Think of fashion like an iceberg. What you see is 10% of what really goes on in the industry. The real work takes place unseen and you may not get any glamour for the first few years and little acknowledgement. Think of luxury houses, where a coterie of young designers work on the collections, yet only the Creative Director takes the bow at the end of the runway show. If that does not put you off, then you are a true-blue fashionista. Read on.
As consumers, so we are all aware of the glamorous things fashion brands do to get us to notice their products. From fashion shows, launch events, to luxury stores and celebrity red carpet moments. As a result most people who dream of working in fashion assume this is all that happens when you ‘work in fashion’. The fashion industry has a complex supply chain. A supply chain is the various industries and companies required to create a fashion product, from agriculture where natural fibres are grown, to textile mill which make the fabric, manufacturing units that produce the clothing or accessories and transportation companies that transport either raw materials or finished goods to retailers. In fashion we even consider the final consumer as part of that long supply chain. As a result there are many areas of fashion that students or career change professionals do not consider. This article will give you some insight into other less glam areas of the fashion industry that could offer you interesting career options.
Fibres
Considered by some as the most powerful intermediaries in fashion, dye and fibre production companies have a lot of influence on the fashion industry. Without their research and development, designers would not have new materials to work with. Consider Duponts’ invention of lycra in the 1950s which revolutionized the industry. Without elastane’s invention, there most likely would not be the yoga pants trend of the 2000s, or the neon patterned leggings of the dance-crazed 80s. Olivia Newton John’s infamous skin tight trousers in the last scene of Grease (the movie) would’ve had baggy knees or worse.
Textile Design & Manufacturing
From mass market to luxury, many textile manufacturing companies exist to supply all levels of the market. On the uber luxury scale is Loro Piana. A brand name in itself, Loro Piana produces exquisite ready-to-wear made of the best quality fabrics. The company is also the premier supplier of luxury fabrics in the world, supplying many well known international luxury brands.
In the 1990s most European and American brands sent their production facilities offshore, outsourcing factories to external suppliers in areas of the world with lower labour costs. Some wholesale brands remain that produce in such large quantities they engage in their own exclusive textile design or own their own manufacturing units. The textile manufacturing sector is another downstream intermediary in the supply chain often ignored by students as potential employers.
Austrian company Lenzing owns trademarked Tencel (lyocell fabric) and is said to have almost 20% of the man-made fibre market, generating 1.5billion Euros in revenue. Such market power means they could potentially offer you an interesting career, with more opportunities than some of the popular brands, many of which have far less revenue. Multi-billion dollar companies have more cash for employee salaries, health care, training, other perks and international opportunities. As a student I didn’t care about this at all, but think of me as a message from the future. Maybe one day remuneration and perks will be important.
Sourcing & Distribution
Sourcing agents, freelance sourcing consultants and regional sourcing offices help brands produce their collections. Companies create value for brands by having expertise in a product category, language skill or geographic proximity to the manufacturing hub. In the 1990s Hong Kong became a key regional sourcing hub due to its proximity to mainland China. Sourcing agents can be so large they also have their own trend analysts, account managers and designers on staff. You could end up working closely with world-renowned brands whilst leveraging their contacts in a specific region. A few agents go on to launch their own brands or act as independent consultants. A great way to balance work and bringing up a family. Future you might thank me. You’re welcome.
Transportation & Logistics
Fashion is an important sector to international logistics players like DHL, who have an entire department allocated to serving the needs of the fashion industry. Not only do they send luxury houses’ collections across the world, they also offer express service for e-commerce for all types of brands. Many luxury brands send products by courier across the globe since their best customers spend thousands of dollars. Need a dress sent to a celebrity overnight for the Oscars? Logistic companies are responsible.
Freight forwarding is not the sexiest entity in the supply chain, however, freight forwarding companies deal with millions of dollars worth of goods being transported across the globe every day. Forwarding companies deal with imports and exports and have knowledge regarding the latest government rules and regulations as well as the transportation sector. There are many international freight forwarding companies, some with offices across the world. This could be an interesting career for someone who is a people-person, loves problem solving and is detail oriented.
There are many more entities I haven’t covered, such as production houses that organize events, marketing activations and fashion shows, to PR companies that get the message out. And agencies that represent models, hair stylists, makeup professionals, fashion stylists (yep that is a thing) and photographers. Marketing agencies can specialize in any industry including fashion and these days digital content. In some markets, agents are important for promoting fashion. Agents host showrooms and help designers at every level of the market, access distribution. Imagine a British designer wanting to expand into the Australian market. An agent can help open doors for the designer via their contacts with buyers from local department stores, e-commerce platforms and boutiques. The designer basically pays the Agent a commission in order to leverage that network of contacts.
Pre-covid, fashion brands found new distribution channels by attending trade shows. International Fashion Weeks such as London, Milan, Paris and New York are very high-profile trade shows which are by invitation only, at least in the good old days. Others exist for mass market brands that consumers and industry pay to attend, such as Magic in Las Vegas which is a well known fashion marketplace. Pure, known for indie fashion brands and 100% design, a mixed category design show in London. There are many such other shows for textiles (Premiere Vision), lingerie, leather, swimwear, kidswear, denim all over the world. All these different trade shows and market places could provide a very interesting career if you love the idea of organizing large scale events.
I hope this was a useful whistle stop tour of how fashion works using the supply chain and the types of companies you could work for other than retailers/brands.
If you want to know anything about the fashion industry or potential supply chain intermediaries that could be a future employer I love hearing from students, so get in touch.
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