I remember the daunting task of writing my first resume. Fresh out of management engineering, staring at a blank Word document, I was flooded with doubts. Why would companies choose me, someone with no relevant experience, over candidates with more impressive backgrounds?
Ten years into my career as a fashion career coach, I realize those fears were largely unfounded. I landed an internship at Alexander McQueen in eCommerce, despite my management engineering degree, lack of connections, not being from a fashion capital, and zero fashion experience.
Breaking into fashion without prior experience is absolutely achievable. Everyone starts somewhere, even industry icons like Anna Wintour. If you’re like me a decade ago, crafting your first fashion resume, these tips are for you!
1. Debunking the Myth: Experience Isn’t Everything in Fashion
A common misconception among aspiring fashion professionals is that you need prior experience or a specific fashion degree to get hired. Let’s dispel this myth right away. If you’re reading this, you’re proactive about learning and developing yourself – exactly the kind of potential the fashion industry seeks, especially for internships and entry-level positions.
Many believe a lack of fashion experience is a major roadblock. They apply for countless jobs, but hear nothing back. While this might be true for senior roles requiring extensive experience, it’s not the case for internships and beginner positions.
The fashion industry increasingly hires for potential. They aren’t necessarily seeking someone who already knows everything, particularly at entry-level. Instead, they prioritize candidates with the capacity to learn and grow within the company.
Consider this: everyone, even the most celebrated designers, editors, and stylists, started at the beginning. No one is born with a pre-filled resume. They all began somewhere, and so can you. For a beginner fashion designer, showcasing your passion and potential is key, even without formal experience.
2. Define Your Fashion Design Career Path
Before writing your resume, take time to clarify your career goals within fashion design. What specific design roles are you targeting? Are you interested in womenswear, menswear, sportswear, accessories, or perhaps technical design?
Which area of fashion design resonates most with you?
Defining your focus is crucial because tailored resumes are far more effective. Different fashion design roles require distinct skills and keywords. Recruiters need to quickly see how your profile aligns with the job you’re applying for. A generic resume will likely be overlooked.
Knowing your target roles allows you to identify the keywords to incorporate into your resume. For example, a technical design internship might emphasize skills like pattern making, garment construction, and CAD software proficiency. A design assistant role might highlight sketching, trend research, and fabric knowledge.
Therefore, defining your career aspirations and the types of fashion design positions you’ll pursue is a vital first step before crafting your resume. Avoid sending out generic resumes; tailoring each application is essential.
3. Analyze Fashion Designer Job Descriptions
Once you have a clearer idea of your desired design roles, start searching for internships and entry-level positions online and carefully read the job descriptions. This is an invaluable exercise for understanding the specific skills required for those roles.
For instance, if you aim to work in fashion design for a specific brand, search for design internships at similar companies. Focus on internships if you have limited experience, rather than immediately targeting full-time positions.
Pay close attention to the “Responsibilities” and “Requirements” sections of these job descriptions. List the skills mentioned. This list will be your foundation when adding skills to your resume, ensuring relevance and impact.
This approach ensures the skills you include are directly relevant to the position, rather than generic skills added simply to lengthen your resume. Remember, quality trumps quantity. Fewer, highly relevant skills are more impactful than a long, generic list.
For example, consider this example from LVMH.
Alt text: Example job description for a fashion Public Relations internship on LinkedIn, highlighting required skills such as communication, attention to detail, and passion for media.
Alt text: Person specification section of a fashion PR internship job posting, listing desired attributes like excellent communication skills, attention to detail, and proficiency in Microsoft Office.
While this example is for a PR internship, the principle remains the same. For fashion design roles, you might see skills like sketching, draping, pattern making, Adobe Creative Suite (Photoshop, Illustrator), CAD software (like Clo3D or Optitex), trend research, fabric knowledge, sewing, and garment construction. Include skills like attention to detail, communication (especially visual communication), and passion for design on your resume.
Don’t be intimidated by job descriptions. Don’t assume you lack skills simply because you haven’t held a formal design job. You’ve developed skills through various life experiences.
4. Identify and Articulate Your Fashion Design Skills
Reflect on your past experiences, including school projects, personal projects, and any part-time jobs. You’ve undoubtedly gained skills applicable to fashion design.
Perhaps you honed organizational skills through managing design projects in school. Are you the go-to person for planning events or creative projects among friends? These are transferable skills.
Have you worked in retail or customer service? This translates to valuable customer interaction and communication skills, relevant in understanding target markets and client needs within fashion design.
