Open an issue of Vogue (or its younger companion volume, Teen Vogue), and you'll be startled at the number of different items of clothing that are on display for women. Or, open an issue of GQ for a similar look at the clothing available for men. Every item had to be designed by someone, and that designer was almost certainly part of the fashion industry. Fashion careers let you make a difference in the way people look and dress, in the clothing that they wear, and the accessories they carry. Fashion education doesn't just happen on the TV show Project Runway. It happens every day at fashion houses around the world, in cities large and small. If you love to design clothing, then a fashion career may be for you.
But, where are fashion careers found? You can find them almost anywhere. You don't necessarily have to work for Ralph Lauren or Vera Wang to have a fashion career. There are fashion houses around the world, and some fashion designers work for small clothing stores or even as freelancers, designing clothing to order for clients willing to pay high prices for original fashion creations.
Designing clothing is one of the most important fashion careers, but it isn't the only one. You could also work as one of the following:
A fashion buyer: Fashion buyers study the current world of fashion and decide what fashion lines to buy for the collections of stores and catalogs. This is another of the most important fashion careers. Major department stores and almost all clothing stores hire fashion buyers to select the clothing that they will sell so that they will be able to stock the fashionable merchandise that their clientele expects. At expensive, high-end stores, these may be one-of-a-kind fashion originals, while at discount stores, they may be mass-produced (but still attractive) clothing items.
Textile manufacturer: Someone has to make the materials that fashions are made out of. Textile manufacturers are the mainstay of the fashion industry, and without them, fashion careers would not be possible.
Clothing manufacturers: It's one thing to design fashionable clothing, but someone has to manufacture it. In some instances, when an item of clothing is a one-of-a-kind original, the fashion designer or an assistant may put it together hand, but in most cases, the job is given over to clothing manufacturers.
Fashion merchandiser: Someone must sell the clothing that fashion designers design and clothing manufacturers make. Some of the most important members of fashion careers are the people who sell the clothing in stores, in catalogs, and at fashion exhibitions.
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