Fashion Retail Jobs & Employment Application
Industry Outlook
The fashion industry in the US is undoubtedly the largest and the most promising in the world that comprises of 28 percent of the world’s fashion retail market and generating around $330 billion annually from sales. These figures are huge when placed in context and compared to rest of the world, for example the apparel industry makes a profit of 17 times than the raw value that is invested as the manufacturing cost. It is also worth noticing that the industry is nowhere plummeting in the near future as fashion is an adaptive culture and it will just keep evolving. In 2010 the manufacturing industry in the United States employed around 140,000 people and the annual hiring figure is also consistently improving. Nike is the largest apparel company or brand in the world and employs over 44,000 regular full-time employees in the fashion department. There are also thousands working as part-time employees in retail and manufacturing.
Benefits & Perks
Their primary employees are the retailers and stores which fill up part-time positions for a variety of roles. These people enjoy discounted products listed in their stores and deals exclusively prepared for them. They also enjoy all the customary allowances, insurance and coverage of health issues and emergency requirements.
Jobs & Positions
The fashion retail industry usually comprises of jobs like sales associate, assistant sales associate, sales manager, assistant manager, store manager, and regional manager. The most part of the work is however done behind the store at the design studio and jobs like fashion assistant, assistant designer, and administrative staff is the most sought after posts.
Assistant Designer Jobs
Job Duties
The main responsibilities include assisting the designer with projects and stay beside him/her during the complete development phase or the development cycle, as called in the industry. His task also involves organizing and maintaining samples, files, design boards prior to the onset of each season. He might also be given the responsibility to create technical sketches based on specifications and set-up product packages based on them. The role also involves some basic research, not exactly scientific, regarding inspiration, design trend, fabric, shopping style and media.
Job Qualification
The companies almost always expect a degree such as BA or BFA with specialized in fashion design. There are thousands of people passing out of colleges every year who look out for such jobs. They also give preference to at least 1-3 years of experience. The person must also be skilled in some basic software like Adobe Illustrator and Photoshop and Microsoft Word and Outlook.
Salary & Compensation
The median pay for this role is $51,000 annually and the range varies from $31,000 to $70,000 depending upon brand and company value in the market. The role is also transformational into fashion designer after a few years of relevant experience and achievements. The benefits and perks include easy transition to higher posts, travel and expenses for self and immediate family during business tours. They also cover accidental and life insurance in most of the cases. Thus, the job is the most promising in the industry.