If you’ve always wanted to enter the fashion industry but designing is not for you, there are so many more opportunities in fashion outside of design.

One of those is working as a fashion merchandiser. 

In a nutshell, fashion merchandisers are in charge of figuring out what clothes you see in stores, or what styles a brand’s fashion collection will include, based on their extensive knowledge on trends and consumer preferences.

With over a decade of hands-on experience in the fashion industry as an in-house and freelance fashion designer, I’ve collaborated closely with fashion merchandisers to bring products from concept to production. 

This article includes all that I’ve learned with my 10+ years of experience in the industry and the information I’ve gathered after surveying and interviewing over a hundred fashion professionals and freelancers in different roles, including fashion merchandisers. 

I’ll also share how you can work remotely as a freelance fashion merchandiser (and how much money you can make), citing firsthand experiences from actual fashion merchandisers we’ve surveyed and interviewed in my podcast.

What Does a Fashion Merchandiser Do?

A fashion merchandiser is responsible for selecting and curating an assortment of clothing and accessories to meet consumer demands. This includes studying market trends and planning product ranges – picking out what clothes should be made and how much they should cost.

To do this, fashion merchandisers collaborate with designers, buyers, and marketers to ensure that products align with brand image and appeal to target customers. 

The exact role might look different depending on whether it’s for a brand or a retail store. There could be crossover in these roles, but let’s look at them distinctly. 

A fashion merchandiser for a fashion brand, like Lululemon*, will help figure out what the collection assortment will include. I like to think of it like a high level design role. They won’t be designing the individual garments in as much detail as a designer is, but rather designing the collection as a whole. Should it include 2 sweaters, 1 jacket, 1 pants, and 4 tees? Should a dress be part of that assortment too?

*Yes, Lululemon designs all their own products and has retail stores. I don’t know how their teams are structured, but my guess is that there might be separate roles for merchandising the “collection” versus merchandising the “stores” based on the sheer size of the company. 

A fashion merchandiser for a retail store, like Anthropologie, will help figure out what assortment and how much of each type of product should go in the store. Should they have 3 coat options, 6 jackets, 12 sweaters, and 18 long sleeve blouse options? Beyond that, they would break down specifically what types – so for sweaters, it might be 2 pullovers, 3 cardigans, 2 dusters, etc. The person(s) in this role would have to consider a lot of variables to determine this, including location based trends, weather, and more. A store in California would not be merchandised with all the same items as a store in New York!

And then it gets more confusing because, like Anthropologie, a lot of retail stores also have their own label. So, the merchandiser might come up with the key assortment for the store for the next season, identify some of those items in the market, and work with the design team to develop items under their own brand to fill in holes.

Ok, if your head is spinning, let’s break it down simply. Here’s a list of the responsibilities of a fashion merchandiser, which may vary slightly based on the type of role:

• Market Research: Fashion merchandisers dive deep into market trends, analyzing what people are loving, wearing, and talking about. 
• Trend Analysis: Finding future ‘it’ items before they become mainstream is a big part of the job. To stay ahead of trends, fashion merchandisers use market research, trend forecasts, sales data, and more to anticipate what customers will want seasons ahead.
• Product Selection: Choosing fabrics, colors, and styles that align with both the brand’s identity and current market demands.
• Product Development: Working closely with designers, deciding which designs will be produced or stocked, and collaborating with manufacturers. (So, you can still expect yourself to be included in design-related meetings as a fashion merchandiser!)
• Supplier Negotiation: Negotiate with suppliers to secure favorable terms, ensuring quality products are sourced efficiently and cost-effectively.
• Sourcing: Identify and establish relationships with reliable suppliers to secure quality materials and finished products, ensuring a smooth supply chain for the fashion brand.
• Pricing Strategy: Determine the right price for each product, balancing production costs, competitor pricing, and what customers are willing to pay – all while maintaining profit margins.
• Sales Analysis: Regularly assess sales performance, identify patterns, and use data-driven insights to adjust strategies and maximize revenue.
• Inventory Management: Track stock levels, ensuring there’s enough to meet demand without overstocking.
• Promotions and Marketing: Collaborate with marketing teams, devising strategies to promote products. This may include pop-up shops, social media campaigns, collaborations, etc.

To give you a bit more insight on how all of that works, here’s a little peek into the day-to-day work of fashion merchandiser Mary Sirota.

“As a Fashion Merchandiser my daily responsibilities contribute to the success of our team. My primary focus is on ensuring the effective presentation and promotion of our products. 

On a daily basis, I engage in market research to stay attuned to the latest fashion trends and consumer preferences. This allows me to curate and create visually appealing displays that capture the attention of our target audience. I collaborate closely with the design and purchasing teams to make informed decisions about inventory levels, product assortment, and pricing strategies. This involves analyzing sales data and forecasting future trends to optimize our merchandise mix and drive sales. 

I am responsible for maintaining strong relationships with suppliers and negotiating favorable terms to secure the best products for our collections. Effective communication and coordination with the sales team are crucial to ensure that our merchandise aligns with customer demands and expectations.”

Connect with Mary Sirota here on Linkedin.

