How to Get Fashion Jobs in New York (The Kind You Dream About)

Designing for celebrities, premiere retail establishments, and outfitting the staff at new boutique hotels--these are the types of elite fashion jobs that can be found in New York. It can take education and years of experience to qualify for them, but starting out in the right location never hurts.

Veteran Designers and Their Day Jobs

Anne Bowen, one of New York's veteran fashion designers, has just landed a contract with a new boutique hotel in the big city. The 228-room Hotel Mela's staff will wear original clothing designs created by Ms. Bowen. Her unique designs will showcase a signature city-chic style, using feminine touches with traditional men's fabrics.

Career Creation in New York

Ms. Bowen is an established designer with a long history in New York, designing for major clothiers like Saks Fifth Avenue and custom-designing for celebrities like Catherine Zeta-Jones and Janet Jackson. Auspicious jobs like creating clothing designs for uniforms for boutique hotels are generally reserved for the fashion elite. A fashion design school graduate will usually need to grow his or her career for years before being able to compete on this level.
One advantage of going to fashion school in New York is having access to fashion industry professionals. The U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics states that over two-thirds of salaried fashion designers live in either New York or California. It is the fashion capital of the country, and it's where the types of fashion jobs you dream about can be found.
Sources
Hotel Motel, "Fashion designer outfits New York hotel staff members"
US Bureau of Labor Statistics, Fashion Designers

Joe Cooper is a freelance education and technology writer and edits medical literature. He holds a bachelor's in American Literature from UCLA.