Visual Merchandiser

Visual merchandisers design and construct interior and exterior commercial displays such as department store windows, tables at trade exhibitions, and mannequins. In larger retail chain stores, the work is more involved due to the necessity to maintain a coordinated image from store to store. In these situations, visual merchandisers email designs to individual stores, which are then downloaded into design software, adapted to the store's dimensions, and implemented accordingly.

Job Skills

Visual merchandisers must have well-developed artistic abilities and a desire to create. They need to have self-discipline, imagination, and persistence. It is also important for them to be able to work independently and to effectively communicate their ideas in written, verbal, and visual ways. Problem-solving skills are essential, as well as sharp business and sales ability for those who start their own business or do freelance work. Above all, a strong esthetic sense is the most important trait a visual merchandiser can possess.

Income

In 2002, visual merchandisers earned a median annual salary of $22,550. Earnings ranged from the lowest 10 percent, who earned less than $15,100, and the highest 10 percent, who earned more than $40,020. The median annual salary was $22,130 in department stores.

Training and Education

Most entry-level positions do not require a bachelor's degree. Some candidates receive certificates or associate degrees from 2- and 3-year professional schools. Graduates of 2-year programs usually qualify for assistant positions or go on to enter bachelor's degree programs. For those interested in freelance work or business ownership, courses in business management, marketing, and art are recommended.

Employment

Out of the nearly 532,000 design jobs in 2002, about 77,000 people were employed as visual merchandisers.

Job Outlook

Between 2002 and 2012, the number of visual merchandisers is expected to increase about as fast as the average, due to replacement needs for workers who retire or change careers.

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Fashion Merchandising Careers

Fashion merchandisers are employed by wholesalers and retailers to buy from manufacturers or wholesalers for retail to the public. This is a part of the complex distribution system that is in place to supply shops with fashion items at the time that they are in fashion – a difficult process, especially as fashion cycles are getting shorter now, as short as 6 weeks, and effectively every delivery of items are new designs.

Fashion Merchandisers have to be absolutely aware of the demands of their markets, and preferably ahead of them. If a merchandiser is particularly talented they will actually help to set fashions rather than just follow them. However, this can be really difficult to sustain, and there has to be an underlying understanding of what influences fashion choices.

Wholesalers and retailers prefer to hire merchandisers who have a college degree, who are familiar with the fashion market and who understand the processes of wholesaling and retailing. They usually take graduates with relevant training in the trade, so taking a Fashion Merchandising degree is a really good step towards entering this profession.

Earnings are good, with a median salary for merchandisers of $37,200 according to the US Department of Labor. Promotion is usually up to purchasing manager, who earn around the $53,000 mark.

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Fashion Designer

Fashion designers design men's, women's, and children's clothing and clothing accessories. Most work for large manufacturers producing designs for a mass level. Some self-employed high-fashion designers have specialty shops as clients, and still others cater to individual clients.

Job Skills

Fashion designers must have well-developed artistic abilities and a desire to create. They need to have self-discipline, imagination, and persistence. It is also important for them to be able to work independently and to effectively communicate their ideas in written, verbal, and visual ways. Problem-solving skills are essential, as well as sharp business and sales ability for those who start their own business or do freelance work. Above all, a strong esthetic sense is the most important trait a fashion designer can possess.

Income

In 2002, fashion designers earned a median annual salary of $51,290. Earnings ranged from the lowest 10 percent, who earned less than $25,350, and the highest 10 percent, who earned more than $105,280.

Training and Education

When hiring fashion designers, employers require candidates to have a 2- or 4-year degree from an accredited school. Candidates should be able to demonstrate knowledge of the fashion world such as textiles, fabrics, and ornamentation, as well as an understanding of current trends. For those interested in freelance work or business ownership, courses in business management, marketing, and art are recommended.

Employment

Out of the nearly 532,000 design jobs in 2002, about 15,000 people were employed as fashion designers.

Job Outlook

Between 2002 and 2012, the number of fashion designers is expected to increase about as fast as the average. Because consumers continue to seek fresh, new designs from the apparel industry, demand for this type of design will remain high. This will be offset, however, by an overall decline in the apparel manufacturing industry.

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Fashion Design Schools

North American Fashion Design Schools: This article provides an overview of fashion design in North America. Cities such as New York and Los Angeles have become major centers of fashion design. Top fashion design professionals with major design firms in the US can earn more than $100,000 per year. The average income is just about $50,000.

