What Is A Sustainable Fashion Career?
A sustainable fashion career focuses on the ethical way of manufacturing clothing and fabrics. It involves the focus on sustainable design while sticking to eco-friendly standards and sourcing from renewable supplies when considering the materials for the apparel and its environmental impact.
Most jobs in sustainable fashion also emphasize product design although there are also positions that specialize in searching for sustainable parts, making sure that partners operate sustainably, or looking for sustainable parts.
Indirect roles also include product valuation and retail sales positions, particularly those that have something to do with reusing materials or selling preowned products. A sustainable fashion career often requires knowledge and familiarity with the trends in the industry and the skill of multitasking in deadline-oriented environments.
Qualifications To Pursue A Sustainable Fashion Career
The specific position dictates the main qualifications for a sustainable fashion career. There are certain jobs, such as retail sales associates, that are readily available even for those who only have a high school diploma.
Other jobs need a bachelor’s degree in fashion or other related fields. Applying for an internship while still studying can help you gain more experience before graduation.
To fulfill your responsibilities and duties in a sustainable fashion career, it is also important to have communication skills, familiarity and knowledge of apparel’s environmental impact, and a personal commitment to enhancing product sustainability.
Popular Sustainable Fashion Jobs Today
Below are three of the job titles that you might find interesting if you dream of embarking on a sustainable fashion career in the future:
Environmental Consultant
Environmental consultants serve as the go-to of companies for everything related to sustainability. This is all made possible thanks to their expert knowledge on environmental concerns combined with their know-how in retail operations.
An environmental consultant provides guidance and assessments to keep clients updated on the newest environmental standards, rules, and policies to follow to reduce their environmental effects. To be qualified for environmental consultancy opportunities, it is usually important to have a science-related post-graduate degree, whether it is in environmental engineering, geography, or biology.
Ethical Trade Manager
A sustainability team usually works within the broader initiatives on corporate social responsibility of the company, and this includes the ethical trade manager. This role emerged because of the need for commitment to and a better understanding of sustainability.
Ethical trade managers are in charge of logistics concerning responsible sourcing of goods for manufacturers and retailers. They are also serial collaborators so mentorship, networking, leadership all play a big role in their job.
Sustainability Specialist
This sustainable fashion career oversees sustainable operations for manufacturing, production, and fulfillment. The purpose of the role is to lessen the carbon footprint of the company and guarantee compliance with environmental, safety, and quality standards.
Sustainability specialists often work hand in hand across external agencies and internal teams, coordinating and liaising with suppliers and factories. These specialists lead the sustainability strategy of the company, so the skills involved include communications, analysis, data collection, research, and project management.
With a sustainable fashion career, you can embark on an exciting professional journey that is unique in many ways.