Career Resources

Introduction

A female student uses a sewing machine.

The AMM program is designed to equip you with the intellectual and professional skills required for management and leadership careers in apparel production, fashion retailing, and related sectors. 

There is a wide variety of exciting career opportunities in apparel awaiting AMM graduates.  Many AMM graduates go on to careers with some of the best-known names in the US apparel and retail sectors. 

This page contains information on the industry, career pathways and a multitude of web links to career sites, government information on the industries and professions, industry and professional organizations, trade publications and media, and government agencies that publish data or implement policy concerning the apparel and retail sectors.

Career Pathways

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Fashion Buyer

Responsible for the planning, selecting, and buying of merchandise for retail purposes. Make decisions about what merchandise needs to be ordered, re-ordered, or left behind. They also negotiate with wholesalers about pricing. Market research, competitor analysis, product evaluations and testing, and creating reports for the management team.

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Fashion Trend Forecaster

Focuses on upcoming trends. Predicts the color, fabric, textures, materials, prints, streetwear styles, accessories, graphics and footwear, and other styles that will be presented on the runway. Have knowledge of the fashion industry and research findings

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Fashion Marketing

Responsible for managing ways to promote fashion merchandise and prove their ability to increase sales. In-charge of promoting the ideal target consumers for the fashion company’s products. They also create advertising campaigns for retail stores, brands, and businesses. Fashion marketers also are behind the scenes for photoshoots and travel to new store openings and analyze marketing campaign results.

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Fashion Merchandising

Oversees the creation of fashion stores and visual displays. Work closely with designers to study constantly changing market trends. Responsible for the entire stock of apparel which may include transferring apparel from the stockroom onto the sale floor.

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E-Commerce Manager

Audit and optimize product listings in online store. Merchandise the products within each collection based on best sellers. Collaborate with content creator/marketing team to optimize product photos, marketing copy, etc. Maintain data integrity across listing channels. Create, manage and perfect product listings on e-commerce, including planning and creating titles and descriptions with good search engine optimization (SEO) value and search engine marketing (SEM) optimization. Optimize collection pages by maintaining product listings, pricing competitively, and sorting products within collections. Create promotions and new sales collections.

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Fashion Product Manager

Plan, coordinate, and control the manufacturing processes. Ensure that the cost, quality, and number of goods are correct. Define business goals and think of strategies to stand out from competitors. Oversee the process at domestic and overseas factories where the apparel is sampled, design changes are made and completed product for collections.

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Product Developer

Work closely with marketing and sales departments to produce products based on what the consumer wants and make sure that they operate safely and efficiently. Uses specialty software and recruitment to design products.

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Visual Merchandising

Use design skills to promote the products and services for a retail company and other organizations. They create aesthetically pleasing product displays and store layouts and designs to attract customers and encourage them to purchase the products. Produce window displays, store signs, floor plans, interior displays and special promotion displays throughout the store.

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Fashion Consultant

Offers fashion advice and recommendations to consumers or companies. They use their trends and fashion knowledge to assist others in the fashion industry.

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Textile Designer

Creates designs that are used in the production of knits, weaves, and printed fabrics or textile products.

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Textile Production Manager

Work with design and sales teams, buyers, and quality control departments. Visit factories and manage orders from retail and wholesale customers. Work and deal with suppliers. Attend trade shows and conferences frequently. Check quality standards, prices, and delivery times

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Textile Technologist

Textile technologists work with many materials including man-made and natural textiles, leather, fur, plastics, and metals. They are responsible for producing fabrics for furnishings, household items, medical supplies, or textiles for use in the textile industry

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Fashion Designer

Analyze trends. Sketch apparel and accessory designs on paper or on the computer. They also attend trade shows and visit manufacturers to select fabrics and trims.

Job Links

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General

24seven

24 Seven partners with companies to get marketing, creative, and digital work done by providing the right talent, innovation, and insights.

