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Lisa Saager

Lisa Saager

Creative Business Student

Living like Carrie Bradshaw, strolling down the fifth avenue in New York City and getting Breakfast at Tiffany’s or working onset of a huge fashion advertisement production in front of the Eiffel Tower like Emily in Paris. What person in the fashion industry has not at least once dreamed about being in their shoes? Unfortunately, this is not always the reality.

Different cities come with different opportunities, which makes it extremely important for anyone in the industry to choose the right place to live and work in. Depending on where you live it can be easier to kickstart your fashion career since many well-known companies might already be close by or it can be hard to find a job that feels right to you and focuses on your strengths. The city you work in has a great impact on your life and career since they not only hold different possibilities but also have different lifestyles that you need to feel comfortable with. 

Think of this blog post as a mini fashion career city guide to help you understand where opportunities lie for 2021.

PARIS, FRANCE

A no-brainer for any person with or without knowledge of the industry: Paris has forever been famous for producing many of the world’s iconic designers like Coco Chanel and Yves Saint Laurent. In 2021, Paris is still on top when it comes to providing exceptional career prospects in the fashion industry.  Next to once again being named the Top Global Fashion Capital in 2019 by “The Global Language Monitor“, many luxury brands located their headquarters in Paris making it the perfect place to live for anyone interested in pursuing a career in the luxury sector. 

Various stakeholders in the fashion industry are located in Paris, some of the biggest competitors in the city being Kering and LVMH. The global luxury group Kering currently employs around 38.000 people and owns leading brands such as Gucci, Saint Laurent, and Balenciaga. Balenciaga was actually one of the most popular brands in 2020 according to The Lyst Index Q2 2020 ranking. 

On the other hand, luxury industry leader LVMH currently employs around 163.000 people and Louis Vuitton was crowned third place when it comes to the most valuable luxury brands in 2020 by brandirectory.com’s “Luxury & Premium 50 2020” ranking.  The presence of the luxury conglomerates makes Paris a hot-spot for not only experienced professionals but also young talents to get their ‘dream job’. So it looks like Paris will also be the place to be in 2021 when it comes to finding the perfect luxurious fashion job.

G&M tip: learn and practice your French before you get there! Even though it’s not always required, it always comes in handy and makes a good impression.

LONDON, GREAT BRITAIN

Also known as one of the world’s fashion capitals but can be differentiated from others. London is eccentric and exciting, being the home of fashion talents such as Vivienne Westwood and Alexander McQueen. But it also made it possible to connect people of different industries and talents in their huge multicultural scene. In 2021 London is once again expected to excel and also in terms of career prospects it seems to lead on the list.

London is especially well equipped with leading online retailers like Next and ASOS. Next was called the third best-selling global online fashion retailer in 2020 by bllush.com with online stores that reach over 70 countries and 700 stores across the world which makes it especially interesting for fashion career seekers in the online department. 

 

But not only established online retailers look promising when it comes to jobs in the industry. Chopowa Lovena was named one of the newcomer brands to look out for in 2021 after both Harry and Gemma Styles wore their pieces on the iconic December Vogue cover last year. Afterward searches for the emerging brand went up exceedingly which makes it very likely that a lot more is to come from them in the future.

G&M Tip: What needs to be kept in mind in the coming year though is the Brexit. The UK leaving the European Union might have unforeseeable consequences for the fashion industry. It’s important to have the right immigration support when it comes to moving there which you can read all about in our blog post : 

‘How can I relocate to the UK for work? – Advice from an immigration lawyer’

MILAN, ITALY

Another all-time favorite on the list of top fashion capitals: Milan. Notorious for its globally well respected Fashion Week and its Quadrilatero d’Oro (The golden rectangle), Milan is home to some of the world’s most famous fashion boutiques and brands. 

What makes Milan especially interesting for job-seekers in the fashion industry in 2021 is the iconic fashion leaderPrada. Prada was named one of the hottest brands in 2020 by whowhatwear.com‘s “buzziest brands of 2020“ list with 84% growth of interest just over the last year. Prada S. p. A. currently employs around 14.000 people of which the majority is located in Italy.

Another emerging fashion brand to keep an eye out for is Medea, which is also based in Milan. The up-and-coming handbag designers have experienced an extreme rise in searches over the past year and have already started expanding which can be seen in their latest company growth. 

So if you are passionate about growing with a fashion brand, Milan holds many opportunities.

