Looking For Work In The Fashion Industry
A report from the front in the job wars.
February 23, 2009
By: Lauren Sherman Vincent Barbato, a 25-year veteran of the fashion industry, needs a job.
He worked in production sourcing--finding manufacturers--for the high-end label the Row for six months, but then Barbato, 59, was let go. The brand, helmed by Mary Kate and Ashley Olsen, had to lay off staff at the end of 2008.
With consumer spending at an all-time low, retailers are cutting back on employees at a record clip. Macy's (nyse: M - news - people ) recent bloodletting cost 7,000 employees; Target's (nyse: TGT - news - people ), 600; Chanel's, 200.
On Friday, Barbato was one of 1,500 job seekers who attended the semi-annual Women's Wear Daily Fashion Career Expo in New York's Chelsea neighborhood. Currently employed or not, each attendee hoped to score an interview with one of the 22 companies reviewing applications for upper-level retail management and design positions.
The fair, backed by the trade publication Women's Wear Daily, which relies on classified job ads as a source of revenue, had record turnout, up 25% from September 2008 and 50% from February 2008. But the number of companies present was down 42%, from 38 in September.
Some of the companies that did make it--including the Japanese "fast fashion" retailer Uniqlo and the quilted handbag-maker Vera Bradley Designs--were looking to fill several positions. But others were looking at r%#233;sum%#233;s without anything to offer. "Both Swarovski and the Children's Place told us they weren't hiring," said Heather, a jewelry designer who is seeking employment after being forced to abandon $25,000 in wholesale orders because she couldn't secure a line of credit to produce them. (She requested we withhold her last name and the name of her company for legal reasons.)
Those who were hiring had plenty of talent to pick from. "The people I spoke with were eager to work and had the right attitude," said Kristi Brink, a New York general manager for Uniqlo. The company is recruiting for positions in both retail and design. "There's definitely a chance to elevate the skill set of our staff."
Several attendees admitted they were nervous about the stiff competition; others expressed confidence that their talent would be noticed. "People always need good technical designers," said Lucia Burgos, who has worked for brands like Nicole Miller and Jones Apparel Group (nyse: JNY - news - people ) for 16 years. Her last freelance gig ended in November. "I know it's hard right now, but I have a good feeling about today."
Why should she feel good? There are positive signs out there. According to the U.S. Commerce Department, retailers enjoyed an increase of 1% in sales to $344.6 billion in January 2009, from the month before. As slim as that increase is, it's the biggest since November 2007, indicating that demand for apparel is returning, albeit ever so slowly.
"People will always wear clothes," observed Tom Foley, a senior vice president of 24 Seven Inc., a New York fashion recruiting company that had a booth set up at the fair. He said many companies continue to stick with freelancers, and permanent positions remain scarce. However, he added, "with the new president, there's a little more hope and optimism in the industry."
Nonetheless, Vincent Barbato expressed no doubt that this is the worst shape the fashion industry has been in over the last three decades. He's been laid off twice before, but back then he took just one week to find a new job. Not now, he said. "This is the real deal."
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