Fashion is best defined as the style or types of clothes and accessories worn by groups of individuals at any one moment. There may appear to be distinctions between the high-end designer clothing seen on the runways of Paris or New York and the mass-produced sportswear and streetwear marketed in malls and marketplaces throughout the world. With the rise of fashion industry across the globe it creates a lot of fashion & retail jobs opportunities.
The fashion industry, on the other hand, includes the design, manufacture, distribution, marketing, retailing, advertising, and promotion of all types of apparel (men’s, women’s, and children’s), ranging from the most exclusive and expensive haute couture (literally, “high sewing”) and designer fashions to everyday clothing—from couture ball gowns to casual sweatpants. The phrase “fashion industries” is sometimes used to refer to a wide range of enterprises and services that employ millions of people throughout the world.
The fashion industry is a modern-day product. Prior to the mid-nineteenth century, almost all clothing was created by hand for individuals, either at home or on order from tailors and dressmakers. Clothing had increasingly become mass-produced in standard sizes and sold at fixed prices by the beginning of the twentieth century, thanks to the rise of new technologies such as the sewing machine, the rise of global capitalism and the development of the factory system of production, and the proliferation of retail outlets such as department stores. Although the fashion business began in Europe and America, it is now a worldwide and multinational enterprise, with items created in one country, made in another, and marketed in a third.
The act of controlling the flow of items from the initial selection of designs to be made to the presentation of products to retail consumers is known as fashion marketing. The purpose of fashion marketing is to maximize a company’s sales and profits. Understanding customer demand and responding with right items are essential components of successful fashion marketing. Marketers offer input to designers and manufacturers regarding the sort and number of items to be produced by using sales tracking data, media coverage, focus groups, and other methods of determining customer preferences. Marketers are in charge of discovering and defining a fashion producer’s target clients, as well as reacting to their preferences.
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Trends in the Fashion & Retail Jobs Industry
These are some latest trends in Fashion & Retail Industry
eCommerce continues to grow
Consumers have been interested in online shopping for a few years, however due to COVID-related lockdowns, businesses were forced to close for several months. Unfortunately, many temporary closures turned into permanent closures because the establishments were unable to absorb the losses and recover.
Fortunately, eCommerce was already becoming the standard prior to the epidemic, so several firms were able to survive by focusing nearly entirely on it. Because there are now few advantages for businesses to return to selling in brick-and-mortar stores, eCommerce is expected to continue to develop.
Clothes become genderless
The concept of gender and the “norms” that surround it are changing. Men and women have been segregated in society for ages. Many societies, however, are blurring the distinctions, and people are beginning to wear clothing that they feel comfortable in rather than what is assigned to them based on their gender.
This has prompted the development of increasingly gender-neutral apparel. Only a few brands are completely genderless at the moment, although many are introducing unisex “Basics” lines. Blindness, One DNA, and Muttonhead are some of the most popular genderless brands.
Although the bulk of the fashion business is divided into “men’s,” “women’s,” “boys,” and “girls,” unisex choices allow individuals to avoid such labels if they desire.
Increase in sales of comfortable clothing
Many people’s lives have been transformed as a result of COVID-19. People have been spending more time at home as many adults have moved to remote employment, children have moved to distant schooling, and many public spaces have closed. There has been a big boost in sales of athleisure1 and loungewear as people have been detained at home.
Pajama sales increased by 143 percent2 in March 2020, compared to a 13 percent fall in bra sales. People started prioritizing comfort immediately away.
By the fourth quarter of 2020, many fashion stores had realized that comfort had taken center stage. They planned their advertising such that the comfiest things were highlighted.
Because many organizations continue to enable employees to work from home, it’s probable that this trend may continue for some time.
Ethical and sustainable buying behavior
More public personalities have recently drawn attention to social concerns relating to the fashion business, particularly when it comes to fast fashion.
To begin with, textile waste is at an all-time high as a result of consumer purchasing patterns. People buy more garments than they require, and billions of pounds of clothing are discarded each year. To help reduce waste, some customers are gravitating toward firms that either develop high-quality, long-lasting items or employ recycled materials in their garment production.
Sweatshops are another ethical concern that frequently emerges. Many people are offended by the concept of industrial employees being paid pennies to work in deplorable circumstances. As customers become more aware of these concerns, they are selecting businesses that employ fair trade practices.
The growth of “ReCommerce”
“ReCommerce” has grown in popularity during the last year. This refers to purchasing worn clothing from a thrift store, consignment shop, or an online vendor. LetGo, DePop, OfferUp, and Facebook markets have all aided the “ReCommerce” movement.
Part of this trend may be attributed to a shift toward eco-friendly purchasing and waste reduction, but “upcycling” and repurposing old items has also become popular. Upcycling is when someone takes an item of clothing and redesigns it to fit their personal style. This can include things like dyeing, cutting, and stitching garments to create something new.
