Business Graduates in the Fashion Industry?

[CelineChic]

^ thanks for the information is there a business course you'd suggest that would be more relevant to fashion? such as public relations, management etc?

All marekting courses are pretty useful but I find that Retail, Advertising, PR, Consumer behvaiour, and marekting research would be the most interesting for someone interested in fashion.

Also speak with your academic advisors and tell them that you're interested in working in the fashion industry. They can then help you choose courses that would best fit your interests.

 

[christinexkim]

A Business Degree plus Interning ... A Good Way to Get into Fashion?

Alright, well I'm not sure what to do. I would really like to go into fashion merchandising but the other part of me is unsure because I would also like to study at an high-ranking school, and no high-ranking one offers fashion merchandising as a major.
So at this point, I'm thinking about majoring in business (and journalism as well) but hopefully doing many fashion internships and studying abroad in London.
Is this a plausible plan to pursue a career in fashion? Please, any help, especially from people in the industry, will be a great help. Thanks

 

[BetteT]

In case you haven't done a search of the Careers & Education forum, here's some related threads that I found:

http://www.thefashionspot.com/forums/f90/fashion-merchandising-34356.html?

http://www.thefashionspot.com/forum...ashion-industry-54899.html?highlight=business

http://www.thefashionspot.com/forums/f90/fashion-journalism-34441.html?highlight=journalism

I think the general consensus is that a business degree can lead you into any business, including fashion. Business is business and making a profit is the goal of any company ... so those skills can get you in the door. And internships equal experience, so it will help you fine tune what you want to do with that degree.

BTW ... I changed the title of this thread ... so make it more search engine accessible for anyone else interested in this.

 

[styleoverfashion]

I'm hoping it is, as that's the route that I'm trying to take right now!

I wanted the same thing- a degree from a prestigious school as a backup. I'll probably end up doing a diploma in Fashion Management once I graduate though.

 

[style_savy]

Alright, well I'm not sure what to do. I would really like to go into fashion merchandising but the other part of me is unsure because I would also like to study at an high-ranking school, and no high-ranking one offers fashion merchandising as a major.
So at this point, I'm thinking about majoring in business (and journalism as well) but hopefully doing many fashion internships and studying abroad in London.
Is this a plausible plan to pursue a career in fashion? Please, any help, especially from people in the industry, will be a great help. Thanks

I found this e-book very helpful on this topic. It also provides many links to sites that can inform you of fashion resources, fashion schools, business coaching etc.... A little pricey for the dept of the content but if your serious and want to research your future further I'd suggest it.

 

[Fashiongirl1]

What are some careers for people who want to be in the business side of fashion rather than the creative side of fashion? I have a BA in Business Management. I am pretty sure that once I get some experience under my belt in the industry, I can always do other things.

What are some positions that one with a business degree can have in the fashion industry, and how can they get with these positions. Also, what type of experience does one need to have?

thank

 

[BetteT]

Marketing
Merchandising
Buying
Product Developement
Accounting
Human Resources
Management


Just to name a few ... Fashion is business, so it's not much different than working for a auto manufacturer, a chain of restaurants or Dell computers. They all must sell a product and they need business people to handle all of that background stuff. You get these jobs at entry level in the various departments and work your way up.

 

[Fashiongirl1]

Hey there BetteT. Thanks for responding again. I do appreciate it. A LOT. My mind is sooo confused right now. I still want to have my own business, but I honestly feel that just getting in is more important than anything. I feel if I do get into a company I can always work my way up as you said, plus change positions from business to creative if I choose. Getting in these companies is what's most important for me.

Management seems pretty interesting. Where could I find an entry level position in the management field of fashion? Do I need an internship for that too?

BTW, how would I get into the management department in one of the hip hop companies... Or even marketing. Plus is my business degree enough or if I wanted to do marketing or merchandising, need I go for an AAS in Fashion Merchandising?

 

[BetteT]

If you have the credtials (business degree or an MBA) look for management training programs in the larger companies ... they often recruit new grads to be trained for low level managers and then the rest is up to you to get promoted over the years to upper management. Or you just get a entry level job in a company and a dept. that you are interested in and work up to management (entry level job, senior clerk, shift supervisor, assist. manager, dept. manager is a typical career path) ... it takes time and a good work history with the company. Most companies will promote from within.

I did it in banking... without college ... then I decided that I was not cut out to be a manager ... had to motivate and lead other people, be personally responsible for what they did and did not do and for the overall level of production in my department ... hated it! Am much happier working for myself now and just being responsible for what I do .... but what I learned as a manager is very helpful for running my buisiness.

Internships are not as necessary for business careers, but they are pretty important in the creative fields, especially fashion because so much of it is who you know. But they always help to get you started ... and I'm surprised that your school did not recommend that you do some sort of interning or work experience prior to graduataion.

