Getting into fashion marketing can feel like a Catch-22: You need fashion marketing experience to get a fashion marketing job, but how do you get that experience if no one will give you the opportunity?
As a fashion industry recruiter, this is a challenge that Style Nine to Five Founder, Christie Lohr, sees often. The good news is that you don’t necessarily need years of experience working at a fashion brand to prove you can succeed in fashion marketing.
We’re going behind the scenes of Style Nine to Five’s Office Hours where small groups meet with Christie to get answers to their questions about fashion industry careers, and fashion marketing is a hot topic. Let’s dig in to Christie’s advice on landing a fashion marketing job.
Create a Mock Marketing Campaign
One of the best ways to demonstrate your marketing abilities is to create something yourself. If you don’t yet have fashion marketing experience, develop a sample marketing campaign for the company you’re applying to work for. This gives a hiring manager something concrete to evaluate instead of simply asking them to take your word for it.
Christie breaks this process down: “If you haven’t managed campaigns in your current role, this is your time to create a mini-campaign for the company—create a mock-up of a campaign idea that resonates with their customer, including examples of email sequences or social posts that support it. Explain your approach and how it translates to filling the needs of the role. Creating a tangible example of your work with a portfolio shows the hiring manager that you’re capable of doing the job, even if you don’t have the experience on your resume; plus, going the extra mile helps your application stand out.”
Your campaign could include:
• Campaign goals and KPIs
• Creative direction
• Email marketing
• Organic social media posts
• Paid search and social ads
• Influencer marketing ideas
• Blog or editorial content
• Landing page copy
• A promotional calendar
You don’t need access to the brand’s actual customer data. Clearly label the project as a sample campaign and explain the assumptions you’re making.
Christie shares a success story about a candidate who put this into practice. “I was hiring a social media marketer for Style Nine to Five and I was between two applicants, one with fashion marketing experience and one without. The candidate who didn’t have fashion experience created this mock Instagram feed that was so cohesive with Style Nine to Five as a brand that I actually interviewed her and hired her. Even though the other candidate had more experience, I couldn’t relate to their portfolio. I couldn’t really see how what she could bring me from her portfolio didn’t match.”
Highlight Your Transferrable Marketing Skills
Marketing skills in another industry can easily translate into fashion. “It works to hire people who were marketers from media companies or the tech industry for fashion brands because you still have the know-how and the expertise,” Christie says.
“A fashion marketing role might emphasize skills that you could have, even if you work in another industry, and marketing experience is so transferable,” Christie explains. “If you’ve managed campaigns for a company in another industry, those experiences are still relevant, but now you have to show that you can apply them to the fashion industry. You have the know-how and expertise to create a successful marketing campaign, and now you have to show your fashion interest. The subject matter changes, but a lot of your responsibilities stay the same. Show that your experience is versatile and tie your previous marketing skills into why you love fashion. Make it clear for the hiring manager.”
Here are some examples of the transferable skills that fashion marketing jobs require:
• Campaign ideation and management
• Email drip campaigns
• Social media strategy
• Brand storytelling
• Cross-functional collaboration
• Social media strategy and content creation
• Paid social advertising
• Meta and Google Ads and paid search
• SEO, AEO, and GEO
• Content marketing and copywriting
• Influencer and affiliate marketing
• Ecommerce
• Marketing analytics and reporting
• CRM and customer segmentation
• AI-assisted marketing workflows
• A/B testing and conversion optimization
Christie shares some examples of the types of marketing skills and examples she looks for when hiring for fashion marketing roles. “In your application, can you really show us a successful marketing campaign that you executed, regardless of the industry? How did you get a new customer as opposed to a returning customer? Did you do A/B testing, as well as Meta Ads and Google Ads? These are the skills and tools that we really look for: Show us your Klaviyo or Mailchimp skills, or your experience with Meta Ads, Google ads, Shopify, influencer outreach, events, campaigns, even AI—really demonstrate your understanding of how it can propel a company forward.”
If you don’t have professional examples you can share, create your own. A sample email sequence, social campaign, paid ad concept, or ecommerce landing page can demonstrate your skills just as effectively in an entry-level portfolio.
