What is a fashion director and how to become one

Updated January 8, 2025
2 min read
There is more than meets the eye when it comes to being a fashion director. For example, did you know that they make an average of $56.46 an hour? That's $117,438 a year! Between 2018 and 2028, the career is expected to grow 3% and produce 600 job opportunities across the U.S.
ScoreFashion DirectorUS Average
Salary
8.1

Avg. Salary $117,438

Avg. Salary $59,228

Stability Level
6.2

Growth Rate 3%

Growth Rate 0.3%

Diversity
3.9
Race

American Indian and Alaska Native 0.51%

Asian 11.65%

Black or African American 7.34%

Hispanic or Latino 11.90%

Unknown 5.57%

White 63.04%

Gender

female 70.77%

male 29.23%

Age - 34
Race

American Indian and Alaska Native 3.00%

Asian 7.00%

Black or African American 14.00%

Hispanic or Latino 19.00%

White 57.00%

Gender

female 47.00%

male 53.00%

Age - 34
Stress Level
6.2

Stress level is manageable

7.1 - high

Complexity Level
6.9

Complexity Level is challenging

7 - challenging

Work Life Balance
6.1

Work Life balance is fair

6.4 - fair

Fashion Director career paths

Key steps to become a fashion director

  1. Explore fashion director education requirements

    Most common fashion director degrees

    Bachelor's

    73.3 %

    Associate

    16.4 %

    Master's

    5.7 %
  2. Start to develop specific fashion director skills

    Skills
    ascdesc
    Percentages
    ascdesc
    Photo Shoots21.30%
    Editorials9.95%
    Market Trends7.74%
    Gross Margin7.68%
    NYC7.66%
  3. Complete relevant fashion director training and internships

    Accountants spend an average of 6-12 months on post-employment, on-the-job training. New fashion directors learn the skills and techniques required for their job and employer during this time. The chart below shows how long it takes to gain competency as a fashion director based on U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics data and data from real fashion director resumes.
  4. Research fashion director duties and responsibilities

    • Manage inventory of jewelry and supplies to ensure availability.
    • Provide creative copy direction and copywriting for pharmaceutical clients' internal corporate communications programs, training programs and sales force meetings.
    • Monitor checkout stations to ensure that they have adequate cash available and that they are staff appropriately.
  5. Get fashion director experience

    Generally, it takes 4-6 years to become a fashion director. The most common roles before becoming a fashion director include sales associate, fashion editor team lead and internship.
  6. Apply for fashion director jobs

    Now it's time to start searching for a fashion director job. Consider the tips below for a successful job search:

    1. Browse job boards for relevant postings
    2. Consult your professional network
    3. Reach out to companies you're interested in working for directly
    4. Watch out for job scams

How Did You Land Your First Fashion Director Job

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Average fashion director salary

The average Fashion Director salary in the United States is $117,438 per year or $56 per hour. Fashion director salaries range between $60,000 and $229,000 per year.

Average Fashion Director Salary
$117,438 Yearly
$56.46 hourly

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Updated January 8, 2025

Zippia Research Team
Zippia Team

Editorial Staff

The Zippia Research Team has spent countless hours reviewing resumes, job postings, and government data to determine what goes into getting a job in each phase of life. Professional writers and data scientists comprise the Zippia Research Team.

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