What kind of jobs are available for a fashion design major?

From this week, I will be collaborating with London College of Design and Fashion in Hanoi (LCDF) to develop career counseling content for those who are interested in studying and working in fashion. With LCDF’s expertise, I hope everyone will find practical information about the fashion industry!

The topic of this week’s article is fashion design as a major in college! When considering this major, most people might think it will churn out only fashion designers for brands. However, the career orientation for this major is not limited to only one job. Here’s a list of job opportunities after you graduate with a design degree in fashion

1. DESIGN & CREATIVES

This group of occupations is the most common for those interested in fashion design. The skills you learn in visuals, designs, tailoring, materials… will benefit jobs in this group.

• Fashion designer: including clothes, accessories, shoes, bags, jewelry…
• Pattern designer: A pattern-making career generally involves working deep in the fashion industry. They may work to design and create patterns for unique pieces of clothing for mass production, for instance, or they may work closely with designers in order to create custom patterns.
• Creative Director: Creative directors are the creative leads at fashion houses. They work with the creative team to create, plan and deliver a strategic vision for the brand and each collection.
• Fashion illustrator: Fashion illustrators focus on art and creating fashion designs for clients. In many cases, buyers and stylists look at things created by these illustrators when choosing what to make. 
• Fashion graphic designer: creating brand identities, advertising campaigns, website, animation, 3D designs…
• Fashion forecaster: research and analyze the influence of culture, society, technology, etc., on future fashion trends

2. PRODUCTION DEVELOPMENT 

This is a group of jobs requiring high technical knowledge, including essential positions in the production & supply chain within the fashion industry. Besides design skills, you will need to have to great organizational skills and an eye for detail to ensure product quality.

• Fashion business manager: in charge of forecasting sales and developing production plans (timeline, costs, revenue…)
• Production manager: oversee stages within production such as pattern making, pattern sewing, sizes, fabrics,…
• Garment factory owners, garment workers: receive orders from the design & production team to mass produce products.
• Quality control manager: in charge of fabric quality control, production process, finished product quality…

3. SALES 

These are positions that will need to be knowledgeable about the design, brand, collection, market trends, tastes, customer development and relationship management, overall customer experience to ensure revenue for the company.

• Fashion purchasing management: deciding how many products within each collection to purchase, as well as the selling price.
• Fashion sales manager, sales consultant: ensuring sales at retail channels such as stores, websites, social e-commerce.. 
• Fashion distribution manager: in charge of managing different branches, stores, vendors and retail channels.

4.  COMMUNICATION, MARKETING, AND BRANDING

All the collections will need branding, marketing and communication teams to develop and execute to-market campaigns. These are positions that need to understand both the creative direction of the brand and the collection, as well as have the business acumen to stay competitive and relevant in the market to make their brand stand out.

• Visual merchandiser: in charge of store layout and window display
• PR & Communication: develop and maintain brand identity, develop relationships with media and relevant stakeholders for external communication 
• Marketing and Branding: identify channels, budget, target audience to deliver marketing campaigns and support sales volume
• Copywriter: write campaign slogans, advertising content, social media posts for products & collections
• Event Organizer: in charge of hosting fashion shows, private events, client appreciation… 
• Fashion photographer
• Bloggers, KOLs: leveraging on their followers and networks to promote brands and campaigns, influencing purchasing decisions and seasonal trends 
• Stylist: styling for photoshoots, lookbooks, magaazines, personal fashion consultants.
• Fashion Instructor
• Fashion Reporter

5. FUTURE CAREER

These are also positions that may be new and have not been filled by many fashion brands but will undoubtedly hold an important place in the future of this industry.

• Fashion Technologist: studies the application of technology to fashion, such as super-light materials, fabrics, new production lines, supply chain management…
• Sustainability: researching and providing sustainable solutions for fashion brands, fabric manufacturers, dyeing companies…

Are you more confident to pursue a career the fashion industry? Comment below if you have any questions!