Is Fashion Styling a Good Career in 2023?

A fashion styling career can be super competitive. Like other attractive roles in the creative industry, many people are interested in the fast-paced lifestyle of a fashion stylist.

If the idea of working as a glamorous fashion stylist alongside celebs, amazing brands, and in glossy magazines truly excites you, then it might be the creatively fulfilling career path you’ve been searching for.

Fashion Styling Careers Require Passion.

Fashion styling is not your average 9-5 job, where most people will thrive. It is a thrilling and unique career, where only those with true passion and a defined aesthetic will excel. Passion will be the difference between a mediocre stylist and an extraordinary one who continues to improve and try new things throughout their career.

The first, and really the only, question you need to ask yourself, is whether you are passionate about style, fashion and art. The rest will follow.

When looking for your ideal career, you should find what feels like play to you, but looks like work to others. The role of a stylist should feel like a gift!

For fashion styling, you need a very particular set of skills (who read that in Liam Neeson’s voice?).

You will need to balance practicality and dreams, and you need to have contemporary knowledge of fashion trends and the history of garments. On top of that, you will need to train, and rely on, your eye for aesthetics. If that turns you on, you are on the right path.

Creative Fulfilment.

In any creative job, there is an element of self-expression. It is not all about thinking, it is also about feeling and imagining. What most people do only in their free time, like going to museums, reading great books, discovering new music and going to interesting shops, is an integral part of the role of a fashion stylist. To live in pursuit of inspiration.

Curiosity is the most important part of the job. You need to be eager to deepen your visual culture and build up your own references and eventually build your own aesthetic.

Find Your Own Path.

Choosing a career path is not only about the job, it is about the lifestyle you wish to have. If you want a predictable 9-5 job, then a fashion styling career is probably not for you. It is creative and unpredictable, and sometimes with long hours. 

But you can turn this to your advantage, by working for yourself. You could work as a freelancer, with all the freedom it brings, to work when you please and choose your own projects. Perhaps you could even start your own company and find a unique, exciting and profitable way to help your clients. 

Great fashion stylists are individuals who are unafraid to be different and have their own perspectives on the world. Styling can be your way to share your perspective with the world.

Work with Great People.

Fashion styling is a super collaborative career that is impossible to do alone. There are always many people involved in a project alongside the fashion stylist. Working with photographers, assistants, and clients can be challenging, but it can also be a great source of joy.

You might find like-minded people, who share your passion and interest in fashion. Perhaps, the people you work with are what matters most about your career. In fashion, you can find a bond with people who share your passion for something most people ignore. 

An old piece of career advice says to work with people you like and only work for people you admire. 

When you give a piece of your heart to your work and use your creativity and imagination to create something great, then you need people around you who are on the same page.

Travel the World.

One of the most alluring aspects of being a fashion stylist is the prospect of travelling the world. Perhaps a magazine is doing a photoshoot of skiwear in the alps. Perhaps a New York CEO needs the perfect outfit for a special gala event she wishes to attend. Maybe an Australian agency is looking for a new stylist extraordinaire. 

Fashion can open a lot of doors that we have to be brave enough to walk through. Not only can a career in fashion styling send you on trips around the world, where you can discover new countries and people, but you can even try to relocate and discover a new culture and language. 

Fashion is global and expanding your horizon can help you learn more about styles and trends and let you collect the elements that excite you most.

Travelling is a great source of inspiration, but fashion styling will also push you to discover new places in your local area. Which spot in your neighbourhood has the best light for a cool photoshoot? Which boutiques and restaurants are pushing the conventional limits? Discover which museums have exhibitions you ought to visit for inspo. The more curious you are, the more cultural references you collect. 

Stay curious. Stay wild. Stay passionate. You will become an amazing stylist. 

Careers in Fashion Styling: Take the Risk.

There is no doubt that fashion styling is a challenging career path, where there can be no certainty of success. Many people want to work in fashion, without really understanding the job they are wishing for. If you are considering a fashion styling career, the first step should be to learn more about it and see if the day-to-day job excites you. 

Fashion styling can be a dream career, for creative people who have a clear style they love to express. 

It is a job for people who are curious and who are inspired by fashion and everything else creative. If you can say to yourself, that you would be happy to be a fashion stylist, even if you do not acquire fame and fortune from it, then you should take the risk. Your dream job could become your reality.

It’s very important to take risks. I think that research is very important, but in the end, you have to work from your instinct and feeling and take those risks and be fearless.

– Anna Wintour