The fashion industry's subject to change just like any other industry. As we evolve as a society and everything begins to shift to technology so does every aspect of our lives, aspects that we often forget about.
It may come as a surprise that there's more to fashion then the designer, the person who makes it, and the buyer, among other fundamental careers in fashion. You may be able to guess future jobs in fashion are science and technology related, which may be alarming but it will make the process of making clothing items and accessories more productive and efficient.
In 2016, Business of Fashion released an article called “Six Fashion Careers of the Future”, in this article they spoke to professionals in the industry that talked about their current job and explain how they will only get more popular over the next decade.
The first one is a 3D Printing Engineer. As you may know 3D printing has made great advances in the medical field as well as in architecture but the use of 3D printing in fashion could also be very revolutionary. Like mentioned in BOF “The adoption of 3D printing, however, would make manufacturing quicker, easier and cheaper, lowering the barrier to entry for emerging designers across the globe.” 3D printing has already been used by a few fashion brands like Iris Van Herpen and Adidas, soon enough other brands will begin to try it.
Another very interesting future career in fashion goes by the title Consumer Psychologist. As BOF refers to them as “fashion psychologist,” they “apply psychological theories to what we wear, understanding that our clothing choices impact not only our own emotions, but also those of the people we interact with.” Because fashion has become more than something we wear for protection and it's a form of expression, understanding human behavior will become a key factor in brand decision making in the future.
“Basic statistics are not cutting it anymore, every year millions of dollars worth of clothes end up in landfills due to lack of research and fashion trend predictions not being accurate.”
Data Scientist will also be very important in the future of fashion, if they aren’t already. Basic statistics are not cutting it anymore, every year millions of dollars worth of clothes end up in landfills due to lack of research and fashion trend predictions not being accurate. “Today, thousands of of data scientist work at both fashion startups and well established companies, using statistical machine learning and other quantitative methods to gain data-driven insight consumer behavior.”
A lot of brands lately have invested a lot of their time and money in researching new fabrics and new technologies to engineer innovative materials to increase both the performance of the product and whoever is wearing the product. Companies like Everlane and Reformation that focus on sustainability make research on textile manufacturers and factories a priority to make sure that they align with their core beliefs as a brand. This is where an individual that has experience in fabric research and development will be needed. This expertise with be in demand for both up and coming brands and veteran ones as well.
Sustainability being a top priority for many brands now, not only is someone with experience in fabric research and development needed but a sustainability expert will also be needed. Fashion will need people in charge of sustainability and social responsibility. Although we already have brands making the switch to being more ethically conscious we have a long way to go. As mentioned on Fashionista, “As fashion's waste problem finally begins to click with consumers, brands are beginning to realize they need to get on board, at least in some way.” Over the next couple of years fashion brands will be taking sustainable and ethical practices more seriously and will be in need of professionals in that field that will be able to help and guide them.
This is just a sneak peak into all the infinite opportunities you can have if you have an interest in fashion. You don’t have to be a designer, a writer, photographer or a buyer to be a part of the fashion industry. You can combine your love for science and fashion, technology and fashion, research and fashion, even psychology and fashion you just have to do the research. You never know, maybe you can pave the way for a new career in fashion that we're not aware we need yet.
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