During the last couple of years of lockdown and the global pandemic, many fashion companies have taken time to reshape their business models, streamline their operations, and sharpen their customer propositions, according to this report. The fashion consulting industry is no exception, making it an exciting but competitive industry to get into.

Whether you are working for yourself or for somebody else, becoming a consultant can be beneficial on many levels. A strong consulting business can offer attractive benefits, including lucrative pay packages, flexible schedules, excellent promotional opportunities, and medical insurance. You can start your own consulting business or become a fashion consultant for an established brand, the choice is yours.

To learn exactly how to become a fashion consultant, plus plenty more fashion consultant job tips, keep reading this expert industry guide.

What Does a Fashion Consultant Do?

A fashion consultant is a person or company who offers their professional opinion about what clothing or accessories are best for different people. They review the client's wardrobe (or collection) to come up with ideas on how to make it more stylish and versatile. A consultant may also work with people on more specific problems, such as what to wear for a wedding or an interview. A fashion consultant will typically collect payment at the end of each appointment. Fashion consultants can consult with both individuals and brands to offer their expertise. When consulting with fashion brands, fashion consultants are able to help with brand marketing strategy, including effective brand positioning.

A fashion consultant typically needs to have excellent observation skills, be able to offer unbiased opinions about looks, and keep up-to-date on current fashion trends. They also need to be able to spot outfits that match the client's vision, needs and body type. Many fashion consultants go on to add personal shopping or styling services, such as helping people with their weddings, graduations, birthdays, and other special occasions.

How to Become a Fashion Consultant

1. Get To Know the Industry and Job

Firstly, you’ll need to understand what experience is required to become a fashion consultant and have a plan to gain this relevant experience. You can find out loads of handy information by chatting with more senior consultants who have more experience than you.

Spend some time ensuring you understand what the job entails and what is required of you to succeed. A unique and creative angle can be handy, as the majority of fashion consultants fall into a specific niche. If you don’t know something, learn it. Now is a great time to expand your knowledge and creative horizons. Try doing some preliminary fashion market research to build your knowledge.

Say yes more than you say no to clients in the beginning and grow to be more selective. The key experience and expertise these early clients will offer you is far more important than status in the early days. You must also ensure that you learn the basics of contracts and how to execute them, as these will be essential to your career as a fashion consultant.

2. Cultivate Specific Industry Knowledge and Skills

In order to become a successful fashion consultant, you must be educated on the basic terminology and trends of the fashion industry. In addition, it is also important to create a network of contacts in the clothing or retail business who can provide inside knowledge about manufacturing techniques, customer preferences and economic conditions. This should include suppliers and manufacturers you can rely on. Knowing what is going on in the industry will allow you to provide high quality service to your clients even before they know they need it.

One good way to build these skills is to spend a block of time in one role so you can learn exactly what you need to do off by heart. As you grow, hire people better than you that encourage development. Make connections and friends. You never know when you may need them. Treat your supply chain better than your clients as without them you can’t do what you need and favours can’t be asked.

3. Build Your Consultancy Portfolio

In order to become a fashion consultant, you have to start out by building a great portfolio. In the beginning you may be limited as far as what options are available but as time goes on and your portfolio gets larger, they will begin to recognize your name and come to you more often. This is actually a blessing in disguise because it gives you time to put your best foot forward.

When building your portfolio, think about taking on work with small brands. Start making connections with designers who are not so well known but have a great name for themselves in the industry and try to gain as many contacts as you can. The more you build your network, the more prominent and visible you'll become.

Focus on highlighting your best work when presenting your portfolio. If there is something you're not proud of, simply don’t show it. Show the process of your work so the client understands how the concept gets turned into a reality. Show off your personality!

4. Establish Your Brand

It's important to establish your brand in this business so that you can build a reputation for yourself and start getting recognised by your clients. Clients need to trust their fashion consultant in order to get great results, which is why it's important to have a clear vision of who you are working with.

As a fashion consultant, always remember to market yourself clearly and consistently. It's not only about being recognised by your clients but also by new potential clients. Don't forget to promote yourself whenever there's an opportunity and keep it consistent with your brand strategy. First create your brand identity, then go from there!

Fashion Consultant Certification

Though there are many fashion consultant certifications available out there, they are not necessarily required to become a fashion consultant. Fashion consultants typically require some sort of formal training in fashion design and styling. Many consultants also have previous sales experience in order to help them learn how to sell your products effectively. If you fit these requirements, it's good to have a bachelor's degree in fashion, retail or business.

It may be tough to find that perfect job without some sort of experience first, but it will be easier if you're creative and want to try something new. Most countries differ when it comes to the requirements necessary for becoming a fashion consultant, but each country has its own way of certifying consultants.

Fashion Consultant Jobs

Being a fashion consultant can be both a very rewarding and a very profitable career. This is because you get to connect the dots between people who want to look great and brands that want to sell. The national average salary for a fashion consultant in the UK is £26,141, but this can drastically increase as your reputation and fashion consultancy experience builds. In the meantime, if you’re wondering how to find and successfully land fashion consultant jobs. Here are 2 of our top tips:

Tip 1. Find out what companies are looking for in a fashion consultant.
Tip 2. Get the relevant experience working with fashion consulting companies before applying for the job.

Fashion Consultant Interview Questions

If you’ve followed the above steps closely, you might be starting to get some opportunities coming your way! While this is exciting, sometimes we all have to put in the work for interviews before we can reap the benefits, especially if you’re looking to join a fashion consultancy firm. Some example fashion consultant interview questions that could come up for a potential role include:

What topics or stories are you currently following in the fashion industry?

This question allows you to demonstrate your current knowledge of fashion trends and principles and highlights any possible gaps in your knowledge. Brush up!

How would you help a client who liked a style that wasn’t working?

This allows you to show off your customer service, communication, and problem-solving skills. Be prepared for situational questions like this!

How has your own fashion sense evolved due to your previous work experiences? Once again, this question gives you the opportunity to go further into your understanding of fashion trends and principles.

Looking For an Expert Fashion Consultant?

At James Hillman, we offer bespoke consultancy services for a range of luxury clients. Whether you’re struggling with concept creation, concept development and production or just in need of some general fashion brand advice, an expert fashion consultant could be right for you.

We are confident that our industry expertise and years of experience will help boost your results and take your fashion brand to the next level. We take your vision and build it into a reality, working with you every step of the way to ensure we get it right. Why not check out the range of consultancy services we offer today?

Discover expert Fashion Consultancy Services at James Hillman today or find more industry insight over on our blog!