Building a Fashionable Career in New York, NY

The fashion industry turns a billion-dollar profit every year. Apparel sales alone reached $157 billion in 2006, and footwear sales climbed to $29.5 billion. New York, NY sees a lot of that business, as a national and international import/export hub. For students training for a career in fashion design, New York offers educational and career opportunities for every angle of the business.
A Range of Clothing Design Options
Graduates of New York's top fashion schools may have a number of options when it comes to finding work. Graduates should consider:

• Interning at large design houses
• Working in exclusive boutiques
• Attending New York Fashion Week and other runway shows
• Working for locally based fashion magazines

Fashion marketing students have numerous career and internship options in New York, where many nationwide ad agencies, fashion magazines, and fashion merchandising giants have their world headquarters. In an industry where it pays to get your name out there, marketing students really benefit from gaining experience in high-volume sales and marketing situations. The hours may be long, but succeeding in New York's fashion industry is a real accomplishment, often with financial rewards.

Plentiful Fashion Opportunities in New York

The fashion design, merchandising, and marketing industries thrive in New York. Over five thousand showrooms populate the city, welcoming 125,000 visits by out-of-town apparel buyers. According to the Garment Industry Development Corporation, New York's apparel factories produce 18% of the women's outerwear and 28% of the dresses made in the United States. Nearly everyone in the country is touched somehow by New York's fashion industry, and students working towards a career in fashion design should make it their business to live in this fashion capital.
Sources
CNBC Fashion, "Fashion Has A Brand New Bag"
Garment Industry Development Corp.

Amelia Gray is a teacher and freelance writer in San Marcos, TX. Amelia earned a Bachelor's Degree in English Literature from Arizona State University.