Common Misconceptions on Fashion Merchandising

Fashion merchandising, visual merchandising, and fashion buying – these roles often get tossed around together, but the reality is that they are all distinct roles. That said, these three roles often collaborate closely to make sure that the fashion brand’s products sell well.

Fashion Merchandiser vs Visual Merchandiser

When you go window shopping and see an attractive product display, you have visual merchandisers to thank. They work on store layouts and product arrangements to create visually engaging store displays. Their main goal is to elevate presentation and aesthetics, making products visually appealing and draw customers in store. 

So, while both collaborate closely to craft a seamless shopping experience, fashion merchandisers focus on the strategic management of products, ensuring they align with market trends and consumer demand. On the other hand, visual merchandisers contribute by enhancing the brand’s visual identity through captivating displays, creating a welcoming and aesthetically pleasing atmosphere for customers.

Fashion Merchandiser vs Fashion Buyer

The line between fashion buyers and fashion merchandisers may seem blurry because they both deal with product selection and analyzing market trends. 

To clarify the difference – a fashion buyer‘s role is more on the front end, primarily focusing on sourcing and pitching products based on trend forecasts. They negotiate deals and make purchases. On the other hand, fashion merchandisers work on overall product strategy, including selecting products, determining how best to sell them, right down to pricing decisions.

Pro Tip: Fashion brands use the term fashion merchandiser and fashion buyer interchangeably, so be sure to read the job description when you’re applying for the role. The good thing is that because the roles overlap, having experience on either gives you enough background to apply to both.

How To Become a Fashion Merchandiser (even without a degree)

You might be wondering, ‘Can I become a fashion merchandiser without a fashion degree?’

The short answer is YES.

In fact, a couple of the fashion merchandisers we surveyed in our list don’t have fashion or merchandising degrees. Some also have degrees not directly under fashion or merchandising like marketing, business, and economics.

And although having a degree is a great start, it’s not the only way in. Real-life experience counts big time, even if it’s not directly related to fashion.

One of the most important steps to becoming a fashion merchandiser is to gain practical experience. To do this, you can start by looking for fashion merchandising internships or consider working in retail – starting from the bottom gives you a solid understanding of how things work.

Some of the fashion merchandisers I’ve interviewed started out with completely different roles in their companies, like admin officers, technical designers, or were working in fashion sales and took the leap once their companies had merchandising openings.

Like Shelby Collins, who despite having a degree in fashion, didn’t see herself working as a fashion designer. She worked her way up on various roles in the industry starting with admin roles like customer support. She also worked as a brand coordinator with various tasks like material sourcing, approving material colors, handling communication with factories, collaborating with the marketing team, up to organizing photo shoots which SHE LOVED. 

Shelby was mindful to create relationships in the workplace and always went the extra mile. Ultimately, her hard work and her knack for connecting genuinely with people helped her score an interview for a Product Line Coordinator position where she got promoted TWICE. Now, Shelby works as a fashion merchandiser, more specifically, a Senior Product Manager at VF Corp. 

The point is there’s no one way to become a fashion merchandiser. If you want to hear her story, we talk about Shelby’s career journey in full detail in my podcast. In our conversation, Shelby also shares tons of great tips on how to build your fashion merchandising career.

Working as a Freelance Fashion Merchandiser

Just like any role in fashion (freelance fashion designer, technical designer, etc.), fashion merchandising can totally be done freelance and remotely. 

You can check platforms like Upwork for freelance fashion merchandiser listings to find remote work arrangements. (And here’s how to send a great UpWork cover letter!)

And one of my favorite tips for fashion freelancers, go and find brands you’d like to work with and pitch directly. Tell them why they need you and how you can help their business. (I have more tips on cold pitching here!)

Side Note: Most of the time, fashion freelancers  wear more hats than people who work in-house. I know many freelance “fashion designers” who are also working a merchandising role (amongst other tasks). So, keep that in mind if you’re interested in exploring freelancing full time.

How Much Money Does a Fashion Merchandiser Make?

While salary ranges vary, I’m including actual dollar figures of fashion merchandisers working in house vs freelance. 

Based on Glassdoor and ZipRecruiter, fashion merchandisers working in the USA can earn between $45,662 to $53,200 annually and at an average of $21.88 to $25.49 hourly, at the time of writing. 

(If you want to know more about industry ranges in fashion, check out my article about which fashion industry jobs pay well).

Working as a freelance merchandiser can make you MORE money while working remotely at the comfort of your own home. 

If you’re curious to see if this is ACTUALLY possible, here are a couple of my FAST graduates who are making great wages working freelance as fashion designers/merchandisers.

Krystal Lewis is on track to make a whopping $300k this year (2023). Krystal started out as an apparel designer and has worked both in house and freelance for brands. With so much demand for her work, she was able to shift her company Black Unicorn Merchandising from a side project into a full-time business.

Connie was able to transform her side hustle into a design agency in just over 18 months of working freelance (and in 2022, earned $1,005,300 – yes, that is over A MILLION dollars!).

Freelancing in fashion takes its own sort of effort and determination. And I’m not saying it’s easy (nothing in fashion is). But, you can earn a LOT MORE with less stress and more time for yourself.

A great place to start building your freelance career, as a fashion merchandiser and beyond, is with my Ultimate Guide to Becoming A Freelance Fashion Designer (it’s free!).