Is your midlife fashion career collapsing?
Earlier this year when London Fashion Week celebrated its 40th birthday it felt like the perfect opportunity to reflect on and celebrate midlife fashion careers. Since then, the headlines haven’t been good – is the fashion industry collapsing and if so, what does that mean for you and your career?
Let's take a moment to remember what attracted us to the fashion industry in the first place. I’ll hazard a guess that it was fashion.
What’s your fashion career story?
Looking back over LFW’s 40 fashion years took me on a nostalgic trip down memory lane. I can pretty much map out my life story with fashion references. From my Daisy Doll with her Mary Quant-designed wardrobe, the Bodymap-inspired pieces I made at college, and the Katherine Hamnett ‘Stay Alive in 85’ silk t-shirt I wore in bed. Second-hand/vintage shopping in Camden, selling clothes at Kensington Market when I was at art school, it all happened way before my career in fashion retail got going.
A love of clothes and shoes led to a career in clothes and shoes. From selling clothes and shoes, recruiting and teaching people how to sell them, to headhunting key people and leaders for clothes and shoe brands and retailers eventually led to career coaching in our sector.
What’s your fashion career story?
Have you fallen out of love with fashion?
Some say the fashion industry is a young person's game with its pace and salaries. It captivated you in the early days of your career. It sucked you in, but right now you could be wondering if you’ve outgrown the industry.
And let's face it, by the time you've reached a certain age and attended more than enough envelope-opening parties – can you be arsed with the competition and the drama caused by runway seating plans?
Are you falling out of love?
You may feel you've outgrown the industry and want to leave, but what if you don’t? Maybe you're over the relentless trends and churn – you’ve seen it all before but you’re still in love with the craft, and the colour and personality of the sector, some things never lose their appeal.
The fashion industry is attractive and it may have a grip on you. There are plenty of people on the outside wishing that they too could join the fashion crowd.
Reframe
A lifetime in an industry you love is easily done if you can keep up with the times. You don’t need to be a fashionista or make bold fashion statements but nobody wants to be a fashion 'has been' so how can you keep your career up to date?
Lynne Franks, the mastermind behind LFW is doing something radically different now, but you'll never take her fashion credentials away.
Lucinda Chambers is doing her thing, her career wasn't over when she left Vogue.
So many people have taken their fashion experience into new spaces and sustainable directions.
The most important thing is to stay relevant and keep your career meaningful. Like I said, you don't need a massive rebrand or reinvention but you’ll need confidence in yourself and the occasional reframe during these times of change.
We talk about circular fashion are you making the most of your resources?
The fashion industry is collapsing!
Every day there’s another industry snippet, the latest prediction, an infographic, an article, and another piece of evidence that the fashion business is in trouble. Everyone has an opinion. The strategists and critics tell us it’s the CEO, the leadership, the creatives, the strategy. The economists and analysts give their commentary and market analysis. We have predictions, data, evidence, and 'I told you so!'
And then we have people who are in those brands and retailers. Some are thriving whilst others feel like headless chickens following one strategy after another.
We have people following orders – restructuring, thinning out, and reorganising teams.
People are keeping their heads down – hoping they’ll survive. Some are scared, fearful, anxious, insecure. Some haven’t survived the fallout. Some are angry.
We have a problem.
What’s the solution?
You’re an insider, you know what needs to change.
Your midlife fashion career
Your midlife fashion career is just like any midlife career with all the non-fashion life stuff in the background – mortgage, school fees, family, ageing parents, menopause (or whatever the male version is), a potential midlife identity crisis looming on top of your work.
Behind the scenes of our midlife careers, we must face big important questions about life.
How do you want to live and work for the second half?
Maybe you're at a career crossroads and trying to figure out your next move. Or perhaps you feel stuck and trapped in a sector you've outgrown.
Midlife is the time to start trusting yourself, and that means seeking answers from within rather than Google, taking up space, and showing leadership for others.
Whether you stay in the fashion industry or not – that’s entirely up to you but if you need help figuring it out get in touch.
Ready to explore your fashion career and next steps?
Ask me about my career guidance services, job search coaching, career strategy sessions and one-off consultations.
You can email me directly: Tracy@tracyshortandco.com
ABOUT ME
I’m Tracy, Career Consultant, and Executive Headhunter and I help senior executives and leaders land great jobs and be successful at work through 1:1 coaching. I work with clients around the world from my London-based Zoom office. Need help? get in touch – let's start the conversation.
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