Fashion Your Career

Canterbury Epsom Farnham Rochester

Careers Guide

uca.ac.uk

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WHY FASHION?

Do you...

Have an eye for style?

Dream of having your own fashion label?

Keep up with the latest fashion news?

Love the idea of making your own clothes?

Get told you’re creative or artistic?

Have an eye for detail?

A DEGREE IN FASHION COULD BE RIGHT FOR YOU!A Fashion degree gives you a competitive edge in the fast-paced industry. At university, you can study anything from Fashion Design or Fashion Textiles to Fashion Management & Marketing or Fashion Media & Promotion, enabling you to follow the path that you’re most interested in.

Intense by nature, the Fashion industry can be a tough environment to work in so you need to be committed, ambitious, creative and hard-working. With dedication, flair and the right degree, you could be well on your way to being the next big thing in the fashion magazines.

Image: Annie Hertikova BA (Hons) Fashion Promotion & Imaging UCA Epsom

FASHION YOUR CAREERSo you like the idea of a career in fashion, but what sort of jobs could you do? Here’s a taster of just some of the roles that a fashion degree could open doors to once you’ve graduated…

Visual Merchandiser: You’d be responsible for designing visual displays like store windows, exhibition stands and shop floors. You need a good eye for design, to know what works together and be prepared to work with lots of different teams.

Fashion Designer: As a designer, you’d be responsible for developing concepts, designing ideas, selecting fabrics and arranging samples. Great attention to detail is crucial, as are strong technical skills and a good understanding of all design processes.

Fashion Buyer: As a buyer, you’d be making calls on what your brand features in its next collection. Whether it’s attending catwalk shows, keeping an eye on trends or predicting what’s going to be big, you need to be able to spot iconic fashion pieces, understand customers and be a great organiser and communicator.

Textile Designer: Want to create patterns or prints for homeware or clothing? As a textile designer, you could be putting together design ideas for wallpapers, sofas, packaging or clothes. You’ll need to be a hard-worker and be prepared to work to deadlines, with an eye for a strong pattern and colour.

Fashion PR: Thinking creatively to get your clients press coverage is crucial to a fashion PR role. You’ll need to be a brilliant writer, able to think outside the box and prepared to go the extra mile to wow the press.

Freelance: A number of fashion professionals act as freelancers, which means that they are self-employed and find their own work. You’d get ultimate flexibility on your work and need to be a self-starter, great with people so that you build up lasting work contacts and prepared to manage your own finances.

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WHY I CHOSE FASHION

I was always interested in fashion and enjoyed the challenge of making things. I excelled in creative subjects at school and my teachers encouraged me and introduced me to the courses and career options within the fashion industry.

BEFORE UNIVERSITY

I worked in retail for three years before university and really enjoyed styling customers and helping to create outfits for them. I took an interest in visual merchandising and took pride in creating the store window displays and mannequins. I also worked at a summer camp teaching children how to sew and create garments as well as knit, crochet and embroidery.

BUILDING MY PORTFOLIO

I attended life-drawing classes for three years prior to university and I also attended a fashion drawing short course, which introduced me to a new range of techniques and helped to build my portfolio further. I enjoyed producing small projects and continuing to work on pieces I had done in school/college to add to my portfolio.

STUDYING AT UNIVERSITY

I learnt lots of new skills and enjoyed learning about trends and working for a brand. I was introduced to many different career options. The skills I developed include creating projects, creating a successful collection, producing a solid sketchbook, developing and creating trends, sewing techniques, pattern cutting, branding, and elements of Adobe such as Photoshop and Illustrator. I was also able to obtain internships at various companies such as Burberry.

MY FUTURE CAREER

My degree in fashion has given me the knowledge of the fashion industry and the technical understanding of garments, which helped me stand out from competitors. It improved and developed my confidence and creativity. I am building my career within Harrods and am enjoying working with designer clothes every day! Ideally I’d like to move up within the production team quickly and then move in to styling.