Prove That You Understand the Customer
Fashion marketing isn’t just about making something look good, it’s about understanding who will buy the product and why. One of the biggest mistakes Christie sees from candidates trying to enter fashion marketing is not focusing enough on the customer. “Yes, it’s all about positioning yourself with fashion-industry and brand passion, but also putting together that mini project with their target customer in mind. Whether you’re creating a digital marketing campaign or mocking up a content calendar for that specific company, it’s critical to speak to the customer, because it’s not about where you’ve worked. It’s what you can do for that brand,” Christie says.
Before applying for a role, research the brand and ask yourself:
• Who is the target customer?
• What is their age range and lifestyle?
• What motivates them to buy?
• What price point are they comfortable with?
• What problem is the brand solving?
• What differentiates the brand from its competitors?
• What social platforms does the customer use?
• What type of content does the customer engage with?
• How does the brand communicate with its audience?
• What other brands does this customer wear?
Then use that research in your application, portfolio, and interview. Instead of saying, “I love your brand,” explain what you understand about its customer profile and positioning.
For example, if you’re applying for a marketing role that focuses on social media, you could say: “I noticed the brand’s social content performs particularly well when it combines styling inspiration with product education. I’d be interested in exploring more short-form styling content that shows customers multiple ways to wear key pieces, since your target customer needs versatility to solve “what to wear” from corporate situations to off-duty mom looks.”
The Bottom Line
Getting into fashion marketing isn’t about having the perfect resume filled with tons of experience in the fashion industry. It’s about proving that you can successfully market to a customer, understand a brand, and drive results.
If you’re coming from another industry, identify the skills you’ve developed and show how they apply to fashion. And if you don’t have fashion marketing examples yet, create them so the hiring manager can see first hand what your skills are. “At the end of the day, we want to visualize you in the position,” Christie says. This means going the extra mile to make it as easy as possible for hiring managers to do exactly that.
Recruiters would much rather see a candidate who has clearly researched a brand, took the time to develop a thoughtful campaign, understands its customer, and can explain their marketing strategy than someone who simply says they’re passionate about fashion.
Want to get in on the next Style Nine to Five Office Hours? Sign up and get Christie’s insider advice on how to get noticed by recruiters and the steps to landing your dream fashion job.
Frequently Asked Questions
You asked, and we’re answering! Here’s what you need to know about creating the best application possible to maximize your chances of landing your dream fashion marketing job.
How do I get into fashion marketing with no experience?
Start by building evidence of your marketing skills. Create a sample campaign for a fashion brand, develop social media or email marketing concepts, and build a portfolio that demonstrates your understanding of the customer. You can also use experience from other industries to highlight transferable skills such as content creation, analytics, ecommerce, paid advertising, and customer research.
What skills do I need for a fashion marketing job?
Fashion marketers typically need a combination of creative, digital and analytical skills. Depending on the role (content, digital or event/partnerships), useful skills include social media marketing, email marketing, SEO, paid search, Meta and Google Ads, content marketing, ecommerce, Shopify, analytics, copywriting, influencer marketing, and AI tools. A strong understanding of the fashion customer is also important.
Do I need a fashion degree to work in fashion marketing?
You don’t necessarily need to go to fashion school to work in fashion marketing. While fashion, marketing and communications education can be helpful, employers also look for relevant skills and evidence that you can do the job. A strong portfolio, marketing experience, and an understanding of the brand’s customer can help demonstrate your qualifications, even if your previous experience isn’t directly in fashion.
How can I make my non-fashion experience relevant to fashion marketing?
Look for the overlap between your current experience and the requirements of the fashion marketing job. For example, experience in another industry may have given you skills in social media, email marketing, paid advertising, ecommerce, content, analytics, or customer research. Highlight those transferable skills and explain how you would apply them to a fashion brand.
What should I put in a fashion marketing portfolio?
Include projects that demonstrate how you think as a marketer. A portfolio could include a sample fashion campaign, customer persona, social media strategy, email campaign, paid advertising concept, content strategy, or ecommerce project. Explain the objective, target customer, strategy, execution, and expected or actual results for each project.
Should I learn Shopify to get a fashion marketing job?
Learning the basics of Shopify can make you a more competitive candidate, particularly for ecommerce-focused fashion marketing roles. Understanding product pages, merchandising, promotions, customer journeys, conversion, and ecommerce analytics can help you understand how marketing connects to online sales.
Jeanine Gordon is a freelance writer, editor, and content strategist with a passion for creating stellar content for global brands and small businesses alike, specializing in fashion, beauty, and lifestyle.