Is fashion a good career? After 15 years working across the industry – as a brand owner, full-time employee, and freelancer – here’s the honest truth:

It depends on the path you choose, but most people don’t realize how wildly different each one is. 

What I’ve learned (and what you rarely hear about) might surprise you.

My Experience Working in the Fashion Industry for 15+ years

While my perspective is mine alone, I’ve also heard thousands of stories over the years from the SFD community, my 25k+ email subscribers, hundreds of guests I’ve interviewed on my Freelancers Get Paid Podcast, and 1000+ students inside my FAST Programs.

What I’ve written here is a collection of those stories and my own experiences.

1. Is Having Your Own Fashion Brand A Good Career?

Verdict: Hard NO

Starting your own fashion brand is often glamorized. But behind the scenes? It’s one of the toughest, most draining paths you can take.

Despite the fact that I quickly grew my brand to $40k and had my designs in 50+ retailers around the world as a young 20-something with no industry experience, I was totally broke and hated the life I created. 

I ended up spending more time managing logistics and chasing sales than actually designing. It felt like I was stuck in a constant hustle with very little payoff.

In my personal opinion and from the brand founders I know and have interviewed, having a fashion brand is not a good career. It takes a lot of time and money to get started and there are a lot of misconceptions out there.

Once you actually have a product, it’s freaking hard to sell (even if you’ve had a successful Kickstarter). Of course there’s a chance for success, and I’m not here to be a dream crusher, but it’s the absolute hardest path to pursue in fashion.

2. Is Having A Full-Time Fashion Design Job A Good Career?

Verdict: Maybe

There’s some sort of stability when working in-house, and unlike having your own brand, you don’t have to fund anything. Of course you give up creative liberties, and you’re tied to a 9-5 office job, but there are benefits. With every “stable” career, there are drawbacks as well.

I worked in-house for a brand for less than 2 years until I decided it wasn’t for me. I had the highest anxiety of my life and was stuck in a super toxic office. To top it off, I was paid $22k while putting in 60-80 hr weeks. Even in 2008, that was a really low wage considering all the bullsh!t I put up with.

Full-time fashion design jobs are extremely demanding, inflexible, and underpaid. I’ve even interviewed one designer who only saw her son once each morning because he was already asleep when she got home from work (she ultimately quit to start freelancing).

The role is also not as creative as most people expect – brand policies are very restrictive, and you’re often designing the same thing over and over each season. A lot of designers I know have described it as “pumping out whatever is dumped on your plate.”

Note on “steady” and “stable”: I reference these words with quotes because I personally don’t believe that full-time jobs, especially in fashion, are actually that stable. Most designers I know have been laid off multiple times – downsizing, budget cuts, and poor sales are among the reasons. When you get let go from a full-time job, you lose 100% of your income and stability. *Poof* Just like that, everything is gone, and it’s hard to find a new job.

3. Is Being A Freelance Fashion Designer A Good Career?

Verdict: YESSSSSSS

Any career in fashion takes effort and work. Freelancing is no different. But from my 15+ years experience as a freelancer making $100k+, I think it’s the best career path in this industry.

I worked a comfortable 25-30 hours a week for brands I cared about and had the freedom and flexibility to work when and where I wanted. I traveled a ton, hit yoga midweek with my favorite teachers, and loved the work I did.

Compared to having my own brand and working as an employee, it was the best fashion career I could have dreamed of. Not only was I fulfilled, I made way more money than I had working full-time or running my own brand.

This isn’t just from my personal perspective, but from the stories from our 1000+ students inside Freelance Accelerator: from Surviving to Thriving (FAST).

Like Sarah Ward (LinkedIn), a FAST grad who’s making almost double as a freelancer compared to her previous full-time industry job: 

“Life as an employee felt like constantly rushing. I was rushing to drop off my son at beforecare, rushing to work, rushing to get work done so I could pick up my son at aftercare, rushing home to make dinner, etc. Life as a freelancer is so much more flexible and less rushed! I also really love being able to work on so many different types of projects with different clients. It never gets monotonous or boring! I feel that I’m always learning with freelancing, which you don’t always get to do when you’ve been at the same company for a long time.”

Or like Alison Hoenes (Linkedin), another FAST grad who makes 75% more as a freelancer than she made working in-house. She enjoys the freelancing lifestyle and the variety of work.

“My favorite things are setting my own schedule and being able to choose my clients so I work with people I enjoy on projects that I love doing! Also, nothing beats seeing the excitement of a client when they’ve reached their goal after a successful project.”

There’s also PK (Instagram), who was sick of the 9-5 grind and wanted to spend more time with her son. She has so many clients, she started a small design agency and hired other freelancers to help!

“I had big visions of owning a design studio and having a team of designers doing what they love. I used to think that I could confidently say that I am a design studio owner, only when I have rented out an office. But when the pandemic hit, I saw huge companies, transitioning to a work from home model, which I was already doing. Only then I realised, you don’t need a fancy office. I can realise my vision, from the comfort of my home, which is great. Today my son is 8 years old and he peeks into my computer all the time, and keeps asking me to teach him how to design. I love this life.”

Final Thoughts: Fashion Is A Good Career

Fashion is a good career, it just depends on what path you choose. No matter what part of fashion you want to pursue, freelancing is the best of all worlds. I’d love to help you get started!

My Free Step-by-Step Guide to Being a Freelance Fashion Designer is the best place to start.

If you’re into podcasts, my Fashion Designers Get Paid Podcast is a gold mine for insights. You’ll hear from successful freelancers around the world, listen in on live Q&A calls, and meet industry experts.

You got this!