What Are the Highest Paying Fashion Jobs?
Do you have an eye for style and a flair for the fashionable? Are you are creative and willing to pay your dues in order to gain experience? If so, you can take advantage of job opportunities with potentially large financial gains in the fast-paced, ever-changing fashion industry. Schools offering Fashion Design degrees can also be found in these popular choices.
The Highest Paying Fashion Jobs
The fashion industry employs professionals in design, advertising, manufacturing, retailing and more. Your particular earnings in the fashion industry could be high or low, depending on a variety of factors, including occupation, years of experience, area of expertise, employer and location. According to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) and PayScale.com, you'll find the highest-paying fashion jobs in Los Angeles and New York City. Job opportunities with the potential for a high level of earnings include:
Designer
As a fashion designer, you not only keep up with the latest fashion trends, but you often set them by creating new designs for clothing and accessories. Although the BLS reported the median annual income of fashion designers to be $64,530 as of May 2010, the top ten percent of designers earned over $130,000 that same year (www.bls.gov). Your salary could be on the lower end of this spectrum until you become somewhat established in the field. The BLS notes that employers often prefer designers with an associate or bachelor's degree in fashion design.
Model
Models strut down runways, showing off clothing and accessories to potential buyers, and pose for photos used for promotional activities, such as catalog spreads and advertising pieces. If you are lucky enough to break into the A-list of the modeling world, you can expect to rake in some serious cash. According to Forbes Magazine's 2010 list of the world's top-earning models, the number one earner took home an estimated $25 million (www.forbes.com). The median wage for models, however, was $32,920 as of May 2010, according to the BLS.
Photographer
In a fashion photographer role, you work closely with art directors, models and makeup artists to create the perfect image for your client. Once you're known as an established photographer, you might get to work with some of the top fashion designers and travel to exotic locations for fashion shoots. In September 2011, PayScale.com showed that reporting fashion photographers in the 10th-90th percentile range had an income range of $25,755-$68,510.
Merchandiser
Your main purpose as a fashion merchandiser is to promote fashion merchandise by analyzing target markets, creating attractive visual presentations, determining customer demand and distributing fashion products. With a focus more on the business aspect of the fashion industry, the fashion merchandiser role requires completion of a degree program within the field. Most fashion merchandisers reporting to PayScale.com in September 2011 had a salary range of $21,895 and $68,317.
Stylist
You could be responsible for the look of your local news anchor or the hottest actor on a hit television show. Fashion stylists coordinate the fashion, accessories and sets for visual media, including movie productions, television shows and catalog spreads. As of September 2011, the 10th-90th percentile range of fashion stylists reporting to PayScale.com earned between $23,489 and $74,378 annually.
To continue researching, browse degree options below for course curriculum, prerequisites and financial aid information. Or, learn more about the subject by reading the related articles below:
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