Financial Careers in the Fashion Industry

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**Author's annotation: Due to the sensitive nature of working in finance, the pocketbook company in question volition non be disclosed, and the name of the analyst has been changed. Responses in this article were also edited for clarity.

How-do-you-do CF readers! Today is the launch of our Working in Mode serial, where we'll be taking a expect at what real women are accomplishing in the fashion manufacture. If yous desire to work in manner someday, information technology helps to have an thought of where you'll be headed and the types of careers that are available. This serial aims to help provide that insight.

Our beginning interviewee, Amanda, works equally a Senior Financial Analyst at a luxury handbag company renowned for its loftier-quality numberless and detailed designs. Our interviewee studied economics equally an undergraduate, and was too involved in several business organizations and volunteer groups. Detect out what she's been upward to in the two years since she's graduated!

Interview with Amanda:

What's a typical day at work similar for y'all?

Amanda: I encompass the global aspect of the business, and then the bulk of my twenty-four hour period consists of analogous with each of our geographical business regions to gauge their private performance in sales, expenses, strategy, etc. Then I employ this information to determine how the brand is performing on a global level.

A typical 24-hour interval may consist of meetings, in person for North America and phone for international, with dissimilar business organization regions and compiling the data into a summary for the CFO. I likewise work with investor relations and strategy to help with any ad hoc projects that demand a finance person.

How did you detect this position? (online, discussion of mouth, networking, etc.)

A: I initially found the chore posting on LinkedIn, but I also knew a person at the company who helped put me in contact with the hiring manager.

Did you lot accept any fashion experience prior to interviewing for this position? If so, what was it?

A: I actually had zero experience with way and the consumer retail manufacture in general. I covered financial institutions in my previous job, which is the complete reverse of fashion. The extent of my fashion feel was a stock pitch on Steve Madden that I had done during my freshman twelvemonth of college.

What are some perks of working at a luxury handbag company?

A: Commencement, the discount is amazing!! I also enjoy the creative environment and the ability to interact with so many people who accept educational and professional person backgrounds completely unlike from mine. My previous chore was at a banking concern, so everyone pretty much had the same major in college and like internships. Now, I run across mode designers, graphic designers, and other content creators all the time.

What experiences from college ended up existence the most helpful in your current chore?

A: In terms of academics, my economics and finance classes definitely help. Fifty-fifty though I don't work in financial services anymore, I'm notwithstanding using my accounting and financial modeling skills every 24-hour interval. I think my economics classes are even more relevant at present because it'southward of import to look at how different sociopolitical factors volition influence sales and consumer trends.

Finance is a conservative industry while fashion is progressive af; how does this change up the culture in your department at work?

A: While my electric current department has a more relaxed culture than my previous job, the finance team is still the nearly conservative in the visitor. At the end of the day, we're still crunching numbers and affected by Wall Street and investors, but nosotros're able to do our jobs in a creative and collaborative environs with other teams. It's also interesting to talk near the finance side of Instagram and influencers during meetings!

What advice would you give to students looking to work in the fashion industry afterwards graduation?

A: Networking is important in every manufacture, but it seems to exist extremely important in fashion, especially since in that location are and so few schools known for style. A lot of people I work with found their jobs through a connexion they had or a person they had randomly reached out to via LinkedIn.

Did anything surprise y'all about working in fashion? If then, how has the experience differed from your expectations?

Partially due to my limited cognition of the fashion industry, I fully expected to exist thrown into an environment like to the one in The Devil Wears Prada. Fortunately, my manager and coworkers have been much friendlier, and extremely like shooting fish in a barrel to work with. My squad actually emphasizes the importance of mentorship and taking buying of your piece of work, and I've learned so much during my time here so far!

Just ane more question; tin yous describe the handbag yous carry to work?

A: (laughs) I carry my company's classic tote bag in light pinkish. There are a couple other numberless that I've had my eye on, but I meal prep my food and this is the only handbag that fits my Tupperware, workout wearing apparel, AND my laptop!

Our Tote Bag Picks Inspired by Amanda

Products: Upper Left – Tory Burch Robinson Tote, Upper Correct – Everlane Day Marketplace Tote, Lower Left – MICHAEL Michael Kors Small Whitney Leather Tote, Lower Right – kate spade new york Cameron Street Lucie Tote

Inspired by Amanda'southward work bag, nosotros've compiled some picks that might exist your perfect bag for a job in fashion.

Go along in mind these suggestions are all within the luxury pocketbook realm; these are bang-up investment pieces, so if you buy one of these bags at present, you'll exist sure that it will exist used and loved for years. If you take good care of it, yous can use i of these bags as your schoolhouse bag today and your work pocketbook when you join the corporate earth — win, win!

All of the above picks are comparable to the tote handbag that Amanda herself carries to work, and they're all durable and spacious. We love the light pinkish colors because they're an understated mode to add a popular of color. These would be fantabulous to use in professional settings, going from work to a appointment, and for going out to brunch with your girls.

Thank you once more for interviewing with us Amanda; all-time of luck in your career!

What did you retrieve of our interview with Amanda?

Have you idea about working in finance for a style visitor? Exercise yous still take whatsoever questions for her virtually her chore or experiences with finance?Leave a comment down below!