Want To Build a Career in Sustainable Fashion? Here Are 10 Tips To Get Started

By Stella Hertantyo

 
 
 
 

As the sustainable fashion movement grows, there has also been a growing interest in how to embark on a career in sustainable fashion.

While starting a slow fashion brand is one approach, it's far from the only way. To change the fashion industry and transform it into one that is more just and sustainable, we will need everyone.

Luckily, this means that there are many different ways to get involved — and many different ways to create a career. From stylists and journalists to consultants and material scientists, careers in this space will be different for everyone.

Here are 10 tips for how to reflect on your contribution and embark on a career in sustainable fashion….

  1. Use Your Interests To Figure Out Your Niche

All of us have a unique skill set and lens to offer this movement. Co-founder of The All We Can Save Project, Dr. Ayana Elizabeth Johnson’s climate action framework is useful for figuring out how your unique positioning can contribute to a collective movement. You will start by drawing three circles that overlap in a Venn diagram. 

Fill one with what brings you joy (what excites you and drives you), one with what you’re good at (your skills, network, and resources), and the final with the work that needs doing (solutions that you can identify and empathize with). The intersections of these circles determine your role in this movement for change.

Also, think about:

  • What is it about sustainable fashion that you like and what drew you to the movement?

  • What is it that you think needs to be changed?

  • What do you see yourself doing in three to five years?

Perhaps you have a keen interest in current events and policy and would consider a career in fashion law. Or maybe you love numbers and feel called toward data science and research. 

Perhaps words are your way of expressing yourself and you’d like to become a journalist. Maybe clothing is how you express yourself and you’d like to explore becoming a sustainable stylist. Or perhaps being a sustainable fashion educator feels like your life’s purpose. The options are endless.

This part of career crafting requires deep reflection. And often, we won’t know exactly what our calling is until we embark on the journey of working towards a sustainable fashion career. Plus, this might change several times in your career.

So while this is an important exercise in self-reflection, don’t worry if you don’t have your exact niche figured out from the get-go.

 

2. Consider Your Location

Reflecting on where you live — or where you want to work from — is an important starting point for reviewing your work options. Consider what sustainable fashion businesses and organizations you know of in the country, or region, where you are based. If you don’t know of any, do some research.

Think about:

  • What are the sustainability and fashion industries like in your area or region?

  • Are there any gaps in the industry that you think need to be filled?

  • Can you think of examples of people in your area or region that do the kind of work that you aspire to? If not, are there people you follow online that do similar work?

  • Are there organizations you can support or join to become a part of your local sustainable fashion community? If not, are there online networks you could join?

  • Would you like to work in your country’s context? Or would you consider relocating for work? Or do you want to work remotely? 

Researching what is going on in your country, or area, will help you figure out what is needed and what is already out there. Because sustainable fashion is nuanced and can look different from person to person, geographic context also plays a role in the nuances of what sustainable fashion requires in practice.

 
 
 

3. Reflect on Your Ideal Employment Arrangement

It’s not always possible to dive into a full-time job from the get-go. And you may also not want a full-time job for a number of reasons. Think about:

  • Do you want a full-time role?

  • Are you working other jobs and prefer to look for part-time, freelance, or contract-based work? If so, how many hours a week would you like to work?

  • Would you like to be self-employed? Or employed by an organization?

  • Are you able to work remotely? Or do you work best in person in an office setting? Do you prefer working with your hands (e.g., mending or upcycling) or outside of an office setting (e.g., campaigning or in a classroom)?

Before doing a job hunt and putting in applications, you should have a clear understanding of the type of employment arrangement that would suit your unique circumstance.

 
 

4. Reminder: Career Pivots Are Entirely Possible

You don’t have to start your career in sustainability to be a part of the space. If sustainable fashion is something that you are curious about, allow yourself to take small steps toward this career path.

This is also a reminder that it is possible to pivot from working in fast fashion to working in slow fashion. Amanda McCarty, the host of the Clotheshorse Podcast, had a career pivot from fast fashion to sustainable fashion that is the perfect example of this.

 

5. Research Which Career Paths Require A Degree Or Don't

Some jobs will require a degree — such as fashion law or a research-based scientific job — and others where a degree is less necessary or not necessary at all. For example, starting an entrepreneurial venture or becoming a writer may not require a degree. Oftentimes experience and a keen desire to keep learning are enough.

 You’ll need to consider what makes the most sense to you. Do you want to, or are you able to, go back to school to get a new degree? Or would you prefer to search for jobs that don’t require a  new qualification?

For jobs that don’t require a degree, it is still important to have an in-depth understanding of the industry and find ways to develop your skills.

 

6. Continuously Broaden and Deepen Your Knowledge

If you want to work in the sustainable fashion space, you have to understand what you are talking about — regardless of whether you have a degree or not. You don’t have to be an expert on everything, but having a broad base of knowledge so that you can apply these insights in your workplace is essential.

Slow Factory’s Open Edu classes share a wealth of knowledge about the many nuances and intersections of sustainable fashion — from sustainability literacy and waste-led design to cultural appropriation and regenerative agriculture. All their webinars are free, but a donation helps to sustain their work.

