Uncovering Fashion Industry Secrets

How to become a fashion editor?

How fashion bloggers make money?

Are fashion designers artists?

Are fashion designers rich?

How do you become a buyer?

How do you get a career in fashion journalism?

How to get a job at Vogue?

These are the top searched questions on google concerning the fashion industry. So many of us are intrigued by the industry but don't actually know how to get into it or how reliable it is. After recently watching a YouTube documentary, by Alexa Chung, where she goes behind the scenes of the industry and interviews people with different jobs to uncover the secrets of the industry. If you are interested in getting a job in the fashion industry but don't want to be a designer I would recommend checking out this documentary as it uncovers different jobs that you may not even know exist! 

Sarah Mower - Ambassador for Emerging Talent at the British Fashion Council - Chair of the New Gen Committee

The question she was asked by Alexa was "Do you need money to get into the fashion industry?" The answer... no! Anyone can get into the industry if they really want to as long as they put the effort in. However, it's not easy to get in without a degree or qualifications but it's not impossible. Many famous and successful designers never went to university and have created an amazing successful brand that we all know and love. Sarah Mower is working hard to create a council that allows people from working class backgrounds (that may not have the money for university) and helps them get the qualifications and experience that they need for the industry. She also helps students explore the different jobs and options they have when they get into the industry that they may not know existed before.

Christopher Kane - Fashion Designer

Alexa Chung was lucky enough to meet Christopher Kane himself and got to learn his back story and his tips for getting into the fashion industry. Christopher actually studied at Central Saint Martins and won the Graduate Fashion Week award for best collection. This was where his career started and his business began. He is the face of his brand but what people don't realise is that it takes more that one person to bring out a collection. You need a designer, pattern cutters, PR and production team to create a collection. He said "I can draw shoes and bags but I don't know how to make them" this is why a real team is important. Another great tip he has, is to get internships whenever possible. Although you don't get paid for the hard work you put in you are being "paid" with the skills and knowledge you learn through your time there. 

Central Saint Martins - University

Being one of the top fashion universities in the world it has housed many of the top designers we see today; from the likes of Stella McCartney, John Galliano and Alexander Macqueen. Alexa Chung interviewed a couple of students studying at the university to see their views on the university and the fashion industry itself. She also interviewed Molly Goddard a graduated student who has set up her own design business. She works with a team of people that graduated from costume design and she believes it's a better option than fashion design as you learn many more techniques and skills.

London College of Fashion - University

London College of Fashion is the only university in the country to host the course 'Psychology in Fashion'. The course is about, how fashion is influence by human behaviour and making the fashion industry a more ethical, sustainable and caring place to work and shop. 

Paul Smith - Fashion designer

Paul Smith is just one example that you don't actually have to be interested in fashion to be a part of the industry. He started off by wanted to be a racing cyclist but after having an accident he ended up meeting people from an art school. That was where he met his wife who was studying 'Couture Fashion' at the time. He then ended up learning the skills and knowledge from her and got into it that way. He started of designing on his kitchen table and his business stared to pick up after that. He worked hard and is now a very successful designer. This just shows that you don't need to have a plan of your life as it could change and go in a completely different direction. Don't have you heart set on something and always be open to other career options.

WGSN - Fashion Website for Trend Forecasting

Ever wondered what trend forecasting is or who actually comes up with the trends we follow? Chances are it's someone at WGSN. The employees at the company travel around the world looking for influences that are popular at the time. This could be from nature, street fashion, cars etc. The clothing we wear is influenced by many different thing around us and we may not even realise it.

Olivier Rousteing - Designer of Balmain

Olivier was lucky enough to start designing for Balmain at the age of 25 years old, making him the youngest designer to work for a big brand. Again he never wanted to work for the fashion industry and got into it by accident. He actually studied at law school and never realised fashion could actually be a job. He earned his money by dancing in a club at night and then ended up getting into the industry and fell in love. Olivier is actually adopted and he finds himself using fashion as a way to connect to his biological family. He feels like it's a way of expressing his culture and background without really knowing what it is. He believes that if you have faith and work hard you can do anything you put your mind to. He also says you don't need money to get into the industry. He started off with nothing and worked his way up. Starting from scratch is better than having something to start with as it makes you work harder towards your goals and in many cases you exceed the expectations and great things can happen. 

So there is a little round up of the documentary I recently watched. I would definitely give it a watch if you are interested in learning about different career options within the fashion industry. I hope you enjoyed this post and are looking forward to reading about another fashion topic next Friday. If you want to see my outfit posts as well then make sure you head back every Wednesday for those. I hope to see you back here again soon...

Emma Victoria