What is promotion?

- the publication of a product, organization, or venture so as to increase sales or public awareness.

Fashion promotion

Designers and manufacturers design and produce the product, promoters organise how it will be advertised and sold such as: image concept or brand to either an audience or market.

Jobs include : Buying and Merchandising, visual merchandising styling, public relations, Events management and journalism.

Fashion StylistJob description and activities

Fashion stylists create visual images, such as photographs used in magazine articles or videos used in the music industry. Working from a design brief, stylists work with teams of people such as photographers, art directors, designers, lighting technicians and set builders.

The work involves planning creative solutions to the design brief, selecting the most suitable accessories to complement garments and arranging these appropriately.

Typical work activities include:

• contacting public relation (PR) companies, manufacturers and retailers;
• finding the best range of merchandise to be used in a shoot;
• hiring, borrowing or purchasing garments and props, getting these garments to the studio or location and deciding which works best;
• dressing people, such as models, used in the shoot;
• building up a network of contacts;
• keeping a keen eye on every emerging fashion trend.

Hours are often long, because work continues until a photo shoot is finished.

Companies who employ stylists include magazines, newspapers, retail organisations, advertising agencies, publishers, media design companies and music production companies. Some stylists are self-employed and some work part time alongside another job.

Stylists may progress from editorial assistant work on fashion magazines where there is constant contact with PR companies, manufacturers and retailers

The Independent

I Want Your Job: Fashion stylist

'I often spend the day shopping'

Interview by Alex McRae

Thursday, 14 June 2007

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  • EXTRA LARGE

Rachel Fanconi, 35, is a fashion stylist who has worked with David Beckham, Rachel Weisz, Sadie Frost, Calista Flockhart and Robbie Williams.

What do you actually do?

Fashion styling is basically about making people look nice. I work on editorial photo shoots, styling models for fashion spreads in magazines and newspapers, and I also style celebrities for big red-carpet events and awards ceremonies – I was Helen Mirren's stylist for this year's Baftas. The clothes are usually loaned, because when an outfit appears in a magazine or on a celebrity, it's advertising. There's a strong commercial element to styling – what I do sells frocks.

What's a typical working day like?

A typical day usually starts with me packing up and returning clothes worn at an awards ceremony the night before, then heading out to harvest new things for my next assignment. Some stylists go through PR agencies to find clothes, but I prefer to deal with people directly, and I try to support London designers. As a stylist, your contacts are extremely important, so I'm very protective with mine. If I'm dressing someone new, I'll call the person first to discuss their likes and dislikes, which helps me to put together a profile. Then I'll spend the day shopping and bring back lots of different outfits for them to choose from.

What's the best thing about your job?

Shopping. I hope that doesn't sound too shallow. Aside from that, it's the social aspect of the job. I work with a big list of people – models, make-up artists, photographers – on various different assignments, and it's lovely checking in with them if I haven't seen them for a few months. You're collaborating together to make something look gorgeous, and when things come together, it's hugely satisfying.

What's tough about it?

It's easy to get caught up in the glamorous hoop-la and fabulousness of the job. I feel that with any demanding career, it's important to have perspective – otherwise you could let styling take over your life and become a caricature "fashion" person, ending up in a bubble. My husband and I are both stylists, but we're also Millwall season ticket holders – we try to keep part of our lives separate from our jobs.

What skills do you need to be a top fashion stylist?

It's not enough to have an artistic eye. Try to find inspiration in unexpected places. If you go to gigs, exhibitions and plays, it will inform your work. During a fashion shoot, you have to be hawk-eyed, ready to swoop on any visible bra straps or an uneven hemline. Pickiness and organisation are important. I take digital photos and print out suggestions of shoe, bag and outfit combinations, to make sure everything goes together. And I'm obsessive about my styling kit, which has my clothes steamer, pins, insoles, lots of underwear and toupee tape. If a dress needs extra padding round the bust, but there's only one "chicken fillet" in your kit, it's no use at all.

What would you say to someone who wanted to get where you are?

It may look like it's all frocks and high heels, but the reality is that it's a lot of hard graft. Get a qualification under your belt – not necessarily a degree in fashion styling, but maybe in design, which will give you useful dressmaking skills so you can do alterations. Then do work experience with a stylist in the most stressful environment possible – probably fashion shoots for a newspaper – so you learn to work under pressure to deadline. Try to learn your craft from a stylist you admire, be as professional as you can, and be prepared to do a lot of work for free.

What's the salary and career path like?

Don't expect to make any money for the first two years – you'll have to supplement your income with other part-time work. I'm nervous about saying what I earn, because I run my own business, but you get paid per assignment and it really varies. At the top end, stylists working on a television commercial could make £10,000 a day. You could work freelance, or for an agency. As a freelancer, you often progress through meeting a new set of people on each job you do.