What makes someone spend $400 on a pair of shoes, or $150 on a simple t-shirt? What makes someone feel an uncontrollable urge to own uncomfortably baggy pants or killer 6-inch stiletto heels?
Well, if they're really good at what they do, it's fashion marketers.
After designers come up with the latest trends and send them strutting down the runway, it's up to fashion merchandisers and marketers to figure out how to get people to buy the stuff. Their goal is to move clothing out of designers' showrooms and into customers' closets.
Consumers have to be intrigued by the clothing designers create. It has to fulfill their fantasies, not just their basic needs. Consumers want fashion that will project an image--make them feel younger, or more sophisticated, or more glamorous.
Fashion marketers know this very well, and their job is to help create a fantasy to sell clothing to customers, either by savvy advertising and visual marketing campaigns, or by simply selecting clothing from designers that they think will be a hit with customers. Part of their job involves moving trendy items into stores at the time that they are actually a trend. Not moving fast enough can be a fatal error in this occupation. But good fashion marketers and merchandisers also have the power to make trends by heavily promoting certain looks at the right time. In order to be successful at creating trends year after year, these fashion professionals must also have a profound understanding of consumer psychology and social trends.
Fashion marketing and merchandising isn't just one job, but actually a number of jobs. (Fashion marketers generally work to get consumers interested in a fashion, while fashion merchandisers work on presenting clothing in stores.) People in this field can work in both retail and wholesale sales. Some work as buyers, merchandise managers and purchasing agents, selecting and purchasing apparel and accessories from designers, manufacturers or wholesalers for retail sale. Some work on the other side, as manufacturers' representatives, negotiating on behalf of manufacturers with retail stores. Others work as fashion coordinators with the mission of creating a unified look in a retail store, design house or fashion magazine. Still others work as visual merchandisers, designing splashy store displays that will attract customers and help convey a mood. (See the brief on merchandise display artists). Some people who get degrees in fashion marketing/merchandising become managers of retail stores, or opt to open up their own specialized boutique where they can serve a very specific clientele while promoting their own individual style. Others become fashion consultants and fashion forecasters.
Wherever people in this field work, they straddle a line between art and commerce. On the business side they analyze and implement sales strategies, do inventory control and cost analysis, while keeping a steady eye on profits and losses. But on the art side of things, they are creative, stylish, and innovative, recognizing good clothing when they see it with the ability to sell it to the masses.
Specific tasks in this field depend on the exact job. Some duties might include:
* Arranging for the receiving, storage and display of merchandise
* Attending fashion shows and visiting designer showrooms
* Placing orders for clothing and estimating the amount of inventory needed
* Pricing clothes
* Designing visual displays and ad campaigns and promotions
* Consulting with fashion designers and fashion consumers
* Keeping tabs on profits, losses and other financial details
* Maintaining the physical appearance of a store
* Hiring and training new employees
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