Jasmine Bennett 2014 graduate BA (Hons) Fashion UCA Epsom

KICKSTARTING YOUR CAREER

Jasmine Bennett, 2014 graduate from BA (Hons) Fashion at UCA Epsom, landed a great job at Harrods just three weeks after completing her degree. As a production assistant within the Harrods.com team, Jasmine is responsible for fashion samples and liaises with various departments to ensure a smooth process. This is how she got to where she is today.

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CAREERS

The world of fashion offers you an abundance of employment possibilities and career choices, such as:

-Savile Row tailor -Couturier -Designer -Creative pattern cutter -Fashion editor -Production manager -Studio manager -Fashion buyer -Retail store manager -Visual merchandiser -Fashion marketing and PR manager -International and licensing manager -Merchandiser -Promotions manager -Fashion content curator -Kids’ wear allocator -Wholesale and marketing executive -Fashion journalist -Fashion photographer -Textile specialist -Hand embroiderer -Showroom manager -Art director -Editorial assistant -Trend researcher -Sponsorship manager -Prop assistant -Arts educator.

WHAT YOU CAN EARN

Research shows that starting salaries for graduates of fashion-related courses average at around £17-18,000 a year.

SKILLS AND QUALITIES

As a student on a practical course, you’ll develop as a highly-skilled practitioner in your chosen field. You’ll also learn a wide range of transferable personal skills, such as:

-Communication -Networking -Presentation -Commercial awareness -Problem solving -Decision-making -Research -Time management -Self- promotion -Team-working -Attention to detail.

GRADUATE EMPLOYMENT

Our graduates have gone on to work for a variety of big name design, retail, publishing and PR companies, including:

-Asos -French Connection -Hugo Boss -Jaeger -Karen Millen -LK Bennett -Lipsy -Selfridges -Conde Nast Publishers -Closer Magazine -Elle Magazine -Image Box PR -Inca Productions -Tea & Cake PR -WGSN.

INDUSTRY OVERVIEW

The fashion industry is highly competitive and critical to the growth and development of the global economy. As a dynamic sector, it especially needs graduates who can respond creatively and effectively to its constantly evolving challenges and opportunities.

UK fashion has a unique spirit and energy that captures the imagination of the world. From high street to haute couture, UK fashion is international in outlook, turning trendsetting creativity into a dynamic global industry, with boosted by fashion promotion and journalism. Some of the most iconic brands in contemporary fashion are from the UK, with young designers understanding that, to achieve success, they need to be both creative and commercial. A major strength of the UK fashion industry is the strong link between designers and retailers. The trends and innovations on the catwalk cascade onto the British high street, creating a multi-billion pound industry. The direct value of the UK fashion industry to the UK economy is £26 billion; up from £21 billion in 2009. Fashion is the largest employer of all the UK’s creative industries, supporting an estimated 797,000 jobs. (Source: Oxford Economics 2014).

“After I graduated, I spent some time working for MaxMara in Italy, and then ran my own fashion label for a couple of years. I have worked for Antonio Berardi in Milan, and also on projects with Lady Gaga, Florence Welsh, Tony & Guy, Jessie J and Prada. I am now working for Emilio Pucci and run the pre-collection department.”Raffaele Ascione, Fashion graduate

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MAKING IT IN THE INDUSTRY

WHAT DID YOU STUDY AT UNIVERSITY?

I completed a three-year course in fashion, which I started at the age of 17 after leaving school. It was fairly broad, covering all elements of the fashion industry from design, pattern cutting, textiles, millinery, embroidery and production.

WHAT WAS YOUR FIRST JOB?

I started out making shirts for friends, which led to doing small collections that I sold through a party plan concept, as well as a few small independent stores and markets.

HOW DID YOU KNOW YOU WANTED TO WORK IN THE FASHION INDUSTRY?

Fashion was not something I had considered as a career; I was pretty set on becoming a painter and decorator, as I was very keen on interiors. In fact, it was my teachers at school that suggested that I do fashion and took me along to the college for their end of year final shows, which led me to change my mind and pursue a different path. Of course, fashion was something in my blood, but for some reason at the time I guess I lacked the confidence to think I would be any good at it.

