COMMUNICATION LIVE PROJECT

G N I L G Y N I T SSTYLLING G Y N I T SSTYLLING G Y N I T SSTYLLING G Y N I T SSTYLLING Y T S TION A C I N

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‘TO IDENTIFY THE KEY SKILLS OF A COMMERCIAL E-COMMERCE STYLIST SITUATED IN THE MID MARKET LEVEL AND DEFINE THE CURRENT OPPORTUNITIES AND FUTURE DEVELOPMENT OF THE ROLE VIA A CASE STUDY ANALYSIS.’

CON TENT

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INTRODUCTION

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LITERATURE REVIEW

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METHODOLOGY

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FINDINGS

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CONCLUSION REFERENCES/

INTRODU CTION

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“In the endless rely of fashion, great stylists are the ones who pass on the baton for the season to come, reinterpreting what they’ve seen on the runway to predict what happens next.� (Mowner, S. 2017, p2)

This investigation aims to identify the definition of a stylist, the role and its various levels and the key skills of a stylist situated within the commercial e-commerce sector and, distinguish the current opportunities and future development of the role.

A comprehensive exploration of the current literature relating to the role will be analysed in order to ascertain what developments and opportunities there are within the fashion styling industry from key text relating to the jobs market. Alongside this secondary information gathered through existing texts I will be carrying out primary research in order to investigate the hypothesis put forward. This will be conducted using both qualitative and quantitative research methodologies which will the determine the conclusion on identifying the key skills of a commercial e-commerce stylist. The primary research will consist of an interview where a present stylist will be interviewed with questions relating to her styling career journey. The primary research will also consist of an analysis of 10 LinkedIn profiles from diverse levels of e-commerce styling and identifying their role description as well as the key skills required in the job role. This analysis will be used to gain a wider spectrum of knowledge in the fashion industry and break down the fundamental steps into an e-commerce stylist career.

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LITERATURE REVIEW

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LITERATURE REVIEW The definition of Styling lies above just fashion, its more than just fashion. Styling can be distinguished in many different forms such as editorial, food, makeup, runway and personal styling (Burns- Trans, S. 2007, p23).

In a wider perspective styling is the creation of an aesthetic that is appealing to the eye. Fashion styling is composing garments in a way that is satisfying to the onlooker. Alongside skills there’s also a level of business acumen that a stylist needs to sustain. Stylists are required to undertake business roles such as billing, invoicing, agreements and most importantly business professionalism. Usually a stylist will be hired based on their talent, aesthetic, experience and if they fit the client’s needs and wants.

Within fashion styling it demands to collate pieces of clothing to aesthetically please its audience.

This collation can be created for fashion editorials (personality, music and celebrity), advertising (commercial) and e-commerce and entertainment industry such as tv shows and films.

EVOLUTION OF THE STYLIST The evolution of styling has come a long way since it was first presented in the fashion industry. During the 2000s celebrity styling was the ordinary, especially in the United States. Styling became more prominent when celebrities became the epitome of fashion and started growing their influence in the fashion industry.

THE ROLE OF THE STYLIST In the most recent years starting from 2010 onwards e-commerce styling has found its place in a bigger market operation. (Shradha, 2018). Being a stylist requires a great deal of in-depth knowledge of designers, fashion history, present and future developments. As well has knowledge in fashion overall stylists need to have knowledge in what’s happening around the world that may impact their creative styling.

KnowledgeSet of past, current and future trends is also extremely important for a stylist as it sometimes determines how stylists style garments. Several current trends are now influenced by past trends which is why it’s so important to have an in-depth knowledge of fashion history and its designers. It’s also how stylists flourish from studying from the past and learning from different mediums. Researching of fashion is a factor in styling, continuous researching on different mediums and different types of fashion is crucial is beneficial to generate ideas on how to style effectively. Usually a stylist will be hired based on their talent and work and if they fit the client’s needs and wants. There are different levels of styling that stylist may undertake. They are editorial styling which could be styling for music videos, celebrity and personality. The other styling level is advertising styling which can be commercial styling for brands; creating tv advertisements and lookbooks.

Editorial styling is based on seasonal fashion whereas commercial styling could be anything from a sports lookbook to a high-end styling (Dingemans, J. 1999, p64). Lastly, e-commerce styling is the most recent type of styling; it requires styling for online use such as brand websites.