FutureLearn is a platform that allows you a limited period of free access to courses and has a broad sustainable fashion offering including:

And if you don’t have the time to do a full course, there are also many informative sustainable fashion podcasts, books, blogs, documentaries, and free educational resources that you can learn from.

To keep up to date with news, insights, information, and events in the sustainable fashion space, a few organizations to follow are:

 

7. Start Small, Wherever You Are, With What You Have

Trying to map exactly how you are doing to establish a sustainable fashion career from the very beginning may feel daunting. One of the best ways to overcome this overwhelm is to just start – where you are, with what you have.

 

Although this is easier said than done, try to think about what excites you the most about working in the sustainable fashion space. Then brainstorm small, realistic ways that you could begin to create a practice around this in your life.

For example, if you love writing, consider starting a blog to share written pieces about your perspectives on sustainable fashion. If you are passionate about content creation and social media, make time to create content that speaks to this and share it online. Perhaps you have a knack for upcycling clothing, so why not start an upcycling project and document it? Or if graphic design is what brings you joy, create eye-catching graphics that demonstrate the kind of designs you could create for brands or organizations.

You can also look around for volunteer opportunities at brands or organizations whose values you align with.

Even if you don’t have a job or degree in the field you want to get into, starting these kinds of side projects, or volunteering at organizations, helps to develop skills and experience. Having clear examples of the type of work you are capable of will make your job application stand out

 
 

8. Focus on Building Relationships, Not Just Professional Connections

Immersing yourself in the sustainable fashion community — online and offline if possible — will help you build relationships with different people and organizations in the space. 

Instead of just being in the space to make professional connections and ask for jobs, take the time to get to know people, listen, and learn from others.

Being active in the space gets your name out there and career opportunities will often develop organically. It will also help you figure out which causes, organizations, and businesses you are most drawn to.

Carve out some time to attend conscious fashion events, engage with social media content, participate in online webinars, and strike up a conversation with people whose work moves you. 

If starting a conversation feels daunting, ease yourself into it by offering the person a compliment, mentioning something that you found interesting about their work, or asking them a question you have been wondering about that relates to their expertise. Or, initiate online interactions by replying to their stories and commenting on, and sharing, their posts. Every time your name pops up on a comment, or you ask an insightful question, you are slowly building up a good impression and showing them that you truly care about these topics.

 

9. Be Mindful of Your Online Presence

Not all jobs require you to have an online presence. But because we live in the age of the internet, and potential employers may well take a look at your social media, having an online presence that reflects your values is useful.

Especially if your work is public-facing — such as working as a journalist or in the media — creating an engaging community online and a place to share your work, topics that you are curious about, and your journey with sustainable fashion may earn you an extra golden star when they weigh up your job application.

 

10. Browse Sustainable Fashion Job Boards

Job boards are invaluable resources when it comes to finding places to apply to, because they share many opportunities that you may not have stumbled across on your own. Here are a few sustainable fashion job boards for you to keep an eye on:

  • The Conscious Fashion Collective Job Board: Our own curation of sustainable fashion jobs ranging from freelancer and contractor openings to early career and mid to experienced roles. You can also sign up for our biweekly newsletter to get job opportunities in your inbox.

  • The Sustainable Fashion Forum Job Board: Another thoughtful curation of sustainable fashion jobs divided into jobs in the United States, Europe, and worldwide.

  • Kyna Intel’s Job Board: Kyna Intel is a searchable database and newsletter for fashion sustainability stakeholders. And they have a database full of global sustainable fashion job opportunities. You can also sign up for their newsletter for regular job updates.

  • Reconsidered’s Impact Jobs Hub: Every other week, Reconsidered shares a hand-picked selection of impact and sustainability roles at companies and organizations around the world. While these jobs are not limited to fashion, there are often a few fashion jobs in the mix.

While it is not quite a job board, LinkedIn is another great place to start your job search. You can create a detailed profile that reflects your interests, skills, and educational or career background. The algorithm is extremely efficient when it comes to connecting you with like-minded people, organizations, and potential job opportunities.

We hope these tips make navigating your way through the start of your sustainable fashion career journey a little bit easier. We’re rooting for you!

 
 
 
 
 

About the Author:

Stella Hertantyo is based in Cape Town, South Africa, and is currently completing her PGDip in Sustainable Development to accompany her undergraduate in Multimedia journalism. She is a slow-living enthusiast and a lover of low-impact fashion.

She is passionate about encouraging an approach to sustainability that is inclusive, accessible, and fun as we try to figure out how to create a more sustainable and just world, together.

When Stella is not in front of her laptop doing uni work, you'll probably find her reading, writing, illustrating, or baking/cooking. A dip in the ocean, or a walk in the mountains, are the two things that bring her the most peace.

 
 

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10 Sustainable Fashion Careers - Conscious Fashion Collective
10 Sustainable Fashion Careers - Conscious Fashion Collective
 
 
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