After Fashion Design School: Careers in Retail Management

by Joe Cooper
Fashion Design School Review Columnist

Designing clothes is fabulous, but what if you want to do more? For fashion design school students looking for a way to use their degree in the industry that focuses on business, a career in retail management is a great idea.

Retail management is a huge industry within fashion design, and provides a great alternative to the life of a fashion designer for people who also want a career in business. Here are some examples of successful retail management professionals whose careers have taken off.

Home Furnishings Business online profiled retail professional Bruce Cohenour, who began his career in retail management at La-Z-Boy furniture store. Now he is a senior vice president at Hooker Furniture working on national accounts. His job focuses on sales and marketing, and he oversees a large region in the US. Mr. Cohenour will work closely with the fashion merchandising department of his company to grow sales and develop the business.

The Association of Progressive Rental Organizations profiled the career growth of Ed Schneider, a retail management professional with a wealth of experience in executive sales management for the retail industry. He now has a leadership position with University Loft Company, a leader in the college rental furniture market. Furniture design and sales is a large field within retail and represents a big opportunity for dedicated retail professionals.

Working in Retail Management

As you can see, these jobs sound much more corporate than the typical job of a fashion designer or fashion merchandiser. If you are interested in business as well as fashion, a career in retail management can provide that balance. Every clothing line needs good business management, and fashion design school is a great way to learn this piece of the industry.

About the Author

Joe Cooper writes fashion and design articles and edits medical literature. He holds a bachelor’s in American Literature from UCLA.

Source(s)

The Association of Progressive Rental Organizations
PC Magazine

Posted on July 23, 2007 at 10:35 AM