A bachelor's degree in fashion design may be used in a number of ways to garner an entry-level position in a fashion-related career field. Which career field the student chooses may be ultimately decided by the opportunities she took advantage of while she was in school, whether it was design or merchandising or another fashion-related field. Internships with established clothing companies can help a student establish the contacts necessary to enter into her chosen field in the fashion industry.
Fashion Merchandising
A fashion merchandiser organizes the entire layout of a clothing boutique or department store's layout of goods. This includes planning outfits to display on mannequins, determining what products are featured at the front of the store, and what color combinations will play out over the store's tables. The merchandiser also makes stocking decisions for the store in terms of product amounts by anticipating demand.
Fashion Buying
Fashion buying is more than just shopping. A fashion buyer makes product purchases for a company based on knowledge of trends in the market and what the buyer believes will sell the most in the coming year. A student wishing to become a fashion buyer should tailor her fashion design curriculum to include classes on the fashion industry and fashion marketing trends. She may also want to intern with a clothing company or department store to get a feel for the industry and what is expected of a fashion buyer.
Fashion Marketing
A bachelor's degree in fashion design can prepare a graduate for an entry-level career in fashion marketing. An entry-level position in fashion marketing may involve working a promotional campaign for a clothing line or particular company product while studying under an established fashion marketer. With experience, an entry-level position can grow into a leadership position supervising smaller marketing campaigns and eventually taking the lead on campaigns for an entire region. For higher positions in fashion marketing, the marketer may need to return to school for a graduate level degree in the fashion industry or marketing.
Fashion Designer
If the student has amassed a large enough portfolio of quality designs upon graduation, she may be able to enter into a career as a fashion designer immediately. An entry-level position in fashion design often involves working under an established designer assisting in turning the designer's sketches into articles of clothing. Over time, the entry-level designer will garner more opportunities to feature her own designs, which may be picked up by her company. She may also wish to use her experience garnered through working with an established clothing company to begin her own fashion line.
Tags: entry-level position, fashion design, fashion buyer, fashion industry, fashion marketing