Consumers also like ReCommerce since they can get gently worn items for a tenth of the cost of new clothing.
Slow fashion takes over
Because of its ethical consequences in terms of sustainability and human rights, many have come to look down on fast fashion. Slow fashion is naturally becoming a popular alternative, and established fashion labels are leading the charge for change.
Fashion that is “seasonless” is a part of this. Major fashion companies have made it a point to move away from the traditional seasonal releases of new trends, which has inevitably led to rapid fashion.
Styles that were typically employed in prior seasons have been released on purpose. Floral motifs and pastels, for example, are often associated with spring fashion lines, but several manufacturers have used similar prints in their autumn collections.
The purpose of developing seasonless designs and defying seasonal trends is to encourage customers and other designers to keep items in style for longer than a few months. This enables manufacturers to produce higher-quality, higher-priced items that will last for numerous seasons.
Because many fashion businesses have yet to implement these procedures, it will be interesting to observe how this trend develops in the future. However, because industry leaders have taken the initiative, additional firms may follow suit.
Online shopping evolves
Although internet shopping has grown in popularity in recent years, many people are hesitant to buy goods online because they want to see how the item fits them. We’ve seen the advent of technology that answers this problem in the last year.
Virtual reality and augmented reality technology are being used by eCommerce businesses to improve the online buying experience. Both of these technologies allow customers to try on clothing in a virtual fitting room to see how it would seem in real life.
This style of presentation is supported by a few apps. Because this technology is still being refined, more and more businesses are expected to incorporate it in their online stores in the next years.
Inclusivity prevails
Plus-size ladies have had a difficult time finding clothing that fits their body shapes for many years. Many manufacturers failed to produce styles that suited women who did not fit into the traditional small, medium, large, or extra-large sizes.
Body positivity is a burgeoning movement that celebrates people of all shapes and sizes. As a result, fashion has become more inclusive in terms of sizes and designs.
This isn’t the end of the inclusiveness. SKIMS and other brands are making “nude” and “neutral” items that are suitable for individuals of all skin tones.
Other businesses are developing inclusive clothing lines to accommodate a variety of medical disorders that necessitate the use of permanent hardware such as catheters and insulin pumps.
The fashion industry incorporates greater representation into their advertisements in addition to generating styles that work for a wider range of individuals. More progressive firms are using models of many ethnicities and body types so that more people who look like them can be shown in publications, billboards, and other commercials.
Payment plans become available
Many merchants now allow customers to pay after they’ve made a purchase. A buyer may, for example, place a $400 order and pay just $100 at the time of purchase, then pay the remaining balance in three equal instalments over the next three months.
Because this is still such a novel concept, nothing is known about how it will affect the business in the long term.
Popular Job Designations in Fashion & Retail Jobs Industry
Many occupations are available in Fashion & Retail industry, and new work possibilities are expected to grow rapidly.
The most in-demand fashion & retail jobs include:
Stylist
Stylists are in charge of putting together outfits and advising on different ways to wear a piece of clothing. A stylist might work for a clothes company or for individuals. A stylist for a business arranges ensembles for picture shoots to demonstrate how to wear the brand’s clothing and accessories. Clients are assisted by personal stylists in selecting fashions that flatter their body types while remaining within their budget. The stylist must pay attention to the client’s wants and provide them with alternatives that are appropriate for them. To boost the client’s style, the stylist might recommend new trends or variations on the client’s present clothing.
Inventory planner
The amount required of various product kinds is determined by inventory planners at the start of the garment creation cycle. To estimate customer demand for their product category, they look at current inventory levels, seasonal demands, and regional data. The inventory planner is also in charge of allocating and distributing items around the country to warehouses and shops.
Fashion designer
Fashion designers employ their imagination to create fresh designs for their intended audience. High-end fashion designers use more ingenuity to create unique and novel designs. The majority of fashion designers work in street clothes, which is mass-produced at a low cost. To create marketable styles for their consumers, these fashion designers draw inspiration from the previous season’s best sales, catwalk events, and seasonal trends.
Creative director
The creative director is in charge of deciding on a clothing season’s overarching concept, color palette, and styling. They might work for a clothing firm or a fashion publication. An clothing creative director does trend research and analyses high-level sales data to identify which colors and styles are most likely to be purchased by their clients. They meet with senior designers at the start of each season to decide on the color palette, theme, inspiration sources, and any important design aspects they wish to see in the collection.
Technical designer
The technical designer is the connection between the design and product development teams, as well as the garment engineer. The design team communicates the artistic vision for each garment to the technical designer, as well as the stitches and hem finishes that will be employed. These sewing specifications, as well as the garment measurements, must be sent to the manufacturer by the technical designer.