Fewer options and many options both can make it hard to come down to the right choice. When it comes to fashion, until some years back, there were just one or two career paths for you to choose from. But, today, there is a whole range of options, each with its own uniqueness, challenges, and perks. You may have entered the industry as a student wanting to pursue fashion but may or may not know which exact direction to head to. And, that’s where we swoop in with our guide to helping you decide your exact fit. Here you go!
1. Know Your Options The first thing you need to do before you get to decide what you want to pursue is knowing what options you have. Today, when you say that you want to get into fashion, it may not just mean fashion designing, which is the most traditional fashion career. It could also mean fashion styling, writing, or any other career path. So, scroll below and look at the many careers available to you. - Fashion Designing: A profession that takes your creative skills, fashion expertise, and many more miscellaneous skills in order to create designs, clothing, and in some cases, labels. - Fashion Illustration: A profession that involves illustrating designs of clothing, transpiring an idea in your mind or a client’s mind into reality. - Fashion Merchandising: A profession that requires you to be at the top of your game in fashion marketing, business, and of course a knack for all things fashion. - Fashion Marketing: A profession that takes strong marketing skills and an interest in fashion to be able to sell a fashion business/personality’s products or services to the target market. - Fashion Public Relations: A profession that takes industry connections and contacts, so you can get your fashion clients the right media exposure at the right time, with the right strategy. - Fashion Teaching: A profession that takes your knowledge and expertise in any field of fashion to impart that onto fashion students.
- Fashion Writing: A profession that takes your writing skills and a knack for
fashion news, updates, and knowledge for publications and digital reads.
- Fashion Styling: A profession that takes your fashion sense up a notch by
styling others, from the masses to celebrities and known personalities.
Source: Unsplash
2. Consult a Career Counsellor
Now that you know all the many options you have under the fashion bucket, you can
still seek a professional’s help to gain better clarity. Of course, first, do your own
research on your top career options, maybe even speak to industry experts to get
further insights into each, and then have your doubts and queries answered. Note
down any questions that come to your mind as you read up on those careers. You
may have doubts regarding the exact nature of a profession, the inner workings of it,
or simply if it is even meant for you.
Gather those questions on one paper and instead of trying to find the answers on
unreliable online sources, consult a career counsellor. They may help you
understand what exactly you’re seeking first and where exactly your confusion lies.
Then, they can help you navigate through all your doubts and apprehensions to
come down to a thoughtful solution. We say, when in doubt, consult a professional or
a mentor who can lead you to mental clarity when it comes to your fashion move.
3. Assist Fashion Professionals
Another effective way to identify your exact fashion field is by volunteering to assist
designers, stylists, or other fashion professionals who work with assistants. This
could be a few months’ long gig or simply a one-time gig, say for a fashion show or a project.
And, being a part of such assisting projects can help you understand if that particular
career is for you or not. Of course, it doesn’t give you a complete insight into that
said profession but it definitely does leave you some clarity and idea as to what it
entails.
Source: Unsplash 4. Apply for Fashion Internships Fashion internships are, hands-down, the best way to really test the waters and get hands-on experience in a field you’re interested in. We know, we know. You’re a fresher who thinks they don’t have the skills nor the experience to head into the professional world. But, that’s the whole point and purpose of internships. They are the gateway to building that experience that you want, even if it’s not in the exact field you want to be in.
A fashion internship is something that can propel you into the professional world and equip you with many skills that you may not even get through education. It can teach you the basics of fashion and professionalism, of course with clarity on whether or not that specific fashion career is for you. And yes, you can apply for internships even with no relevant educational background. The main ingredients you would need to qualify as an intern are:
- Interest in fashion - Passion for fashion - Curiosity - Willingness to learn - Willingness to work
Safe to say, these values are far more important than anything else, to make for a good intern. However, if you still want to go equipped with some base, the world is filled with great resources like short courses and workshops in fashion. You could attend some and get to work on a mini portfolio. Trust us, that will only be an add-on to your internship! 5. Assess and Evaluate Your Skills And, that brings us here! Besides knowing and understanding what options you have available, it is important to also understand what your capabilities are. What skill-sets do you possess? What are your strengths and weaknesses? What do you feel you can take over? It is important to really assess and evaluate your skills, abilities, and values to really understand what’s your ideal fit.
Maybe taking aptitude tests could be of help. Moreover, taking workshops or short courses on specific fashion subjects that interest you could help you identify if it’s really meant for you or not. These short-term options don’t carry a bigger stake as long-term courses do. This means that you not only get experience and understanding of that particular field but also do so without spending a lot financially and mentally. So, what are you waiting for? Get into these endeavors to understand what your calling is, but don’t forget to have fun while you do.
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