Discover New Career Opportunities 

When you imagine having a career in the fashion industry, it is easy to get lost in the glitz and glam of what is considered the ideal job (i.e. fashion designer, stylist, buyer or writer).

Of course there is nothing wrong with any of those ideal positions. However, as the industry has grown fresh positions have been developed, while old positions become new again. Make your career a reality by exploring fashion industry jobs you never knew existed!

Fashion Means Business

Fashion was once limited to narrow career path of design etc, and honed in on select geographical areas of the country or world. Now-a-days fashion has become a business all its own. You can find a broad range of industry related careers across the countrythat impact the market directly. Big box retailers and store fronts are what keeps the industry profitable. The retail industry is a vital part of the business. 

What positions are out there? How specific to personality, interest and skill set are these positions? Both of these are excellent questions. Lets explore each one:

What Positions are Out There?

Big box retailers have the largest amount of positions that span across different departments or categories and have corporate offices in cities other than New York and Los Angeles.

Nordstrom, Inc. is one of the nation’s leading fashion specialty retailers, based in Seattle with 222 U.S. stores located in 29 states. Additionally, the company operates in the online private sale marketplace through its subsidiary HauteLook. Within a company of this size you have endless opportunities. In the corporate office alone you can find positions in Accounting, Marketing, E-Commerce, Product Development and Logistics, just to name a few. For those still searching for the glitz and glam, here are some jobs you never knew existed:

• Design Director - (Headquarters in Seattle, Washington) The ideal design director is creative, motivated, results oriented and possesses the ability to oversee the creation of original concepts that encompasses style, color and fabric as it relates to brand.
• Product Merchandiser - (Headquarters in Seattle, Washington) The ideal product merchandiser is experienced, results-oriented and views the business through the lens of the customer.
• Visual Stylist - (In-Store) The ideal visual stylist is enthusiastic and knowledgeable about fashion and art and is committed to providing outstanding customer service every day. Responsible for window presentations including propping, mannequins, fashion and lighting.
• Wedding Stylist - (In-Store) The ideal wedding stylist is consistently seeking new fashion and product knowledge to act as an expert for the customer, wardrobes every customer for all ancillary events surrounding the wedding day and searches for innovative ways to increase business.

Department Store retailers that have similar positions to explore:

• Neiman Marcus - Headquarters in Dallas, Texas
• Dillard’s - Headquarters in Little Rock, Arkansas with Buying Offices in Fort Worth, Texas, Phoenix, Arizona, and St. Petersburg, Florida
• Macy’s - Headquarters in New York City, New York and San Francisco, California with Regional Offices across the country
• JCPenney - Headquarters in Plano, Texas
• Target - Headquarters in Minneapolis, Minnesota
• Kohls - Headquarters in Milwaukee, Wisconsin
• Saks Fifth Avenue - Headquarters in New York City, New York

Store Front retailers that have similar positions to explore:

• Gap, Inc - (Banana Republic, Gap, Old Navy, Piperlime and Athleta) Headquarters in San Francisco, California, Los Angeles, California, New York City, New York, Albuquerque, New Mexico and Toronto, Canada
• Limited Brands - (Victoria’s Secret, Bath and Body Works, Pink, La Senza and Henri Bendel) Headquarters in Columbus, Ohio
• Express - Headquarters in Columbus, Ohio and New York City, New York
• Forever 21 Inc - Headquarters in Los Angeles, California
• Urban Outfitters Inc - (Urban Outfitters, Anthropologie and Free People) Headquarters in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
• H&M - Headquarters in Stockholm, Sweden
• BCBGMAXAZRIA Group - (Max Azria, Herve Leger, BCBGeneration, Lola and MAXandCLEO) Headquarters in Vernon, California
• The Talbots Inc - (Talbots) Headquarters in Hingham, Massachusetts
• The Buckle Inc - (Buckle) Headquarters in Kearney, Nebraska

How Specific to Personality, Interest and Skill Set are These Positions?

In order to run a successful business, these retailers have built a corporation that has allowed them to have all the major departments that are needed to run the business under one roof. With this in mind, there are many aspects of the business requiring a large array of people with different personalities, interests and skill sets. Here are some jobs you never knew existed, broken down by department:

People who are Business Oriented

• Finance
• Store Operations
• Strategy and Business Development
• Strategic Sourcing
• Inventory Management
• Store Leadership
• Merchandising/Buying
• Real Estate
• Logistics
• Loss Prevention

People who are Creative

• Product Development 
• Design
• Visual Merchandising
• Store Design
• Marketing
• Advertising
• Photography

People who are Concentrated in Sales

• Retail Sales
• Wholesale Sales

People who are Resourceful and like to Help Employees

• Human Resources

 People who are Excellent Communicators

• Public Relations
• Communications

Bottom line, there are opportunities in the fashion industry that can cater to each individuals wants and needs, as well as companies that will do the same. To find some of these amazing opportunities, check out the retailers website first. Sometimes job posting sites do not have every opportunity listed or might not be current/up-to-date with their listings. Plus, majority of the time job posting sites direct applicants to the retailers website to complete the application.