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LITERATURE REVIEW

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THE ROLE OF THE E-COMMERCE STYLIST E-commerce styling is a relatively new concept in fashion. It was only introduced after 2010. It was created because the internet started becoming a global spread technology that has made e-commerce buying easier and faster. Brands have been under pressure to personalise online users experience with shopping online by blurring the line between real life brick and mortar stores and online. Since e-commerce buying spiked brands have been under pressure to make the experience of e-commerce exclusive and appealing to its customers. Making the garments appealing to the eye can encourage sales so therefore it’s so important for brands to have a professional styling. The role of e-commerce stylists involves the same things as a stylist for example billing, invoices, returns.

THE KEY SKILLS OF A E-COMMERCE STYLIST Being an e-commerce stylist requires a large spectrum of skills in order to be successful. It’s important for stylists to show evidence of this in their work. According to Burns-trans (Burns- Trans, S. 2007, p20) one of the skills is the ability to spot trends; the stylists style sense and styling skills is what controls the fashion direction on shoots. Sources such as WGSN is a great tool for stylists to keep up with trends in colour, shapes and textures within the fashion industry that coherently build trendy styling looks.

To develop their visual styling knowledge stylists, need to have a in depth understanding of visual composition and proportions (Hanley, J 2017). These are visual elements a stylist must understand to compose outfits together; outfits must proportionally fit the model based on the look directors are going for. This leads onto knowledge on body shapes and how a garment may fit a silhouette. Although e-commerce stylists don’t operate the camera, they should have comprehension on camera work and how clothing will appear in front of a camera; how the lighting works with the colours presented.

Whilst stylists use their creativity to create fashion looks stylists also need to use their left side of the brain which is used more for logical and technical side of the job role. Stylist must be able to be organised; not only mentally with work schedules but also physically on set. Being a multi tasker is essential as a stylist will be working on multiple tasks at once as well as written assignments.

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METHOD OLOGY

In this investigation a multi method approach was required in order to get the best results for this investigation. Research tools from both qualitative and quantitative data was used to get an objective outcome to this investigation on the role of e-commerce styling. The first method used was an interview (a form of primary research); it was used because this form of research gives an in-depth insight to the subject (Crowder, 2015). Primary research holds relevancy and accuracy to the topic being investigated which is an advantage that cannot be gained from secondary research. ‘Primary research is undertaken to answer the part of your research problem that you either cannot answer through primary research or checking out’ (Collins, H. 2010, p124). LinkedIn will also be the primary source used in this investigation. LinkedIn profiles information will be gathered to uncover the role description and key skills required from a variety of different level professionals working in the styling industry. The advantages of secondary research are that its highly assessible and very easy to gather. This research was carried out to analyse the career paths of professionals and how they got to their current position.

The second method will be qualitative data which will involve extracting information on styling and e-commerce styling from existing texts. These texts come from articles online, physical journals, books and magazines which is a form of secondary research.

FINDINGS

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MATRIX 15 years + 15 year out of undergrad possibly MA any other professional memberships

10-15 years 10-15 year out of undergrad possibly MA

7-10 years 7-10 year out of undergrad possibly MA

Participant 1

Missguided styling manager

The Manchester Metropolitan University.

BA Hons Fashion Buying and Retail

Role description - Styling all TV and magazine adverts - Overseeing all e-commerce shoot styling and aesthetic.

- Planning and organising workflow to the studio team and organising future shoots.

Key skills required -Team player able to work effectively and collaboratively across all departments to meet goals and deadlines.

-Ability to drive continuous improvement.

(See appendix 1) Participant 2

Nottingham Trent University Fashion Communication and Promotion

(See appendix 2) Participant 3

University of Birmingham Theatre Studies

(See appendix 3)

Fashion director Threads styling

Global online styling editor at Net- a – Porter Group

Role description -Directing photo shoots, coordinating brand marketing campaigns, creating detailed design plans, and evaluating the latest fashion trends. In addition to having a talent for fashion, the ideal candidate will be highly creative with excellent leadership and communication skills.

Role description -Ensure sample room is regularly edited and the most appropriate/new products are available for the team to use.

-Support the Styling Manager in training and supporting the development of the team, including any new recruits, and monitor the team’s general performance.

Key skills required -Between 3 – 5 years’ experience in a similar or creative role.

-Outstanding planning and project management abilities.

-Strong leadership and communication skills.

Key skills required -Significant experience in a fashion styling/Ecom styling role.

