5 fashion jobs that pay well – up to US$190,000 per year

The glamour of fashion is what makes working in the industry exciting.

Designer clothes, supermodels, photoshoots, and catwalk shows are all part of the glittering world that people come to know, but what about the fashion jobs behind the scenes? The ones that make the fashion scene – for lack of a better word – fashionable.

But most importantly, are these the fashion jobs that pay well?

Singer Dua Lipa at the 2023 Met Gala. Source: AFP

The not-so-fashionable parts of the fashion industry

If you think the fashion industry is only about fashion, you thought wrong.

The industry encompasses many other sectors, such as marketing, design, and publishing, as key roles in creating a good fashion brand.

Just look at the oldest luxury fashion brand, Hermès, and how it still manages to be relevant today — its Birkin bag is a must-have for fashionistas around the world.

Or consider Louis Vuitton, one of the most valuable brands in the world, with around 60 subsidiaries that manage 75 other brands.

Unsurprisingly, the fast-paced environment and many niche categories within the industry offer excellent career opportunities with lucrative pay.

However, the rise of fashion — fast fashion, in particular — creates a dark side to the industry that is unfortunately being overlooked.

Garment factories in countries like Bangladesh, Cambodia, and India have been repeatedly implicated in cases of modern slavery.

Workers, predominantly women and sometimes even children, often face poor working conditions, including cramped spaces, exposure to harmful chemicals, and physical abuse, not to mention being paid peanuts for long hours of work.

Which is why some brands have sustainability officers whose sole responsibility is to develop and implement environmental strategies within the company.

Now, here’s where good fashion schools come in.

With a comprehensive curriculum, fashion schools offer programmes and hands-on learning that allow you to gather all the knowledge and materials you need to fill in the gaps needed by the fashion industry.

Take a look at the Parsons School of Design, the top art and design school in the US, according to QS World University Rankings 2024.

Parsons is committed to employing design thinking as a way to solve complex global problems. At the Zolberg Institute on Migration and Mobility, for example, scholars are joining forces with designers to explore solutions to climate-driven change, including migration.

Over in the UK, the London College of Fashion was the first to formally foreground sustainability into curriculum ethos, course content, assessment and learning outcomes in 2007. This started with the creation of the world’s first MA course in fashion and sustainability, led by Centre for Sustainable Fashion.

Ultimately, various niches need to be filled in the fashion industry, and some of these pay nicely.

Going for an average annual salary of around US$184,000, a sustainability officer is one of the handful of fashion jobs that pay well. Here’s a look at the others that do the same:

5 other fashion jobs that pay well

The creative director is the highest position you can reach in the industry, making it the fashion job that pays well. Source: AFP

Creative director

Average median annual salary: US$190,000

The creative director is the highest designation in the fashion industry. These professionals oversee the brand’s creative vision.

Some of their responsibilities include leading and managing a team of designers, supervising the design process, and ensuring the brand’s vision and identity are reflected in all aspects of the design.

Pharrell Williams for Louis Vuitton, Kim Jones for Dior Homme and Fendi, and the newly appointed Ib Kamara for Off-White and Haider Ackermann for Tom Ford are some examples of creative directors working in fashion today.

With the multitude of fashion brands in the world now, making a brand stand out takes consistent hard work and an unmatched level of creativity. This is why becoming a creative designer requires excellent leadership and presentation skills which you can often see during fashion shows as they present their latest work.

A fashion designer creates their signature line of clothes, accessories, and footwear, making it the most important and one of the fashion jobs that pay well. Source: AFP

Fashion designer

Average median annual salary: US$94,000

Of course, no brand can even exist without the brains and talent of a fashion designer.

They create their signature line of clothes, accessories, and footwear. From conceptualising and sketching the designs to choosing materials and creating prototypes, a designer handles the complete creation process of any collection.

While some fashion designers create haute couture, custom pieces that are exclusive for runway shows, others make clothes for the masses.

Most, if not all, fashion designers eventually become creative directors. Some famous names working in the industry today include Jeremy Scott, Grace Wales Bonner, and Emily Adams Bode—all fashion designers and proud owners of their own namesake labels.

Is working as a fashion PR worth it because it is one of the fashion jobs that pay well but it involves lots of late-night work? Source: AFP

Fashion public relations (PR)

Average median annual salary: US$82,000

Fashion PR coordinators are responsible for maintaining a brand’s positive image. They do this by working with the press, influencers, celebrities, and models to create content, such as photo and video shoots, that further promote the brand’s products and name.

They also plan the brand’s marketing campaigns, manage social media accounts, write press releases, and organise fashion shows and events, though some brands have their own designated person-in-charge for those jobs.

As the role entails, working as a fashion PR requires great people skills as you mingle with the biggest names in fashion. While it may seem glamorous, this job could involve lots of late-night work to make sure everything is running smoothly.

Buyers are one of the fashion jobs that pay well because they are required to have vast fashion knowledge and are business-savvy. Source: AFP

Fashion buyer

Average median annual salary: US$80,000

A fashion buyer’s role is to know what products to buy based on what customers are looking for. Not only do they need to possess some fashion knowledge, but they also have to be business-savvy.

Fashion buyers are always on top of the latest fashion trends, attending fashion shows, networking with potential partners, and visiting other retail stores, all while taking into account the price point of merchandise of a particular brand that makes sense to their target audience.

Fashion buyers work closely with designers and suppliers to meet the brand’s quality and aesthetic standards. This ensures that designers stick to the overall theme of the collection and do not deviate and make clothes that people would not wear.

Fashion buyers also collect data on current consumer buying patterns and use it to predict future trends for the brand’s references, thus meeting market demands.

A consultant has to be on top of the latest fashion trends. Source: AFP

Fashion consultant

Average median annual salary: US$52,000

Like the fashion buyer, a fashion consultant has to be aware of the latest trends. This is because clients will require their expertise in coordinating which clothes suit them the best and suggesting wardrobe must-haves.

From finding new styles that fit their client’s body type to mixing and matching colours and fabrics, a consultant has to have vast knowledge of today’s fashion to excel in their job.

This is not to be confused with an image consultant. Image consultants focus more on your overall image, behaviour, and personal branding, while fashion consultants strictly concentrate on the fashion aspect of the client which includes clothing and wardrobe transformation.