Career Information
Do you fit this profile?
- You are more disposed to setting your own agenda and taking independent action than are others.
- You strive for originality.
- You show more flexibility and adaptability.
- You enjoy working with people whether customers or colleagues on a team.
- You have a drive to be an innovator.
- You can juggle creative problem solving abilities and an understanding of the business framework of the apparel and textile industry.
- You have top quality written, oral, and nonverbal communication skills. Strong ability in computer graphics and sketching further expand communication and career options.
If so, the following career options might fit your abilities and interests:
Design and Productive Development Designer
- Originate design ideas through combining fashion forecasting and artistic trends. Negotiate selection among design ideas with merchandisers and market researchers.
- Use blend of illustration and computer-aided design skills to represent designs.
- Carry out selected designs through combination of draping and pattern making skills.
- Work closely with fabric sales representatives in keeping abreast of fabric trends.
- Direct staff of assistants, illustrators/sketchers, patternmakers, sample makers, graders, and production workers.
Product Developer
- Work closely with entrepreneur or market researcher in developing products keyed to specific end-uses such as hunting or ski wear.
- Utilize high technology fabrics and processes in engineering products with special performance features.
Stylist
- Adapt higher priced styles originated by designers to target audience for the company's product.
- Select fabrics, coordinate lines, and oversee process of interpreting copied (knock-off) styles.
Theatrical Costume Designer
- Originate or adapt costumes to suit visual images needed to portray character roles for opera, dance, stage plays, circuses, parades, movies, advertisements, and television productions.
- Coordinate with set, lighting, and production directors to interpret scripts or visual objectives and create an integrated final product.
Wardrobe Director
- Select and adapt ready-made clothing or contracts for custom designs compatible with character roles within theater and various other types of performances.
- Work with local television, news, and commercial productions or small theater companies.
Merchandising, Marketing, and Retailing Manager
- Work with designers, fashion forecasters, and market researchers to develop promotion strategy and content of season's lines.
- Supervise buyers and sales managers for specific markets such as Women's, Men's, Sportswear, or Accessories.
- Manage the overall business of several departments or an entire store.
Fashion Director
- Keep retail departments updated on latest fashion trends.
- Direct storewide visual merchandising to create an overall theme.
- Interact with fashion coordinators at central offices and with advertising and media to maintain intended theme.
- Handle in-store fashion shows and other visual promotions.
- Interpret fashion forecasting news and market research for buyers and merchandise managers.
Interior Textiles Representative
- Work with Interior Design firms, home textile departments, and others to source or merchandise textiles for interior end uses.
Retail Buyer
- Manage all buying, sales, and promotion activities for a department or division of department store.
- Work with resident buyer located at major markets or with traveling sales representatives in selecting fashions to promote.
- Advance to buying personally at major markets in U.S. and internationally.
Piece Goods Buyer
- Act as purchasing agent in researching and buying fabrics, trims, and notions selected by design staff.
- Interact with textile producers to assure product quality and timely delivery.
Market Analyst
- Conduct market research through consumer tastes and developing trends.
- Coordinate textile design and production with overall fashion developments.
International Business
- Interface with design production/quality assurance, marketing, buying, consumer relations, importing and/or promotion functions of the global textile and apparel industry.
- Provide cultural awareness/sensitivity to business operations.
Resident Buying Officer
- Coordinate and assist retail store buyers to do their best work.
- Research fashion trends and prepare bulletins to assist retail buyers.
- Accompany retail buyers to market when requested.
- Make buying selections for member stores, all branches of a chain store, mail-order catalog, or specialty store consortium when requested.
- Handle reorders and adjustments.
Department Manager
- Direct the sales activities of a department.
- Serve as a liaison between buyer and salespeople.
- Maintain inventory pricing and control records.
- Direct customer returns and adjustment policies.
Store/ Boutique Manager
- Adapt higher priced styles originated by designers to target audience for the company's product.
- Select fabrics, coordinate lines, and oversee process of interpreting copied (knock-off) styles.
Sales Representative
- Promote company apparel or interior textile products in either showrooms at major markets or through trunk shows presented to local retail buyers.
- Work with buyers to generate techniques for promoting their lines.
- Work an assigned geographic region if traveling.
