How to Write a Great Fashion Resume

Your resume should make it clear where your talents lie in the design process. This could be your expertise in the initial planning and drawing stage, your excellence in fashion merchandising prior to sale, or some stage in between.

 

Discuss relevant experience and training working with briefs, sketching ideas, procuring materials, producing prototypes, coordinating photoshoots, attending fashion shows, creating marketing collateral, and selling fashion products.

The structure of your fashion resume will vary depending on your chosen resume format. There are three options:

• Chronological — This format emphasizes work experience.
• Functional — This format focuses on skills.
• Combination — This format balances skills and work experience.

The chronological format is the preferred format of most hiring managers and is the format we use with the fashion designer resume sample below, but all these sections will also appear in a combination or functional resume–the only major difference will be the order in which they appear..

 

 

Add your contact information to the page header at the top of your resume. Include your:

• Full name
• Phone number
• Professional email address
• Address
• Relevant professional links (e.g., LinkedIn profile)
• Fashion design portfolio

Present this information clearly so that the recruiter can easily contact you should they wish to advance your application.

 

Resume summary or  objective  

 

Use a resume summary or resume objective to provide a brief overview of your skillset. A resume summary covers your key skills and experiences. A resume objective focuses on a statement of your career aspirations and top skills. If you already have several years of experience in the fashion industry, then a resume summary will work best. Consider a resume objective if you’re at the starting point of your career.

 

 

Use the skills section to tailor your resume to the job description. Study the job posting and pick out some of the desirable skills to add to your resume. Hard skills relevant to the fashion design include:

• Apparel design
• Pattern making
• Digital drawing
• Knowledge of fashion trends
• Software skills, such as Photoshop and Adobe Illustrator

And here are some soft skills:

• Creativity
• Interpersonal skills
• Communication skills
• Organizational skills
• Multitasking skills

Aim for a mix of soft skills and technical skills, with slightly more weight on role-specific hard skills.

 

 

In the work experience section, run through previous jobs that are relevant to fashion design. For each position, list your key achievements and responsibilities in bullet points If you lack hands-on experience in a fashion designer role, then any relevant retail experience with visual merchandising will be worth mentioning.

 

In the education section of your resume, list your highest level of education (e.g., master’s or bachelor’s degree).You can also add any relevant certifications in this section, such as those related to computer-aided design (CAD).

Do:

• Tailor your resume to the role.

Pick out major skills listed in the job description, match them with your own and include them in the skills section of your resume. The inclusion of specific keywords will ensure your resume performs well in applicant tracking systems (ATS).

• Add a link to your portfolio.

The best way to convince a hiring manager to offer you an interview is to show them examples of your work. Set up an online portfolio, and attach a link in the resume header alongside the rest of your contact information.

• Check other resumes for inspiration. 

Checking other people’s work can help improve your own designs. The same goes for your resume, and you can browse hundreds of industry-specific resume examples on our website.

 

Don’t:

• Go overboard with graphics.

In general, it’s best to maintain a simple, clean resume design. Photos of your work and other graphics will merely detract the hiring manager’s attention away from your skills and experiences. Save that material for the professional portfolio you can link to the resume.

• Include your GPA.

Unless your GPA is exceptionally high, there’s no reason to include it on your resume. Put the focus on any awards or recognitions you’ve gained for your studies or work.

• Forget to proofread.

Attention to detail is key to success in the fashion industry. Even the smallest spelling or grammatical mistake could lead the hiring manager to discard your application.