This paper is designed to identify and describe three careers in the fashion industry that I consider the most attractive and exciting. To detect the jobs that would fit me personally, I tried to analyze myself, my character traits, natural qualities, most significant interests. As a result, I came up with three professions that, in my opinion, would be suitable for me. They are Trend Forecasting, Fashion Product Planning, and Manufacturer’s Representative.
Trend Forecasting
A trend forecaster’s job is to conduct research on fashion trends and predict the ones that are to come up in the nearest future. The professional of this kind needs to stay connected continuously with the rest of the world and all of its sides to influence fashion. Trend forecasters monitor the moods and events in the world; they follow the pulse of fashion and everything it depends on. In the contemporary world, trend forecasters rely mainly on the virtual connection. The Internet is an excellent source of complete information concerning fashion trends and events that shape them, such as art, culture, history, technological progress, latest designs, and people. The internet is the perfect means of connection between the trend forecaster and their field of work. The other sources of information for these professionals are market research, communication with designers and peers, monitoring the results of fashion leaders, and fashion shows, informing the forecasters about the latest trends concerning fabric and fiber. The tasks trend forecasters perform are very important for the companies they work for because their predictions are the basis for the future orientation and directions for the whole business. This way, this job carries many responsibilities and pressures. The incorrect forecast may lead to a severe loss of revenue for fashion companies.
Fashion Product Planner
A fashion product planner’s primary function is to determine which raw materials will be needed for the manufacturing of the desired product and buy them. A fashion product planner’s responsibility is to carefully break down the process of product making into parts and order all of the materials required. To collect all of the information about the future needs for the product, the fashion product planner needs to be in contact with departments such as design and product development, learn about the sales rates of each product, be in communication with the suppliers of the materials to know if all the parts are available for order, be aware of forecasts of future and past sales, the level of demand, scheduling and monitoring the work process, and be able to calculate it all and meet the deadline. Basically, fashion product planners maintain order and organize the process of manufacturing; their planning is the basis of the success of the whole business and its products. The characteristics of a person pursuing this profession include the knowledge of several different languages and the ability to communicate very well and stay connected with the offshore suppliers.
Manufacturer’s Representative
The duty of a manufacturer’s representative in the sphere of fashion is to market and sell the lines of clothes. It is not enough to just produce high-quality goods; it is vital to be able to introduce them to the customers in a way that makes them popular and attractive. This is the key to success, and this is what the manufacturer’s representatives do. This career is based on very skillful communication. In order to be able to sell a product of any kind, a sales representative needs to be aware of its advantages and disadvantages, learn the customers they target and their primary needs concerning the product marketed, develop trust and partnership, maintain connections. The manufacturer’s representative has a duty to arrange meetings with customers, who are mainly retail buyers that own websites or stores. Such clients are interested in investing only in successful lines of clothes, which would bring a good income. This is why the representative is obliged to introduce the products of the manufacturers in the best way possible. Besides, the primary key to the success of a manufacturer’s representative is the connections; the satisfied buyer will return and repeat business, making the revenue of the manufacturer and the reputation of the representative higher. The representative has to remember that all of the clients are different, so the same line may be presented in various ways to several retail buyers.
In conclusion, all of the careers selected for this paper include a lot of responsibilities and pressure. They require people ready to face challenges, able to work hard, and be resistant to stressful conditions. They also are based on planning, calculations, and preparations. People working in these professions are very organized and busy; they have to take care of a lot of details and aspects of their elaborate plans, take into consideration multiple possibilities, and work around various obstacles. In my opinion, some of the essential traits for professionals of all three kinds are flexibility, reliability, excellent communication skills, endurance, and knowing how to plan.