A lot has changed in the Fashion industry since the COVID-19 outbreak set the world upside down. But surprisingly, AI transformation of the fashion industry (particularly in the domain of styling) had set the stones rolling for a digital transformation a while back. What does this mean for jobseekers? Let’s find out.
Personal Stylist
Equipped with suitable apparel, shoes, accessory, and style expertise, a personal stylist helps clients create the perfect look for the occasion at hand.
Key skills essential to excel as a personal stylist will be excellent visualisation skills, a keen eye for details, ability to stay on top of latest style trends, communication finesse to express creative ideas and a knack for networking. Incredible interpersonal skills and fashion sense will also be vital to flourish in the industry.
At the start, stylists typically make anywhere between Rs. 10,000 to Rs. 40,000 yearly. Slowly but surely, they can climb up the ladder as they secure more clients under their belt.
While it may take years before a career in styling takes off, the journey to the c-suite clients – where one caters to Bollywood A-listers, HNIs, politicians, public figures, etc. – will also accompany a handsome salary raise. Top stylists in the country can make up to two lakhs daily.
Various technology disruptions in the industry are also helping emerging personal stylists to move beyond traditional roles. And occupy new and dynamic positions to work with AI-based machines side by side.
Now, with the AI personalised styling becoming more commonplace, personal stylists must upskill accordingly. Data analytics, quantitative & qualitative market research, baseline technical skills, etc., are presently some of the most in-demand industry skills.
Fashion Editor
One of the most iconic characters in pop culture today, Miranda Priestley – the Editor-in-Chief of the fictional Runway magazine has influenced many fashion spirants left and right.
But unlike the Gatsby-like flashiness of the film, the world of fashion editors today looks widely different. The only commonality? From the curation of products to creative content creation, the industrial scene’s busyness as depicted in the movie does stand true of the profession.
Often tasked with the ideation and creation of publication themes, fashion editors oversee content layouts, photography, and artwork to meet a specific audience’s demands. They also write copies, articles, even blogs for numerous media outlets.
But lately, the digital platform demands more from the editors today, in terms of social media prowess. They need to have fluency in shooting, editing, and managing various social media handles for different publications.
This practice will entail editors to understand how different social media statistics amount to via analysis of tags and meta tags as metrics. And based on the findings, to make decisions on which posts are to be shared, reposted, or retweeted. As such, fashion editors can successfully thrive on the scene.
Image Consultant
“You never get a second chance to make a first impression” – is the main principle behind the profession of image consultancy or image management, as called sometimes.
Typically hailed as “soft skill experts”, Image consultants work in three primary domains of communication, appearance, and behaviour to define a “personal” brand. By working one-on-one with the client, they help create a persona so compelling to influence every situation in their favour.
This may involve etiquette training, a wardrobe do-over, colour and style analysing, accessorising, among others. And earn a lucrative pay of Rs. 25,000-50,000 for every one-day intervention.
While no specific educational requirements mandate a career in image consultancy, specialised certification programmes in fashion and communication will help your career objectives considerably.
To branch out of the conventional role, image consultants can alternatively take up positions as sustainability consultants. Especially as the Make in India movement has acquired more traction since the COVID-19 outbreak, the need for local, sustainable consumption is also rising. Best to bank on the new industry boom in India!
Knowledge of sustainability segments in the fashion, in addition to core green practices and technology, to facilitate environment friendliness will be the core skills needed for the role.
To Sum Up
In the future, as AI-based applications, Augmented Reality (AR), and Virtual Reality (VR) take centre stage in the fashion industry, fashion styling jobs will undergo a significant shift. Therefore, to prepare for the emerging technological trends lucratively, stylists will have to upskill and adapt to the digital landscape smartly.
References
https://www.masterclass.com/articles/how-to-become-a-fashion-stylist#where-do-fashion-stylists-work
https://fashionista.com/2019/01/fashion-editor-career-industry-future
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