Have you collaborated on group projects? Teamwork and research skills are crucial in the collaborative fashion design environment.
Have you presented design concepts or mood boards in class? This demonstrates presentation and visual communication skills.
Are you learning fashion design software like Adobe Illustrator or CLO3D? List these program proficiencies.
Do fashion design roles require knowledge of current trends and designers? Demonstrate your awareness of the fashion landscape through your studies, personal research, or even your active engagement on fashion platforms like Instagram and Pinterest.
When writing your resume, always start by reviewing relevant job descriptions and extract the key skills. Ensure you incorporate these skills into your resume. You likely possess more relevant skills than you realize, even without direct professional experience.
However, avoid simply listing endless skills for the sake of length. For example, listing social media marketing skills for a technical design role when you lack pattern-making proficiency would be misplaced. Focus on relevant skills. Trust that you already have a valuable skillset to secure your first fashion design internship.
5. Build Your Education and Experience Sections
With your skills identified, focus on the Education and Experience sections of your resume – these are critical.
Even seemingly small experiences matter. If you’ve assisted backstage at a local fashion show, worked on personal design projects, created a fashion blog showcasing your design work, or photographed your designs, include these experiences.
If you lack formal work experience, prioritize your Education section, placing it at the top.
If you are currently studying or recently graduated in a design-related field, consider adding bullet points under your degree, highlighting relevant coursework.
For example, if you studied fashion design, textiles, or a related art degree, and are applying for a design assistant role, list relevant courses like Fashion Illustration, Pattern Making, Draping, Textiles, CAD Design, and Collection Development as bullet points. If you attended a fashion design program, list the most pertinent courses for the specific position.
As a student or recent graduate, a shorter resume is perfectly acceptable when applying for your first fashion design internship. It’s okay to have less formal experience at this stage. When I secured my first fashion internship, I had no prior fashion industry experience! I understand the feeling of wanting to strengthen your resume to demonstrate your commitment and passion for fashion design.
Consider supplementing your resume with online fashion design courses or workshops to demonstrate initiative and build relevant skills. Unconventional strategies to showcase your passion and potential can significantly impress recruiters. This combination of focused skills and creative application is key to landing your first internship.
Some resume templates prioritize work experience, placing it above education or in a smaller column. However, when you lack extensive experience, your degree or design education becomes your strongest asset. It should be prominently displayed. Adapt your template to highlight your education, even if the default layout emphasizes work experience. Any degree, especially one related to design, represents years of dedication and hard work, something to be proud of and showcase.
In conclusion, don’t worry if your resume seems sparse initially. Focus on including the key elements that demonstrate your potential to learn and contribute to a fashion design team. Just like with skills, avoid irrelevant experiences simply to fill space. You’d be surprised at the relevant and compelling content you can include, drawn from personal projects, design school, and your passion for fashion.
6. Design and Presentation Matter
Your resume is more than just a list of skills and experiences; it’s a representation of you, your personality, your design sensibility, and your potential. In fashion, visual presentation is paramount. The layout of your resume speaks volumes about your aesthetic and how you present yourself to brands. When you’re starting out and lack extensive experience, recruiters will focus more on these details to assess your potential.
They’ll scrutinize your resume’s design: is it well-structured and visually appealing, or cluttered and disorganized? These subtle details reveal your organizational skills, attention to detail, and creative eye. A strong resume layout makes a powerful first impression on a fashion company. Otherwise, recruiters might overlook your application in favor of more polished presentations. For a beginner fashion designer, a visually compelling resume is crucial.
7. Go Beyond the Resume: Showcase Your Design Talent
When starting your fashion design career, internships are the typical entry point. Recruiters understand that internship applicants are often students, recent graduates, or individuals with limited experience. They won’t dismiss your resume solely for lacking extensive work history. Even with a limited “Work Experience” section, you can still create a compelling application. Focus on crafting an excellent resume template and supplementing it with a strong cover letter and, most importantly, a design portfolio. These elements showcase your design skills and potential beyond a standard resume.
Fashion companies seek individuals who are innovative, resourceful, and think outside the box. They hire interns and entry-level designers to nurture and train them into future leaders. Don’t be discouraged by a lack of experience.
Concentrate on building a standout application with a strong resume, a compelling cover letter, and a solid portfolio. For fashion designers, your portfolio is paramount. It visually demonstrates your design aesthetic, skills, and creative process. WOW recruiters with your design talent and potential.
To further enhance your job search and learn effective strategies for landing a fashion design role, consider exploring resources on portfolio building, networking within the fashion industry, and tailoring your application to specific design houses or brands.
