To break into the fashion world, you need the talent. But, like with any creative career, you also need opportunities that will help you get your foot in the door. Living in the right city, where opportunities are plentiful, can make all the difference in building a fashion career.
If you envision a career in celebrity styling and fashion, Los Angeles is certainly a city to consider. Because it’s the home of Hollywood, you’re more likely to make connections with celebrity stylists. Los Angeles also has large-scale manufacturing facilities, particularly in the Fashion District downtown.
When you live in LA, you can dream big: picture your clothes on a red carpet, or in a viral music video.
For many creative careers, New York City is the place to be, and that’s the same for fashion. The Big Apple is the headquarters of global fashion giants such as Ralph Lauren, Coach, and Calvin Klein. It’s also the birthplace of major fashion magazines and media, such as Vogue, and home to the Parsons School of Design and the Fashion Institute of Technology (FIT), giving you the opportunity to hone your craft and make connections.
The main thing that stops most people from moving to NYC is the cost of housing, which can be astronomical. However, it’s never been easier to find affordable apartments, rooms for rent, or roommates in NYC with platforms like spareroom.com. With thousands of listings, you’ll find the perfect place to live.
We’re getting a bit niche now. If your interest lies particularly in swimwear or vacation fashion, Miami just might be the best place for you. This city is famous for Miami Swim Week, which is a yearly fashion event held in Miami Beach usually from late May to July. The event showcases the latest in swimwear and resort wear, so if this is your niche, you do not want to miss it.
Nashville is one of the best cities for fashion in the Southeast, offering plenty of opportunities for those who want to develop a fashion career. Talent that can’t afford to live in cities like New York or Miami will often flee to Nashville, where it’s slightly more affordable to live. Furthermore, this city has the Nashville Fashion Forward Fund, which provides support for emerging designers and nurtures local talent.
Although Columbus might not be a city we automatically think of when it comes to fashion, it just might surprise you. It has one of the highest concentrations of fashion designers in the US per capita. In fact, Columbus is sometimes known as the “Retail Capital” of the US, as it’s the headquarters of many huge retail brands, such as Gap, Victoria’s Secret, Abercrombie & Fitch, and Express. So if retail fashion is more your thing, this city may serve you much better than one of the other giants we’ve listed. It’s the best city on our list for stable, high-paying corporate design jobs.
If you’re still looking for that perfect city, here are some others we believe are worth considering:
There you have it. If you’re willing to give your fashion dreams a chance, moving to one of the cities mentioned above can help you get your foot in the door and open yourself up to a wealth of new opportunities.