Topics in this article include the skills needed to be successful in fashion design, a summary of the courses offered in North American Fashion Design Schools, the nature of the work, employment prospects, and more. In many cases you will see a strong similarity between fashion design in North America and fashion design in Europe.

Skills: Fashion designers must be skillful with textiles, fabrics, ornamentation, and knowledgeable about trends in the fashion world. Other required fashion design skills include a good eye for color, balance, and proportion, and the ability to manage detail. Fashion designers also benefit from strong personal skills and an ability to understand what their client is looking for and to bring the client’s design concept to life.

Courses: North American Fashion design schools train you to work with your client, to understand their needs and desires, and to create designs to match. Fashion design courses will help you learn how to work with different patterns or to create your own, how to work with different textiles and materials, and how to train you eye and mind to produce a visually appealing product. In addition, fashion design schools will provide you with practical working experience that will enable you to build an initial fashion design portfolio that will be critical to your success in finding a job.

Employment: Fashion designers typically work for clothing distributors and manufacturers, pattern manufacturers, fashion design salons, fashion department stores, specialty shops, or textile manufacturers. Fashion designers are expected to have faster than average employment growth.

Work: Fashion designers design clothing and accessories. Fashion designers create original work as well as following the latest fashion trends. Most designers end up creating design of clothing for the mass market, although some of the fashion designers end up working for high-fashion department stores.

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Cosmetology Career

Cosmetologists, also called hairdressers and hairstylists provide beauty services such as shampooing, cutting, styling, and coloring hair, along with scalp and facial treatments, and sometimes manicures and pedicures. They can clean and style wigs, and provide help and analysis on makeup.

All States demand that cosmetologists to be licensed, but different States have different requirements, and not all States have reciprocal agreements. Usually there is a need to graduate from a licensed school, and to complete a course in the basics of the profession. Applicants are usually required to complete a written test and demonstrate an ability to perform some basic cosmetology services.

In fact continuing education is a very important part of this profession, as fashions change and new techniques and styles develop. Cosmetologists need to keep up to date, or they find that they loose their clients. Experience is very important in this profession, and generally speaking the more experienced a cosmetologist, the better they are.

Salaried earnings including commissions on products and tips are approximately $17,700 per year. Experienced and well recognized cosmetologists may earn as much as $33,500. Many cosmetologists are self-employed, running their own businesses and even employing other people.

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Become A Fashion Designer

Fashion Designer Career Overview

This article provides an overview of fashion designer careers and the requirements to become a fashion designer. This article will outline a fashion designer's job duties, salary levels, and employment prospects, as well as discuss the career's necessary skills, training, and educational requirements to become a fashion designer.

Fashion designers design men's, women's, and children's clothing and clothing accessories. Most work for large manufacturers producing designs for a mass level. Some self-employed high-fashion designers have specialty shops as clients, and still others cater to individual clients.

Job Skills

Fashion designers must have well-developed artistic abilities and a desire to create. They need to have self-discipline, imagination, and persistence. It is also important for them to be able to work independently and to effectively communicate their ideas in written, verbal, and visual ways. Problem-solving skills are essential, as well as sharp business and sales ability for those who start their own business or do freelance work. Above all, a strong esthetic sense is the most important trait a fashion designer can possess.

Income

In 2002, fashion designers earned a median annual salary of $51,290. Earnings ranged from the lowest 10 percent, who earned less than $25,350, and the highest 10 percent, who earned more than $105,280.

Training and Education

When hiring fashion designers, employers require candidates to have a 2- or 4-year degree from an accredited school. Candidates should be able to demonstrate knowledge of the fashion world such as textiles, fabrics, and ornamentation, as well as an understanding of current trends. For those interested in freelance work or business ownership, courses in business management, marketing, and art are recommended.

Many different colleges and universities provide the training required to become a fashion designer. A good list of such institutions can be found on this page of college and universities offering information on

Fashion Design Schools and related training.

Employment

Out of the nearly 532,000 design jobs in 2002, about 15,000 people were employed as fashion designers.

Job Outlook

Between 2002 and 2012, the number of fashion designers is expected to increase about as fast as the average. Because consumers continue to seek fresh, new designs from the apparel industry, demand for this type of design will remain high. This will be offset, however, by an overall decline in the apparel manufacturing industry.

http://www.education-online-search.com/articles/careers/fashion_careers/become_a_fashion_designer