Are You the Right Fit? Fashion Jobs (That Aren't Designing)

This post was written by a contributing author in collaboration with primadonnastyle.com.

If you’ve got a passion for fashion, then why restrict yourself to keeping your love of style as an amateur pursuit?

It’s often said that the best occupations are those that are done for love as well as money. If you focus your career goals in a sphere that genuinely interests you, then you can find yourself as one of the few people who actively looks forward to work in the morning. If fashion is the love of your life, then delving deeper into this world in search of career goals could be hugely beneficial for you.

The natural fit for a fashion-lover is to design your own line of clothing. Nice as that may be, not everyone interested in the fashion world has the time, patience, or skillset that might make that possible. Then there’s also the fact that a tiny number of people become successful designers, so you may be restricting your future career options before you even begin. So what are the fashion-related jobs that don’t require you to create your very own line?

#1 - Buyer

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A buyer tends to work for a high street store but in their head office, rather than for a specific store. The job role is essentially buying the items that will be offered for sale, working with designers and trend-spotters to ensure the new season of stock is right for the store. It will be your responsibility to ensure the store is as up-to-date as possible so that your customers will want to come back again and again.

Are You The Right Fit? Buyers have to be confident in their own style choices, so a good background of fashion is essential. It’s your responsibility to source the best items for the best price, so good sleuthing skills and a willingness to negotiate will also be beneficial.

#2 - Blogger/Journalist

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The most popular fashion bloggers have become fashion stars in their own right, often photographed in the front row of runway shows, their opinions as solicited and prized as the old-school magazines. Fashion bloggers tend to showcase their own style while also bringing together recommendations and edits of the latest styles you can buy in store.

Are You The Right Fit? Tech-savvy is helpful; you’ll need to be able to create and maintain a blog. Writing skills are also beneficial. You’ll need to be dedicated; it can take years for a fashion blog to gain true traction in the industry, but if you’re willing to put in the time, it could be a very rewarding career for you.

#3 - Allocation Analyst

A SR allocation analyst job might not sound particularly exciting, but it actually has a lot to offer a dedicated fashionista. Allocation analysts are responsible for identifying trends, influencers to work with, and draw conclusions from past sales to predict the habits of customers. This is an immersive job that requires up-to-date fashion knowledge, but a little omniscience is also beneficial. You will predominantly work for one retail group, helping them to understand their sales and ensure continued growth in the future.

Are You The Right Fit? People who are always on-trend right now, but are also able to predict future trends, while being able to spot patterns in how styles come in and out of fashion.

#4 - Customer-Facing Retail

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The above options are all rather behind-the-scenes, so to add a different flavor, you might consider the frontline of fashion: The retail industry. Working at a retail store gives you control over the way the shop looks, the items you display, and how you deal with curious customers. It’s fast-paced and exciting, while offering a daily experience of fashion at its most defined edge.

Are You The Right Fit? Patience is important to retail assistants and managers; you’re probably going to encounter more than a few unpleasant customers. However, this will be balanced out by enthusiastic fashion fans who you can help find the perfect outfit for a special occasion. As well as an even-temper and keenness to help people, it’s helpful if you are a calm person; retail can be stressful, so you’ll need to be able to keep your cool and keep up.

#5 - Personal Shopper

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Being paid to shop all day -- sounds wonderful, doesn’t it? Of course, you’re not shopping for yourself, but that doesn’t mean that personal shopping doesn’t have plenty to offer the aspiring career fashionista.

Personal shoppers have the ability to improve people’s lives, introduce them to new styles, and give them a push towards higher self-confidence. What’s more, you get to do this while immersing yourself in fashion and clothing all day long, using your natural style senses to put together a look that your customer will feel fantastic in.

Are You The Right Fit? If you like to help people and want to use your fashion powers for good, then personal shopping could be the right fit for you. You’ll need to be patient and determined, as well as always having your finger on the pulse when it comes to fashion of the moment.

#6 - Stylist

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There are two types of stylists; personal stylists and photography stylists. The first will usually see you working with a number of individual clients, putting their looks together from a variety of different sources; it’s not that different from personal shopping in this respect (though you won’t be based in a single store).

The second option is styling for magazine and website photoshoots. It will be your responsibility to ensure the clothes are photographed to look as good as possible, as well as creatively coming up with entire ensembles from diverse collections.

Are You The Right Fit? Your style eye has to be extremely good to work as a stylist. You have to be ready to jump on a trend when you see it taking traction and always know how to pull together an entire outfit. These characteristics are a necessity for both personal and photography styling. How to choose between the two? If you prefer to work with individuals then go for personal styling, while if it’s the clothes that really matter to you, photography styling might be your best choice.

So if you want to turn your love for fashion into a legitimate career choice, at least one of the above six should appeal to you!