Careers in Fashion Merchandising
The fast-paced fashion industry is rich in career opportunities for individuals with a keen business sense and a bold creative vision.
Fashion Merchandising Career Stats
- Employment of advertising, marketing, and sales managers is expected to grow at an above-average pace, between 21% and 35% per year through 2010. Intense domestic and global competition in consumer products should require greater marketing efforts.
- In fashion merchandising, employers seek college graduates with related experience, a high level of creativity, and strong communication skills.
- Advertising, marketing, and sales manager jobs are highly coveted and will be sought by other managers, resulting in keen competition. Those who have new media and interactive marketing skills will be particularly sought after.
Fashion merchandisers combine the advertising, marketing and retail know-how of the marketer with the creativity of the designer. Anticipating consumer preferences and ensuring that goods are in stock when they are needed require resourcefulness, good judgment, and self-confidence. For a successful career in fashion merchandising, buyers must be able to quickly make decisions and to take risks. Marketing skills and the ability to identify products that will sell also are very important.
What Do Fashion Merchandisers Do?
A career in fashion merchandising means a management role in the ever-changing world of fashion, working for major apparel manufacturers, distributors or retailers. The best can navigate smoothly within the multi-billion dollar fashion industry. A fashion merchandising career can include:
- Buying merchandise and predict styles and trends
- Evaluating the needs of their target market
- Handling communication and marketing
More Fashion Merchandising Careers
Students who study fashion merchandising can also lay the groundwork for these careers:
- Fashion Buyer
- Retailer
- Fashion Merchandiser
- Store Manager
- Product Developer
- Fashion Advertising Agent
- Fashion Event Planner
- Importing / Exporting Agent
