Fashion Week Begins! How to Start a Career in Fashion

By Noel Rozny

Job Vacancies, Employment Jobs, Employment

For all you fashionistas out there, this is the week you've long been waiting for. New York Fashion week kicked off on September 9 at Lincoln Center's Damrosch Park, with the entire fashion world holding its breath to see what clothes we'll be wearing in Spring 2011.

The final products you'll see over the next few days are the result of months of hard work and collaboration between a variety of players in the fashion industry. From the designers who make the clothes, to the models who wear them, to the stylists who use them for celebrity clients, everyone has a role in bringing the newest styles to the public eye.

If one of these jobs sounds like your dream career, now might be the time to consider a career in fashion. Whether you're watching coverage of the shows online, or you're lucky enough to be attending, there are a variety of careers you can consider as you watch the latest looks roll down the runway.

It all starts here...
Fashion Designer Careers
Days, weeks and months before Fashion Week begins, fashion designers begin sketching, planning, and designing clothes for upcoming seasons. With an extensive knowledge of fashion history, designers combine past trends, beautiful fabrics, and their vision of the future to create wearable works of art. The clothes they display on the runway eventually influence what we wear to work, to school, and even to the beach.

On the runway...
Modeling Careers
It's not enough for clothes to look beautiful on the rack-NY Fashion Show attendees need to see how clothes move, hang and appear when they're worn by real live human beings. That's where fashion models come in. Although their jobs might appear easy on the outside, professional models have to cultivate their look, walk and attitude to help designers showcase their creations and make them appealing to stylists, editors, and merchandisers.

In the audience...
Fashion Stylist Careers
At Fashion Week, celebrities, style editors, and fashion stylists alike are in the audience to preview next season's looks and trends. Attendance is extremely important for anyone in the styling world, as it gives them a chance to scout outfits for their clients, network with designers and other fashion insiders, and stay up-to-date on the hottest new designs.

From the runway to your closet...
Fashion Buyer & Merchandising Careers
As the hottest new looks are unveiled, fashion buyers and merchandisers get to work, deciding which designs and styles are right for their customers. Whether they work in large department stores or small, exclusive boutiques, fashion buyers and merchandisers are in charge of monitoring and predicting trends, deciding how much merchandise to order, and keeping an eye out for hot new items.