Hip Hop (you mean music prioduction biz?)... you pretty much have to know someone with some pull ... they tend to hire friends. And you'd probably have to have prior management experience under your belt to get into management for them, I would think. Most of the small companies would not have have formal training programs and designated career paths for young college grads like the big corporations have.

 

[Fashiongirl1]

Hello there, thanks very much for informing me than many fashion companies ... the larger ones have management training programs. I really dont mind doing the low level management. That is some way to get my foot in the door lol. Will that work for the apparel branding licensing companies like Iconix for example?

But guess what? I am in the banking industry. Well I am a teller (nothing special lol) I tried to use that as an internship, but I was told that banks usually don't do internships, and its very rare that they do. I started working in the bank while attending my last year of school.

If I did try to get into the creative side of the industry at some point in my life, well I would already be within the company, which will be a great connection for me lol.

How would I go about getting work in the large fashion companies that have the management training programs? Do I call them? Do I apply for the positions that you state in your reply? I would rather do that. Many of the links on this site are for internship programs. What about Fashionjobscentral.com I think it is. Is that site a scam or it does find legit programs in large fashion companies that will give me management training? I guess you mean companies like Chanel or Calvin Klein?

I don't want to get into hip hop or the music industry, I meant as far as their clothing lines are concerned? If that is the case with knowing someone too (which to an extent I think it is like that as far as the fashion lines are concerned) then I will continue to apply for the other companies.

This is very informative because I have thought about going into the business side of fashion to help me, I just did not know how to do it. I still don't lol. I have seen many things and taken much information on this site about internships for creative fashion, but not in the management side.

Thank you, and more thank you...

 

[BetteT]

You must do your own research, lots of it. I would start with looking up the various fashion companies' coporate web sites ... and look for any sections they have on employment and see what you can find there. Secondly, you can call their human resources departments at their headquarters to see how they recruit managers and if they have training programs and to ask for infomation about that.

Good luck!

 

[Fashiongirl1]

I guess I was on the right track a few weeks ago, because thats exactly what I was thinking about doing. I just didn't know if it was the right thing to do. Interesting. Will do, thanks for all of the advice. It was very helpful. I am just sooo ready, and waiting to do this. I do know there is a lot of research. I will also go to the career services at my school and see what they can do.

But its good to be assured that there is a place in the fashion industry for business graduates.

 

[Cicciolina]

It's funny that you said that about banks, because where I am (Australia) the banks here are one of the huge employers of interns (paid!) and do large graduate recruitment campaigns.

This is a great article about the business side of fashion, written by Marion Hume for Time Magazine. It came out 2 years ago but I still enjoy reading it
http://www.time.com/time/style/article/0,9171,1533542,00.html

 

[BetteT]

Wow ... fashion really IS big business nowadays , isn't it? That means the business grads have a bigger career ahead of them than the creative people ... food for thought.

Thanks for sharing that, Cicciolina.

 

[Fashiongirl1]

WOW!! It seems like Fashion has turned into mostly Business. The importance in Business seems to have become quite equivalent to creative fashion. Both seem to go hand in hand... Hmmm I find this very, very interesting. Since I want to have my own clothing company, if I work my *** off... I think my plan is going to work out just fine. LOL... I no longer feel that going to school for Business was a waste of time lol.

But what if you have not graduated from the top business schools? Everyone cannot afford to go to Harvard (Honestly I never applied, and I never had any interest in attending that school, I mean. could not even afford to stay at Parsons).

Oh, and about the bank thing... thats actually good in Austrailia.

BetteT, if you don't mind me asking what do you do? What type of business do you run?

 

[BetteT]

Now, I am a fashion stylist ... so I'm self employed and have to run my own small service business. I have to do inventories, issue and track invoices and do billing, take care of my own taxes, pay assistants when needed, a slew of contracts and paperwork and then I must market myself constantly to find clents. It's about 80% business and 20% creative.

 

[Anjo]

Nice thread.. incidentally, if anyone's interested in reading more about the business side of fashion, try Imran Amed's blog, The Business of Fashion http://uberkid.typepad.com/ ...I've been reading it for a while, it's good.

I'm going to school for humanities (History and Anthropology) but I think the business end of fashion is fascinating. Everyone and their mother wants to design (or so it seems)... you have to find a niche where demand exceeds supply.

 

[Cicciolina]

Anjo great suggestion, I love reading that blog too, he does a really good job.

Yes I think the business end of fashion is highly underrated... after all, you have to admit, Marc Jacobs perhaps wouldn't be so big without the help of Robert Duffy.

 

[Anjo]

Exactly. I think it's safe to say he would have been out of business long ago...

 

[Fashiongirl1]

Yes, I checked out the site... Theres a load of information about the fashion biz. I just don't knoww here to start looking, there are loads of information.