The Personality It Takes to Thrive in Fashion
You’re the person who can spot a Chinatown Dior from 100 yards away. You have a personal shopper at Bergdorf. And Bendel. (Or you think you will soon.) You know about sample sales before Daily Candy does. And you know where all the best vintage shops are in Nolita. But to work in fashion takes more than a working knowledge of the industry. It takes a determination bordering on insanity. It takes sweat. Tears. It takes the acceptance that your job will be your life. You have to be willing to work and be able to accept criticism constructively. Accept that you will start at the very bottom to be able to rise to the top.
Learn to communicate effectively. Without the proper communication skills, you will struggle to make your way. Know how to listen, explain, negotiate, and delegate. And organize. If you can’t create a detailed, concise plan and coordinate it effectively or properly, you will simply fall behind and in fashion, being on time and keeping up is a must.
While passion, determination and communication are necessary, education is key. A strong college education will prepare you for a life in fashion. Schools like Parsons School of Design or the Fashion Institute of Technology, both in New York City, or FIDM, Fashion Institute of Design and Merchandising in California, will nurture your raw talent and passion while giving you real world skills from professionals who have worked or currently work in the industry.
An internship is almost mandatory. Being an intern, a student who works in their field of choice for college credits and/or transportation and living expenses, will not only give you valuable working experience, it will provide you with contacts. And this is an industry that thrives on who you know.
If you are a budding designer, you will need to have a portfolio prepared. A portfolio is the best of you. A visual resume. It’s a collection of your work, your ideas put together in a book to show what you are capable of. Your portfolio should show that you are ahead of the curve, able to spot trends, have vision, and most of all, that you are marketable in today’s fashion landscape. You can choose to include a statement about yourself as a designer or about the collection in the book. And you might also want to think about having a postcard printed with your strongest design on the front, and your statement and contact information on the back to leave with potential employers.
As a hopeful designer, photographer, or fashion writer, your portfolio should be your holy grail. It should be maintained, kept up-to-date, and modified to suit different jobs. As a writer, you wouldn’t bring the same portfolio of your work to both Vogue and Cosmopolitan magazines.
And in today’s digital age, your portfolio should be located on the Internet as well as in book form. There are free services to help you do this, such as Alphaomegadigital.com or Carbomade.com, or if you are skilled in web design, use your creativity to do this for yourself.
Careers in fashion are competitive. There are hundreds of applicants for every job you apply for and you have to stand apart from the crowd to get the attention you deserve. Remain focused, be able to deal with a fast-paced, pressure-cooker environment, and be willing to do anything (within reason) to get in the door and your dream can become a reality.