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General

Style Careers

Search here for jobs, freelancing opportunities, and internships.
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General

Craigslist Los Angeles

Search the art/media/design positions.
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General

Women's Wear Daily

Search their classified section for job listings.
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General

CareerBuilder

General job listing website.
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General

CollegeGrad

An entry-level job site.
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General

Career Group Companies

A fashion recruiting firm.
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Retail

Retail Recruiters

Retail Recruiters is a national retail executive search firm doing business “Coast to Coast” since 1983 in both the United States and Canada.
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Textile

TextileJobs.com - Precision Placements

Textile and apparel executive search firm.
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Resume Resources

Resume-Now.com

Customizable Resume Templates
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Resume Resources

FashionResumes.com

Resume Writing & Career Services
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Industry & Career Info

Clothing & Clothing Accessory Store Industry

Get information on this industry from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics.
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Industry & Career Info

Retail Sales Workers

Get information on the occupational outlook for retail sales workers from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics.
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Industry & Career Info

Apparel Manufacturing Industry

Get a snapshot of the apparel manufacturing industry from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics.
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Industry & Career Info

Textile Product Mills

Get an industry outlook on the textile product mills from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics.
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Industry & Career Info

Fashion Designers

Get the occupational outlook for fashion designers from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics.
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Industry & Career Info

California Occupational Guides

Get job market information from the California Employment Development Department's occupational guides for everything from fashion designers and retail managers to sales representatives and wholesale and retail buyers.
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Job Search Tips

Style Dispatch

Get job search tips and listings here.

Industry & Professional Organizations

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American Apparel & Footwear Association

The national trade association that represents apparel, footwear, and other sewn products companies and their suppliers, which compete in the global market.
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National Retail Federation

As the world’s largest retail trade association and the voice of retail worldwide, NRF’s global membership includes retailers of all sizes, formats and channels of distribution as well as chain restaurants and industry partners from the United States and more than 45 countries abroad.

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International Council of Shopping Centers

The International Council of Shopping Centers is the global trade association of the shopping center industry.

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California Fashion Association

The California Fashion Association (CFA) is a non-profit organization established to provide information for business expansion and growth to the apparel and textile industry of California.
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American Association of Textile Chemists & Colorists (AATCC)

AATCC is the world’s leading not-for-profit association serving textile professionals.

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American Collegiate Retailing Association

The American Collegiate Retailing Association (ACRA) is a professional organization whose membership is composed of educators of four-year institutions that have retail programs or retail courses from these disciplines: business schools, liberal arts, economics, human ecology, textiles, design, and apparel.

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Fashion Group International

A worldwide membership organization of industry leaders in the fashion, beauty, lifestyle, and retail sectors.
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International Textile & Apparel Association (ITAA)

A professional, educational association composed of scholars, educators, and students in the textile, apparel, and merchandising disciplines in higher education.

Government Agencies

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U.S. Bureau of Economic Analysis

The Bureau of Economic Analysis (BEA) promotes a better understanding of the U.S. economy by providing the most timely, relevant, and accurate economic accounts data in an objective, and cost-effective manner.
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U.S. Census Bureau

The Census Bureau serves as the leading source of quality data about the nation's people and economy.
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U.S. International Trade Administration

The International Trade Administration strengthens the competitiveness of U.S. industry, promotes trade and investment, and ensures fair trade through the rigorous enforcement of our trade laws and agreements.

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U.S. Trade Representative

The Office of the U.S. Trade Representative (USTR) is responsible for developing and coordinating U.S. international trade, commodity, and direct investment policy, and overseeing negotiations with other countries.
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U.S. International Trade Commission

The commission is an independent, nonpartisan, quasi-judicial federal agency that fulfills a range of trade-related mandates. It provides high-quality, leading-edge analysis of international trade issues to the president and the Congress. The commission is a highly regarded forum for the adjudication of intellectual property and trade disputes.
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U.S. Customs & Border Protection (CBP)

CBP is one of the Department of Homeland Security’s largest and most complex components, with a priority mission of keeping terrorists and their weapons out of the United States. It also has a responsibility for securing and facilitating trade and travel while enforcing hundreds of U.S. regulations, including immigration and drug laws.
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U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics

The Bureau of Labor Statistics within the U.S. Department of Labor is the principal federal agency responsible for measuring labor market activity, working conditions, and price changes in the economy.