How to Become a Fashion Coordinator

Fashion coordinators have a long list of responsibilities including monitoring fashion trends, consumer buying trends, guiding buyers to make purchases, organizing fashion shows, overseeing fashion shoots, etc. To be a fashion coordinator, you must be willing to work long hours and frequently travel for fashion research to keep abreast of the ever changing trends. However, if you have a passion for fashion, you would certainly adore a career as a fashion coordinator.

Find an accredited school. Most employers will require a bachelor's degree in Fashion Design or Fashion Merchandising. For example, most divisions of the Art Institutes offer bachelor's of Fine Arts degrees in Fashion Design. To see if the program is offered at school near you, you can search their website. See References for link. You can also search the Fashion Schools website to find schools with fashion degree programs listed by state. See References for link. It is also possible to get a job as a fashion coordinator with only an associate's degree in fashion merchandising or fashion design. However, you will start off in an entry level position and will have to gain work experience before y ou can move up the ladder.

Stay on top of fashion trends. If you want to work in the fashion industry, you have to be prepared to keep up with the constantly changing styles. In order to do so, you can start out by subscribing to fashion magazines such as Vogue and Elle. See Resources for links. Another great resource is the website Fashion Trendsetter. See Resources for link. This website offers information on current fashion trends as well as future fashion trends. It also has an e-zine for you to review. Attending fashion or trade shows is also a good idea to keep up with the current fashion. This will also allow you to network with others in the fashion industry and has the potential to connect you with employers for future job opportunities.

Get some hands-on experience. The school you are going to can usually pair you with a fashion company for a summer internship program. This will give you great insight and important knowledge of the fashion industry, how it works, and how you will be spending your day as a fashion coordinator. You could also do volunteer work for event planners who coordinate fashion shows. While in school, you can also work part-time in a retail clothing store. Any experience working with clothes and fashion will help you and will look good on your resume.

Understand your career path. It is highly unlikely that you will automatically be hired as a fashion coordinator fresh out of college. Even with a degree, this is something you will have to work your way up to. Generally you start out as a Retail Sales Associate. This can be done while you are in college as a part-time job. Once you graduate, you can move into a Fashion Buyer position. Once you gain experience as a Buyer, you should try to find a job as an Assistant Fashion Coordinator. In this job, you will be working under a Fashion Coordinator and will really get a feel for what your job will be like. After you have experience as an Assistant Fashion Coordinator, you should wait for a job to open up as a Fashion Coordinator and then go for it!

Resources:

The Art Institutes http://www.artinstitutes.edu/

Fashion Schools http://www.fashion-schools.org/fashion-schools.htm

Vogue subscriptions https://magazine.vogue.style.com/ecom/subscribe.jsp?oppId=1100259&tgt=/atg/registr/RepositoryTargeters/STY/STY_VOG_subServices_subscribeLink&placementId=3200246&logOppId=true

Elle subscriptions https://www.neodata.com/hfm/elle/new_print.shtml

Fashion Trendsetter http://www.fashiontrendsetter.com/