Young Fashion Designers Face Bleak Job Prospects
Fashion can be an intimidating community for young professionals looking to get started as designers in a normal year. This year, fashion grads searching for their first job will find it downright daunting and nearly impossible to land an entry-level position. Only 10 percent of the students graduating from F.I.T.’s accessories program have found full-time jobs, and the same statistic holds for shoe-design students from Parsons. {WWD’s Footwear News}
As is the case in most fields, fashion companies are demanding more work from fewer employees these days, and entry-level candidates must often compete with laid-off professionals who have experience for jobs. {The Cut}
While the jobless rate for college graduates ages 20-24 was 7.2% in March, graduate school enrollment rose 6 percent last year and will likely continue to rise this year. {Wall Street Journal}
Christopher Kane, who was mentored by Donatella Versace while designing his eponymous label, is now designer of Versace's Versus label.
A popular solution for the newly unemployed is continuing education, but for those uninterested in a master’s degree, taking an unpaid internship in fashion to avoid resume gaps or, for the really financially lucky, starting their own label are two alternate options.
A simple Google search for fashion internships will yield tons of sites to scour the fashion interning scene. Free Fashion Internships, Daily Fashion Jobs, StyleCareers and many other sites are updated daily to include positions in nearly every aspect of fashion including design, merchandising, retail and promotions.
Starting an original label isn’t for the faint of heart: beyond talent, it requires equal amounts of capital and business management skill. {Fashion Design Schools & Colleges}
Add to that recent economic conditions which have taken down labels from the very top (the talented Mr. Lacroix) to the high-end denim makers (Rock & Republic) and quirky upstarts (Luella). Still, there are some who have managed to make it work. The Olsen twins are adding to their Elizabeth and James line, independent shoe designer Heather Williams successfully paired with Saks, and many others have managed to make it work.
While the prospects are daunting, remember designers like Ralph Lauren, Donna Karan and Vera Wang, who all managed to turn their own labels into hugely successful brands. If building a multi-million dollar brand seems too tough, maintaining a small one can still be the best way to make it onto the radar of the companies who have the power to build big brands. Think Christopher Kane (Versus by Versace head designer) or Marios Schwab (creative director for Halston) or even superstars like John Galliano and Marc Jacobs, who of course lead Dior and Louis Vuitton respectively. The economy doesn’t make getting a design job any easier, but the road to successful fashion designer has never been particularly smooth. In the end, aspiring designers may find the best company to work for after graduation is their own.
