One of the biggest complaints about the fashion industry is just how difficult it can be to get an entry level job. Sometimes it feels as if the qualifications are an expensive last name or a connected family. The industry can feel especially opaque to outsiders who are unaware of many of the rules and expectations of this sartorial business.
An excellent guide to getting hired in fashion can be found at Fashion.net called "How To Become A Fashion Editor" . It can help you determine if you are interested in being a stylist, a market editor, or a writer and how to make your resume stand out so you can get a shot at a coveted assistant job. Hint: being an intern is critical.
Another resource is Vault.com's Guide To Getting Hired in Fashion
However the most comprehensive guide is in book form. Buying a copy of Fashion Careers will ensure that you have the definitive guide to getting hired in fashion. Written by three FGI members, it is packed with insider information.
But in truth the most important thing to know is that fashion is an industry of enthusiastic creative professionals. For all the fear and worry about angry catty women nothing will get you farther than passion and a keen sense for getting the job done right.
Today's WWD had an excellent interview with Chanel's New CEO Maureen Chiquet she offers a few insights on how she approaches hiring top notch fashion talent.
WWD: Let's just talk about some of your approaches to people and your hiring techniques. What do you look for when you're looking to hire an executive and what turns you off?M.C.: First thing, I really have to hire people who are passionate. Pretty much within the first five minutes, if I don't see someone that's incredibly passionate about the business, about whatever I'm hiring for, that is not good for me. Eyeballs. I think in the fashion business a certain intuition, eyeballs, are important but you also need eyeballs with analytical skills. I don't think it's one or the other. I like to look for a balance of that.
Don't get discouraged whatever you do. If you want to be in fashion you have to sacrifice for it. You can't be a hanger-on or assume someone will just let you work in fashion because you think it might be cool. Contribute. Give back. Start your own projects. I personally didn't get my start in fashion the traditional way. No one offered me internships or assistant positions. I just kept pushing at the borders of the industry and eventually I was let in.
Independent fashion source Lookonline says it best.
There are many different areas in the industry; work in one may lead to work in another. Start your own project. If you write create your own website or fashion blog. With a blog you can join with other fashion blogs and gain industry exposure by belonging and contributing content to such network sites as Coutorture.com. It's "not about mainstream thinking" says Mary Loving a twenty-six year veteran of the fashion and public relations industry. "To be successful you have to be creative and bring a new ingredient to the business." That new ingredient may very well be yourself.
