Fashion Merchandising Degree

Perhaps you really have a flair for fashion but have no interest in designing your own clothing. Yet you are a highly creative individual who really likes to follow the trends - what should you do? Perhaps you should look into getting a fashion merchandising degree at an accredited art college or university.

What does a fashion merchandiser do? A fashion merchandiser is responsible for the products a store purchases to sell. Just like the designer, a fashion merchandiser has to have a flair for fashion and design. They have to keep on top of the trends. They have to know about the latest styles and what will sell to their customers. They are the ones scouting the fashion shows for the latest and greatest fashion styles and placing orders with the designers. They are the ones who go to trade shows and visit galleries where fashions are put on display. It is their decision that brings certain fashions into your favorite department store.

In order to know about fashion merchandising, one must attend art school and receive a degree in this field. The ideal candidate has a knowledge of trends and has a vast knowledge of the business of fashion. They realize that what may sell one season will be out the next season and purchase accordingly.

Someone with a degree in fashion merchandising cannot expect to become head buyer for a department store overnight. It takes years of working your way up the corporate ladder to such a position. You will most likely have to take an entry level position as an assistant buyer or even a window dresser prior to becoming a buyer. Even then, you will most likely have to answer to a senior buyer and will not have the final say about purchases.

Every buyer makes mistakes. This is all part of the fashion game. Notice the next time you go shopping if there is an abundance of a certain fashion the store has marked down and is trying to get rid of. That was a mistake on the part of the fashion merchandiser. The fashion world is fickle and the merchandisers are pretty much taking a chance with anything different that they bring into the store.

In the same respect, if they buy only too little of a certain item and the demand for it increases to the point where their regular customers begin shopping elsewhere, this is also a mistake on the part of a fashion merchandiser. However, such mistakes are common in the fashion world and nothing to lose sleep over. Everyone knows how volatile the world of fashion can be.

If you are the type of person who really has an eye for trends and cannot tear their eyes away from fashion magazines, perhaps you should consider earning an art degree in fashion merchandising. Here you will be able to explore your creative pursuits as far as setting fashion trends within the store in which you are employed and be able to earn a decent living.

You will also be privy to the latest fashions and most likely be rewarded with many different samples that you can wear. A career in fashion design can be fun, exciting and challenging for a person with high energy and a desire to effect fashion trends.