G&M tip: Milan is an extremely busy, dynamic and multi-cultural city! It is important that you work on a budget before moving as you need to consider high rent costs if you want to live in the city center.

BERLIN, GERMANY

Berlin, just like London, stands out from the other fashion capitals on this list. Berlin’s style is electrifying but has been becoming increasingly minimalistic over the last few years. At the same time, Berlin has been getting more relevant in the fashion industry by bringing forward new talents like ACRONYM and Sadak and concept stores such as Voo and The Store that give the city an even more progressive vibe. 

On the other hand, Berlin is home to the company that was crowned by blush.com on their “Top 10 Online Fashion retailers of 2020” list with the title biggest fashion e-commerce store worldwide: Zalando. Since many people around the world have switched to online shopping during the pandemic, Zalando has experienced significant demand. Many brands made the decision to partner up with them to increase their online reach.  And since we are not sure when we will go back to our normal lives, it looks like it will be another very profitable year for online retailers like Zalando.

But there is another reason to have a look at Berlin for Fashion jobs. Sustainability is expected to become even more popular in the coming years and Berlin, as the so-called unofficial sustainable fashion capital, is definitely the right address if you’re passionate about ethically produced fashion and working in that field. 

G&M tip: Brenda Cremer, Zalando HR, suggests:

  • Getting to know the necessary bureaucracy (and the German terms for it) can help you a great deal. Berlin is indeed an expat city and you can get away with English 90% of the time BUT the benefits and advantages of at least recognizing words are infinite. Putting in the effort to actually learn the language will be rewarded, believe me.
  • Your flat hunting game has to be excellent, make sure you have all the required paperwork ready before the viewing (proof of income, Schufa, personal documentation). First come, first served (and best prepared) in the Berlin apartment jungle, don’t feel discouraged by the amount of applicants waiting in line!
 
But most importantly, this tip applies to any city:
 
  • Do your research and best case scenario, spend some time there first. Get acquainted with the different areas and have a thought about what it is that you are looking for in a neighborhood (Your Kiez is important in Berlin 😉 – look that word up).

STOCKHOLM, SWEDEN

The pioneers when it comes to minimalism are Scandinavian countries like Sweden and Denmark. Stockholm is famous around the world for its timeless styles that can be seen in well-known brands like Acne Studios.

But the reason Stockholm is on this list is because of the third-biggest fashion retailer worldwide which is located here: Hennes & Mauritz, famously known as H&M. The clothing-retailer is not only the 3rd biggest fashion retailer worldwide according to BizVibe’s “Top 10 Clothing Retailers in the world“ list but also one of the most valuable fashion brands in 2020 as stated by brandirectory.com’s “Apparel 50 2020“ ranking. The Global Fashion Business Journal claims the retail giant grew by 5.2% in the last year and even though it made the decision to close many stores around the globe, it is planning to extend its online presence which makes it likely for many job offers in the online department to appear in the coming year.

G&M tip: Sweden encourages innovation.  If you dream to work in Sweden, you could be a part of taking your field to the next level – THINK INNOVATION!

BARCELONA, SPAIN

Barcelona is not necessarily a city notorious for its fashion but this has been changing over the past years, so it’s definitely recommended to have a second look at the city when searching for a job in the fashion industry. As already mentioned in one of our blog posts ‘8 reasons To Live & Work In Barcelona’ many famously known brands have their headquarters there and in the rest of Spain, for example: in A Coruña (which is in another region called Galicia) you can find some Inditex brand headquarters like Zara and Pull & Bear and in Tordera (also 45min/1hour drive) you can find Bershka, Massimo Dutti and Oysho. As you can tell not at all brands of the group are in Barcelona, most are in surrounding regions, so be aware of this when choosing where to live. Inditex was named the biggest global fashion retailer 2020 by BizVibe’s “Top 10 Clothing Retailers in the world” list. Barcelona is especially interesting for people looking to work in the design department and also talents looking to work with fast fashion brands.

G&M TipAnne-Sophie, our co-founder, suggests that you do your research on the market! There are plenty of brands and suppliers that are not in the city center.  A lot are in the surroundings of Barcelona, therefor you must consider commuting to work.

All in all, Europe is a great place with many different opportunities in the fashion industry. And even though we live in very different times now than a few years ago, the industry is adapting and therefore also making room for new talents to shine in the coming year in all kinds of branches and for different interests. Hopefully, this article can help you orientate yourself a bit better in Europe’s different cities and the brands they inhabit and will support you in deciding your next career move.

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