, of course, be in a position where going to college or going back for an advanced education is not an option. You may be married and need to devote time to taking care of your family. You may not have the time or the financial support you need to get an education in fashion.
If you are in this situation, then decide what aspect of fashion you find the most interesting.
- Is it design? Think of taking a few online courses to learn about fashion design, then apply for a job where you can use computer-aided design programs.
- Is it retail? Then think of getting a job as a salesperson in a high-end retail store.
- Is it communication? Then think of ways where you could write for fashion magazines or blogs, or become a fashion photographer. If you don’t know how to write well or take great photographs, then you can always learn by taking community classes or signing up for online courses.
Whom should you get to know?
Focus on becoming part of the fashion scene. Whether you take the route of going to school to acquire specialized skills in high-demand or work your way up from a junior position in the fashion industry, the most important thing is to network.
You can get to know people online by developing a fashion blog where you can share what you learn about clothing, and then developing relationships within social media fashion groups. Get to know people offline by attending business meetings and conferences that are somehow linked to the world of fashion.
What you should know
Finally, in order to be taken seriously, you need to become a student of your craft. After you have identified your key area of interest within the fashion world, devote yourself to becoming a perpetual student through informal educational channels like books and blogs and other educational resources.
In closing, you can turn your love of fashion into much more than a hobby. By participating in the world of fashion, you will play a part in making things happen.
Article by Derrick Manning
This article was written by the guest author listed at the end of the article.