Fashion assistants support the fashion editorial department at publications. Fashion assistants need be extremely organized and detail-oriented, have excellent communication skills, work well in a team, and be knowledgeable and passionate about the industry.
Some responsibilities include organizing the fashion closet, arranging messengers to pick up or deliver clothing and accessory samples, liaising with public relations agencies, assisting at fashion shoots, logging in credits for editorial stories, and assisting fashion editors. There may be some opportunity to write for the publication or provide styling assistance.
Fashion assistants work mainly in the fashion closet and at photo shoot locations and generally manage a team of interns as well.
To become a fashion assistant, it is typically necessary to have a bachelors degree and helpful to have studied at a postsecondary fashion academic institution. More importantly, aspiring fashion assistants need industry experience.
For example, you can apply for fashion internships at publications, public relations agencies, or design houses or work as a stylists assistant.
Try starting your internship search at Ed2010.com or freefashioninternships.com.
A fashion assistant position is entry-level, and the starting salary is generally in the low $20,000s. After working for some time as a fashion assistant, there is usually opportunity to move up within the publication to become an assistant fashion or market editor or a stylist.