Comparison Shopper
- Compare merchandise, advertisements and displays of competitive stores with their own. Evaluate inventory assortments and whether styles are up to date.
- Evaluate customer service practices and contribute to improvements as well a customer information material.
Wardrobe/ Image Consultant
- Offer assistance to clients in selecting colors, fabrics, styles, and sometimes wardrobe groupings appropriate to individual coloring, body type, career and lifestyle.
- Work for a specific store or operate as a free-lance consultant.
Entrepreneur
- Seen as market niche for product, service, or business, and pulls together the means to fill that niche. Combine knowledge of the product or service with business and management skills.
Textile Designer
- Originate textile structure or surface designs in response to ongoing fashion cycles or product development requirements.
- Combine illustration, textile production, art, and computer-aided design skills in carrying out designs. Product end use, includes either apparel or interiors.
Fashion Forecaster
- Feed a constant stream of fabric, color, texture, pattern, and product style trends to designers, merchandisers, promoters, and advertisers across the textile and apparel industry.
- Work for a specific company or sell services for membership fees.
Quality Control Director
- Interact with design and merchandising directors to determine product specifications.
- Monitor how well production meets quality specifications.
- Monitor or determine a company's apparel sizing.
Production Supervisor
- Use textiles and clothing, business, and engineering skills in managing production of textile or apparel products.
- Interact with designer and quality control to ensure product quality standards are met.
Illustrator
- Provide fashion illustrations or sketches to aid designers, advertisers, apparel or textile manufacturers, pattern companies, sales representatives, or publishers.
Promotion & Media Fashion Representative
- Promotes ready-to-wear, patterns, fabrics, notions, or sewing machines in retail or school settings across the country.
Advertising/ Art Director
- Direct the creation of the overall concept for a promotion campaign.
Publicity Coordinator
- Keep newspapers, magazines, and trade journal editors current on fashion trends within a specific company's lines.
- Use press releases, photographs, slides, and video tapes to spread the news about new designs and directions.
Fashion Editor
- Select content for fashion pages of newspaper, magazine, trade periodical, or mail- order catalog.
- Work with writers, sketchers, photographers, designers, and/or merchandisers in developing information.
Fashion Writer
- Work for newspapers, magazines, and advertising agencies in preparing fashion- related articles, books, advertisements, press kits, and catalogs.
Graphic Artist
- Design artwork for promotional campaign, including printed materials, posters, advertisements, and three-dimensional displays.
Fashion Coordinator
- Interpret fashion trends at several stages in the textile/apparel pipeline from design and production to wholesale and retail sales.
- Work with fashion forecasters and merchandisers to determine trends to be promoted through fashion shows, visual merchandising, and advertising activities.
Public Relations Agent
- Promote companies or products via press releases, notices in editorials, television "plugs," or public speeches.
- Use presentations, demonstrations, or fashion shows to enhance company image locally and across the country.
- Coordinate production of promotional materials.
- Management skills.
Education & Consumer Relations Training Supervisor
- Provide orientation seminars for executive trainees and new salespeople.
- Update all salespeople on new procedures, trends, or equipment.
Customer Service & Consumer Relations Supervisor
- Handle consumer complaints and requests for special services.
- Oversee returns and ensure customers are treated fairly.
Education Director
- Direct creation of educational materials, audiovisual aids, and teaching consumers ways to use them. May include sewing or design classes, machine demonstrations, trade show presentations, special workshops, or events.
- Create educational materials for distribution in conjunction with presentations.
Costume Curator
- Direct restoration, conservation, cataloguing, and display of historic textiles and apparel products and fashion magazines.
References and Detail
Burns, L. & Bryant, N. (1997). The business of fashion. New York: Fairchild.
Jarnow, J., & Dickerson, K. (1997). Inside the fashion industry. New York: Macmillan. Johnson.
M.J. & Moore, E.C. (2001, 1998). Apparel product development. Upper Saddle River, NJ: Prentice Hall.
Wolfe, M. (1989). Fashion. South Holland, IL: Goodheart-Wilcox.
More Information
For more information on assessment, counseling and planning for careers of interest visit the WSU Career Services.
Related Fields of Interest
- Agricultural Economics
- Communication
- Fine Arts
- Human Development
- Interior Design
- International Business
- Marketing
- Music
- Psychology
- Women's Studies
- Business Administration
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