How to get into fashion management with an MBA

The fashion industry is big business, generating over US$250 billion in sales and US$20 billion in profits every year. It stands to reason then, that the industry would need smart, business brains behind the scenes. In the last decade, the fashion industry has become markedly more sleek and professionalized as markets and brands go global and the frail global economy means businesses can’t afford to make mistakes.

The fashion world is now beginning to embrace the business world on multiple fronts, efficiently, economically and ecologically. For this, brands, designers and fashion businesses as a whole are finally willing to admit that they need MBAs.

With New York and London's Fashion Weeks having concluded in the past few days, Milan Fashion Week Underway (19th-24th February 2014) and Paris Fashion Week (25th February-5thMarch) to come, it is the opportune time to think about how business students interested in pursuing fashion management careers can get their feet in the door.

With the emergence of new markets in countries such as Russia, Brazil, China and India, along with the increasing prominence on ethics and sustainability in today’s market, the way the fashion industry does business has shifted hugely.

The digital revolution has also changed a lot within retail and the fashion industry, meaning those who seek a career in fashion and brand management must understand how the industry is continuing to develop in a global market and how this affects business. A specialized MBA in fashion will teach you how to work with these changes and how to develop a business with them in mind.

As with many creative industries, the fashion world is incredibly relationship-driven. Both lucrative and highly competitive, those interested in working in fashion will often have to spend a long time developing contacts and, more importantly, friends within the industry in order to be in with a chance of getting into fashion.

The editor-in-chief of BusinessOfFashion.com, Imran Amed was a management consultant before entering the fashion industry. For him, relationships are everything. “Over time, I have learned that fashion is a relationship-driven industry, a community of people who are all connected in some way or another. This means that everybody you meet will know somebody else you should meet.”

Amed’s advice is to take the time to meet and get to know everyone when you first start out. “When I was first exploring fashion, I met with everybody I could possibly convince to take 30 minutes out of their schedule – from senior fashion executives and young designers to merchandisers, wholesale agents and industry veterans – and did much more listening than talking. Some of my best teachers have been the friends I have made from across the industry. And as we share the same interests, we learn from each other.”

From this it is clear that although a fashion career will require you to network, it does not have to be a chore. Developing friendships and working relationships will be one of the most important factors in advancing your career within fashion management so it is vital for you to relish this aspect.