Fashion and Retail Careers
Fashion, retail, luxury, and beauty companies hire professionals across merchandising, buying, planning, marketing, communications, finance, consulting, supply chain, human resources, e-commerce, data analytics, sustainability, public relations, and corporate strategy. Students from nearly every major can find opportunities in the industry.
While many fashion, retail, luxury, and beauty companies hire on an “as needed” basis throughout the year, many larger companies also offer structured internship, rotational, and leadership development programs that provide excellent entry points into the industry.
Information Gathering
If you are interested in fashion or retail, you should follow that industry closely. Read trade publications such as Women’s Wear Daily; newsletters like Vogue Business; and reports like McKinsey’s The State of Fashion. Join relevant email lists. Follow industry insiders on social media. Research the types of positions that are available in those fields. Check out Fashion United’s comprehensive overview of job titles and descriptions. Company websites, O*NET, and the Occupational Outlook Handbook are equally helpful resources.
Entry-level opportunities vary by company, but many fall into the following functional areas:
| Merchandising & Planning | Marketing & Brand | Operations & Strategy | Digital & Analytics |
| Assistant Buyer | Brand Marketing Associate | Supply Chain Analyst | E-commerce Coordinator |
| Merchandise Planner | Marketing Coordinator | Operations Analyst | Digital Marketing Coordinator |
| Allocation Analyst | Public Relations Assistant | Retail Leadership Development Associate | Business Analyst |
| Inventory Planner | Social Media Coordinator | Corporate Strategy Analyst | Data Analyst |
Select Resources
Business of Fashion (BoF) — BoF is a daily resource for industry insiders that bridges the gap between fashion as a business and fashion as a creative industry.
Fashionista — Fashionista publishes results from their annual fashion industry salary survey and is a source of fashion news, criticism and career advice.
Glossy — Glossy provides an inside look into how brands and retailers approach new trends, technologies, channels, consumer habits and more.
The Impression — The Impression provides premium insights and creative intelligence for industry leaders and their teams to stay ahead of the trends transforming the fashion industry.
Modern Retail — Modern Retail, launched in 2019 by Digiday Media, is a media brand covering the ins and outs of the reinvention of the retail industry.
National Retail Federation (NRF) — NRF is the world’s largest retail trade association and an excellent place to look for jobs.
Retail Brew — Retail Brew delivers the latest retail industry news and insights surrounding marketing, DTC, and e-commerce to keep leaders and decision-makers up to date.
Retail Dive — Retail Dive provides in-depth journalism and insight into the most impactful news and trends shaping retail.
StyleCareers – Online since 2001, StyleCareers.com is the largest, fashion-only job listing site on the Internet.
Style Portfolio —The premier online portfolio resource for the fashion-related industries
Women’s Wear Daily (WWD) — Often called the fashion bible, WWD is a leading authority on news and trends in the worlds of fashion, beauty and retail.
Making Connections
Go to employer information sessions, industry events—on and off-campus—and connect with the local chapter of popular professional organizations. Professional associations host a variety of professional development, educational and networking events. If the cost of membership is prohibitive, contact leadership and ask if there are sliding scale prices for students. Volunteering at fashion weeks, including DC Fashion Week, or at industry conferences, educational programs, or networking events is another great way to connect with professionals in the field.
Develop a LinkedIn profile that communicates your personal and professional brand. Joining groups related to your industry is a great way to meet new people, find mentors, contacts, and ask questions. Reach out to alumni through Hoya Gateway and the alumni section of Georgetown’s LinkedIn page. The Cawley website provides helpful guidelines on networking and informational interviewing.
Making Connections at Georgetown
Joining a school club is a good way to learn more about the industry, develop your skills, and get hands-on experience. Check out The Georgetown Retail & Luxury Association if you are interested in corporate positions or publications like The Georgetown Voice or The Hoya if you are interested in writing about the industry.
On and off-campus jobs are another excellent way to build skills valued by employers. Working a retail job for a brand you love shows the employer you know the customer and the product. It also gives you an opportunity to build skills in merchandising and styling, sales and marketing.
Preparing Your Application Materials
To better understand what skills to highlight on your resume, check out internships, fellowships, and entry-level positions in fashion. Employer websites are great places to research industry opportunities.
Depending on the role, employers commonly seek skills such as:
- Excel
- PowerPoint
- Data analysis
- Financial analysis
- Consumer insights
- Project management
- Cross-functional communication
- Presentation skills
- Digital marketing analytics
Your resume should be one page, and your cover letter should be thoughtful and concise. See our resume formatting guide for more tips and advice.
Applying
Internships enable you to gain valuable professional experience prior to graduation.
If you are having a difficult time finding a full-time job after graduation you may want to consider a post-graduation internship or fellowship, which is common in these industries, and often leads to full-time employment.
In terms of salary, Fashionista conducts annual salary surveys. Also check out the Cawley website for additional salary resources.
Select Job Sites
- Business of Fashion: Job board of BoF, platform that provides news, analysis, career postings, and advice on the global fashion and beauty industries.
- Fashion Jobs: Job board of Fashion Network USA.
- Retail Crossing: RetailCrossing is a retail job board that connects small and large retailers with job seekers around the country.
- StyleCareers: Online since 2001, StyleCareers.com is the largest, fashion-only job listing site on the Internet.
Select Employers:
Luxury
- Chanel
- Hermès
- Kering
- LVMH
- Richemont
Beauty
- Coty
- Estée Lauder
- L’Oréal
- Shiseido
Retail
- Bloomingdale’s
- Gap Inc.
- Macy’s
- Nordstrom
- Target
E-commerce
- Amazon Fashion
- Farfetch
- Rent the Runway
- Revolve
Athletic
- Adidas
- Lululemon
- New Balance
- Nike
Retail Technology & E-commerce Platforms
- Adobe Commerce
- Google Retail Ads
- Oracle Retail
- Shopify
- Salesforce Commerce Cloud
- SAP Retail
- TikTok Shop
Internship & Leadership Programs Popular with Georgetown Students
Luxury
Beauty
- Coty Internships and Apprenticeships
- Estee Lauder Summer Internship Programs and full-time Presidential Program
- L’Oreal Student Internships and Apprenticeships
- Sephora Early Careers Program
Retail
- Bloomingdale’s Leadership Development Program and Internships
- Macy’s Internships and Careers After College
- Nordstrom Internship and Career Development Program
- Target Internship and Entry-Level Careers
Athletic
You can also find opportunities at the National Retail Federation’s Top 100 Retailers List for 2026 and Fashion United’s Top 200 Fashion Companies in the World — Public and Private.