Jobs in the world of clothing

gululv · Jun 25, 2011

Maybe a stupid question, maybe answered before on this forum, but what jobs exists in the clothing industry? Obviously working in a store, or running a store. Opening a store would be fun, but seems almost impossible considering how much it would cost. There's definetely a market for a good clothing store in Norway, where I come from, you can't find any decent store with good brands here. Plus people earn a lot here. Anyway, what other careers are there in the clothing industry?

WUKILLABEEZ78 · Jun 27, 2011

My sister is a buyer for one of the larger women's clothing stores. She basically researches what is going to be "in" or what the new style is, etc... and then the store produces it or buys the items to sell in their retail stores. She gets to travel every now and then to see new trends, new styles, etc... So basically she plays a pretty big role in what kinds of clothing and accessories this company chooses to produce or sell in their stores. She seems to enjoy it...

Joffrey · Jun 27, 2011

My sister is an acct executive for a major label exclusively selling to buyers at a major high end department store. Are you still in school? If so, check with your career services department for resources to career websites and alumni. A great website when researching careers or preparing for an interview is Vault.com A quick search of industries came up with... http://www.vault.com/wps/portal/usa/...rankingId1=288

rohde88 · Jun 28, 2011

I used to work for Abercrombie & Fitch corporate, it was a fun gig out of college. Allocation=mostly sitting in front of Excel spreadsheets

gululv · Jul 5, 2011

Thank you! It seems like there are some options, but you need to know how to get in the posoitions you want. I also live in small Norway, not a particulary good place for fashion/clothes. Anyway, I could move abroad to follow my interests.

Canadian · Jul 6, 2011

My cousin owned his family owned store (Bakers of Kindersley) which had been around since before 1900. He lived constantly broke and since lost the building to some bankers who felt it was better to put another empty building on main street, rather than a viable building which needed some corporate restructuring.

He's now pushing 70, drove an ancient Buick which was totaled when he hit a deer. Has no assets, no children, no nearby relatives. When my grandmother died, he couldn't afford a Greyhound ticket to the funeral.

Tough business. For every posh boutique, there are dozens that fail.

T

gululv · Jul 6, 2011

Sure, but that's how it is with almost everything, you might fail and become poor.

imageWIS · Jul 6, 2011

Originally Posted by gululv

Sure, but that's how it is with almost everything, you might fail and become poor.

A lot of people I talk to how are related to self-made well-off people, or the well-off people themselves have one thing in common: massive balls for taking what most would consider unacceptable risk. People that have been very, very, very close to bankruptcy, sometimes more than once, because they risked almost everything on one thing. The ability to leap before you look is something IMHO you are born with and cannot gain over time.

Tck13 · Jul 6, 2011

The clothing world is a big place but one has to start small. If you're good, you'll probably move up the ladder pretty quickly. It won't hurt if you have a degree.

Nouveau Pauvre · Jul 6, 2011

Originally Posted by Jodum5

My sister is an acct executive for a major label exclusively selling to buyers at a major high end department store.

Are you still in school? If so, check with your career services department for resources to career websites and alumni. A great website when researching careers or preparing for an interview is Vault.com

A quick search of industries came up with...
http://www.vault.com/wps/portal/usa/...rankingId1=288

And a stone cold fox.

imageWIS · Jul 6, 2011

... Deleted.

Joffrey · Jul 6, 2011

Saturdays · Jul 6, 2011

Originally Posted by gululv

Maybe a stupid question, maybe answered before on this forum, but what jobs exists in the clothing industry? Obviously working in a store, or running a store. Opening a store would be fun, but seems almost impossible considering how much it would cost. There's definetely a market for a good clothing store in Norway, where I come from, you can't find any decent store with good brands here. Plus people earn a lot here. Anyway, what other careers are there in the clothing industry?

Roles that involve actual work with clothing in some shape or form:

Merchandising
Buyers
Retailing
Designing
Supply Chain Management
Embroidery
Marketing
Fit Guide
Sourcing Analysts

A lot of jobs fall into those categories. A degree in Textile Manufacturing and Retailing- Or a degree in business- ay help you move closer to these sort of jobs.

Check career pages to see what they require and what the jobs are. Loads of info once you start looking.

B^2 · Jul 7, 2011

The problem is there is no set way to get a job in clothing/fashion. I know a engineer who decided to go a different route, went back to school for Fashion and now owns a successful men's boutique. There are lots of successful business owners in fashion who don't have a traditional background/education.

A good option is to attend school where you can learn some of the backbones of the industry or try and find an apprenticeship/internship with someone you admire in the industry. Hopefully that person will be willing to impart some wisdom on you as you go about trying to achieve your goals.

Joffrey · Jul 7, 2011

1. Figure what you enjoy doing: Design? Finance/Analysis?
2. Study it
3. Start networking with people in the industry
4. LEverage networking/research to get work in industry: part time/internships
5. LEverage experience gained to get full time gig in industry.

4 and 5 are the hardest.

Jobs in the world of clothing

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