Meet the other half of fashion design. The management and marketing departments of a brand (or the "fashion business") are the strategic half of the fashion industry. Fashion marketers work with designers, brands or retailers, to bring creative concepts into stores and in front of the right customers.

 

 

Supporting the brand in terms of promotions, public relations, and advertising, fashion marketers combine their knowledge of the fashion market with fundamental business principles to connect the fashion products with their target audience. This means they have to understand the true consumers of the brand well: their values, attitudes or preferences, especially in regards to fashion.

 


Essentially, fashion marketers will decide how these products enter the market: how they are priced; how they are retailed; and how they are promoted (or the 4Ps of Product, Price, Place and Promotion). All in all, the key to planning a good marketing campaign is answering the 5W + 1H questions in every step:

  • Who - understand your target audience and customers well
  • What - have a strong and appealing main message
  • Where - know where you can reach your customers
  • When - timing, seasons and trends are important in fashion
  • Why - work with a goal, purpose or rationales behind your marketing tactics
  • How - think creatively about how you want to combine and utilise your marketing toolbox!

 

 

For this reason, those wanting to pursue a career in fashion marketing should be:


Curious

A good fashion marketer stays up-to-date on the latest fashion trends and industry updates. They understand that doing good, in-depth research is important for their marketing and communications. 

A good fashion marketer loves to explore as many business opportunities for the brand as possible. They would definitely go the extra mile to know more, because knowledge is power, even in fashion.


Critical

A good fashion marketer can turn information into great insights. Fashion marketing is all about strategies and making decisions. So a good fashion marketer would surely know how to make the right decisions with the information they have at hand. Remember the golden 5W+1H formula!


Creative

Most importantly, good fashion marketing needs creativity to stand out. To succeed in the dynamic fashion industry, it is important to use various marketing tools creatively in an integrated marketing communications strategy.

Which is why fashion marketers work closely with public relations, influencers and industry creatives. Together, they craft and tell the right stories to their audience (think fashion films, advertorials, editorial photoshoots and collaborations!). 


Fashion marketers today also combine traditional marketing (like brand management, sales promotions, social media, online marketing or traditional advertisements) with innovative, experimental marketing such as brand events, exhibitions and immersive retail experiences. This way, the fashion brand can stand out with their unique edge and characteristics. 


Are you creative, driven and passionate about all things fashion? Kickstart your fashion career and join the business side of the industry! Study Bachelor of Fashion Business with Holmes Institute Fashion