Do you want to have a fun and challenging job in a creative field that is related to the fashion industry? Are you tired of looking around at people working from 9 to 5? Then maybe you should consider getting a Bachelor’s or Master’s degree in Luxury Goods and Fashion.
The Luxury Goods and Fashion industry is competitive and growing at a fast rate. A degree in Luxury Goods and Fashion will teach you about luxury goods management, fashion research, trend forecasting, marketing, retail management and brand management.
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After you graduate, you can become a fashion brand manager or a fashion PR specialist and actually get to work with celebrities from the world of Luxury Goods and Fashion. Can you imagine handling the image of a famous brand like Gucci or Chanel or supervising the production and manufacturing departments of Cartier jewellery brand or Hermes handbags?
Here are a few universities we recommend for Luxury Goods and Fashion studies:
- University of Portsmouth, the UK
- University of Boras, Sweden
- Istituto Europeo Di Design (IED), Italy
- nternational University of Monaco (IUM), Monaco
5 skills you need to become a Luxury Goods and Fashion specialist
- Be really passionate about the fashion industry
- Always research and keep up to date with the latest trends in fashion and the entertainment industry
- Having a keen eye for details is self-explanatory
- Business acumen will help you a lot
- Last but not least, develop project management and communication skills
Here are the career opportunities you can pursue after a Luxury Goods and Fashion degree:
1. Luxury Brand Manager
You will keep close contact with all the departments and your main target is to develop an effective marketing strategy in order to attract a specific clientele. Basically, your job will be to create a message and an image for that specific brand you’re representing that is easily recognisable and that sticks with the audience.
Your main duties will be to:
- conduct market research for future products that will be promoted
- manage and organize advertising campaigns
- propose and analyse budgets for marketing campaigns
- consult with promotional agencies and company executives
- collaborate with brand designers and creators
- supervise marketing, production and manufacturing staff
2. Fashion Brand/Luxury Goods Product Manager
A product manager job in the fashion and luxury goods industry will make you the person responsible for product planning and execution throughout all the stages. The first step is to do market research and see what the customer wants.
Whether employed by a clothing, fashion accessories, or a footwear brand, you will have to oversee the entire development and production process of the products of the company and make sure the products meet customers’ desires.
Product managers communicate with product design, quality assurance, sales and marketing teams, and manage the production process with the factories.
3. Fashion Retail Buyer
A retail buyer does exactly what the title suggest: you will be in charge of deciding what kind of merchandise a fashion or luxury goods store should sell. You will have to make sure the right merchandise (clothing, shoes, accessories, etc.) is in stores at the right time and there are enough pieces to satisfy customer demands.
The main tasks you will have as a retail buyer are:
- analyse buying patterns and predict future sales trends
- analyse various performance indicators, such as sales and discount levels
- manage plans for stock levels
- meet suppliers, maintain contact with them and negotiate terms of contracts
4. Fashion PR Specialist
The work of a PR specialist in the fashion industry is the same as in any industry, but as a bonus, you will be really close to worldwide famous celebrities, like models, actors and singers. You get to attend fashion shows, red carpet events, award shows, and other similar events.
Fashion PR specialist will have to:
- keep close contact with the media and ensure an appealing brand image for your company
- network and keep good relationships with editors that write articles about the company for leading fashion magazines
- handle client complaints and keep them happy
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Dare to break into the fashion industry!
Completing a degree in Luxury Goods and Fashion doesn’t limit your career options to the ones mentioned above. You have many other opportunities you can engage in such as visual merchandising manager, sales consultant, customer service representative for a fashion house or luxury brand.
In most cases, your first job in the field won’t be a brand or a product manager; you will first have to experiment with lower-level jobs before you actually get to the top management positions. However, if you persevere and prove you’re very good, you will get to the top of the fashion business and add a new spark to this ever-growing and glamorous industry.
If you cannot study abroad, you can check out online Bachelors and Masters in Fashion and Luxury Goods.