HOW DID YOU SET YOURSELF APART FROM OTHER CANDIDATES?

At the time, the high street was very different to how it is today. I was frustrated by the lack of designer fashion available at a reachable price. I wanted high-end fashion and the quality to go with it - I guess I had expensive taste but not the money to afford it! Our operation was pretty unique at the time, offering not only design but we also manufactured and retailed our own product. This gave us total control and flexibility over what we were doing, enabling us to respond and react when necessary.

WHAT ARE YOUR KEY TOP TIPS FOR GETTING INTO THE FASHION INDUSTRY?

Whilst studying I worked on a Saturday in retail, which I found extremely valuable and very important. Understanding supply and demand along with customer relations are very relevant to the business I was to be involved in. This gave me a good understanding of retail operations and also the importance of the product within the store and merchandising.

I think it is also important to do plenty of research in all areas as well as keeping diaries of inspiration to refer to.

In this current climate when jobs are hard to find, it becomes even more important to impress a future employer by the work you have done alongside your studies. This could be voluntary, an internship or paid part time work - all show commitment, a good work ethic and discipline.

WHAT CAN GRADUATES EXPECT FROM THEIR FIRST JOB?

Generally, I think you must expect to be patient and prepared to continue to learn, so listening and observing are very important. Equally, I believe any employer would be keen to listen to new and fresh ideas so don’t be afraid to voice them. You must be prepared to listen to what is required of you and have an overall understanding of how the company is structured and works. Be prepared to do that little bit extra if need be and to make yourself a valuable asset to the company.

WHAT QUALITIES DO YOU LOOK FOR WHEN EMPLOYING GRADUATES?

I would look for someone who could work well in a team and contribute with fresh ideas; someone who is energised, passionate, self-motivated, driven and keen to be involved. They should be able to deliver and complete a task within the deadlines, being prepared to put in whatever it takes and be thorough at all times. They would need a good work ethic and understand the importance of their responsibilities and job role.

FINALLY, WHAT’S THE MOST IMPORTANT THING ASPIRING FASHIONISTAS NEED TO KNOW ABOUT THE INDUSTRY?

Like all industries, there are no short cuts. To become a success takes a lot of hard work and commitment. Don’t fall into the trap of thinking that it’s all glamour, as behind the scenes the reality is often quite different!

The industry moves at a pretty fast pace so you need to be prepared to move with it. It’s very competitive and at times very demanding, but I guess that is what should drive you and keep you motivated. I think it is also essential to understand the commerciality of what you do. At the end of the day, you are selling a product and to do this, you need to have a good understanding of what people want before they even realise they want it. You need to be creative but realistic and your ideas have to be able to work.

British fashion designer Karen Millen OBE started out studying Fashion at the University for the Creative Arts (UCA) before building an internationally recognised fashion brand. We asked her about her experiences and her top tips for creating success in the fashion industry.

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SO, YOU’VE DECIDED A CAREER IN FASHION IS FOR YOU – WHAT’S THE NEXT STEP?

Speak to your careers advisor

Ask your friends/parents/teachers for advice

Find your closest UCAS event and attend

Pick your three favourite universities

Go along to the Open Days of those top three places

Get some work experience if you can

Think about building your portfolio

Enjoy planning your future!

THERE’S A WIDE RANGE OF COURSES AVAILABLE AT UCA, INCLUDING:

Fashion

Fashion Atelier

Fashion Buying Retail Management

Fashion Design

Fashion Journalism

Fashion Management & Marketing

Fashion Media & Promotion

Fashion Photography

Fashion Promotion & Imaging

Fashion Textiles: Print

Hand Embroidery for Fashion, Interiors, Textile Art

Textiles for Fashion & Interiors

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WHAT’S NEXT?

Visit uca.ac.uk to find out more. E: enquiries@uca.ac.uk T: +44 (0)1252 892883

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