3-5 years 3-5 years out of undergrad

1-2 years 1-2 year out of undergrad

Fashion stylist at Mennace

Head of Non Clothing/ Personal Shopper at TOPSHOP TOPMAN

Role description -Develop strong, up-to-date knowledge of designers, brands and trends -Achieve daily and weekly targets and deadlines -Ensure sets, mannequins, styling props and shoot areas are well maintained and tidy.

Key skills required -IT literacy including the ability to use InDesign, Photoshop, Capture One and Microsoft -The ability to multitask -Flair and individuality.

Role description -Building a client base of loyal shoppers -Using a variety of communications methods - Crafting a shopping experience for customers Key skills required -Superior written and verbal communication skills -Sales skills -Organizational skills, and self-directed time management skills.

Stylist at Missguided

Assistant stylist at Missguided

Role description -Assist on set during shoots -Accurately follow styling guidelines -Strong, up-to-date knowledge of designers, brands and trends.

Role description -Assisting at photo shoots -Making sure the fashion stylist has all of the appropriate clothes and accessories on hand, as well as assisting in the makeup and dressing of models.

Key skills required -An eye for visual composition and proportion -Commercial awareness including a good knowledge of designers, brands and trends.

Fashion stylist at Glamour magazine Role Description -Styling main fashion shoots for Glamour magazine -Styling the front of book shopping pages -Styling celebrities and fashion insiders for shoots Key skills required -A positive, proactive and assertive approach -Initiative, idea generation and problem-solving skills -Strong communication skills

Key skills required -The ability to work both autonomously and collaboratively in a team -Competent numerical skills -Organisation, time-management and project-management skills.

Contributing fashion assistant at Red magazine Role description -Assisting the contributing fashion editor at Red Magazine and styling my own pages.

Key skills required -Excellent written and verbal communication skills -Excellent organisational skills and the ability to multitask.

Internship 1 year out of undergrad

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FINDINGS

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MATRIX 15 years + 15 year out of undergrad possibly MA any other professional memberships

10-15 years 10-15 year out of undergrad possibly MA

Participant 4

7-10 years 7-10 year out of undergrad possibly MA

Fashion Stylist at CVP Styling Role description -Styling of all the lookbooks -Researching relevant fashion and lifestyle trends, new products and garments detail.

-Assisting in fit meetings.

University of the Arts London Fashion Merchandising

Key skills required -Organised and able to multitask -Up to date knowledge of Fashion trends -Previous experience in an Ecommerce environment would be ideal.

(See appendix 4) Participant 5

SOAS University of London Bachelor’s degree International Management in MENA (See appendix 5) Participant 6

(See appendix 6) Participant 7 University of the Arts London BA (Hons) Design for Communication

(See appendix 7)

Senior Creative / Art Director at Warehouse fashions

Art Director (Digital / Integrated) at Spring Studios

Role description - Collaboration with Senior Brand team to develop strategic Brand Marketing Campaigns - Responsible for delivery of both print and digital design briefs, and managing the department workflow

Role description -Specialising in digital design and editorial content creation across channels.

Involvement in the initial stages of concept development and design, to on-set art direction, and the oversight of postproduction.

Key skills required -Diverse and well-rounded skill-sets across fashion image-making, stills and video -Ability to create inspirational, contemporary content while collaborating with a team.

Key skills required -Possesses a proven ability to direct and motivate creative teams, producing informative, elevated ecommerce imagery.

3-5 years 3-5 years out of undergrad

1-2 years 1-2 year out of undergrad

Fashion Stylist And VM at Soda & Scotch

Visual merchandiser at H&M

Role description - Styling for multi-channel campaigns and shoots, including High level Campaigns, Press Lookbooks, Editorial content and E-commerce imagery -Dressing mannequins Key skills required -The ability to meet deadlines -Awareness of art, design and fashion history

Internship 1 year out of undergrad

Role description -Building of clientele through effective marketing and advertising of fashion products and brands. Creating artistic concepts along with merchandising strategies and overseeing visual display tasks.

Key skills required -Strong attention to detail -Creativity and innovation

Styling assistant at Reiss Role description -Clear and in-depth understanding of the customer and create compelling and exciting window displays, mannequin presentations and floor layouts to provide an engaging and inspirational shopping experience.

Key skills required -Creative, analytical and commercially focused -Excellent organisational skills and the ability to multitask and prioritise.

Travel Intern at Quintessentially Travel Group Role description -Receive calls and qualify over the telephone - Give clear information to clients.

You will allocate the qualified leads to Travel Consultants in the tailormade team, and ensure they are given high quality leads that they can convert and close.

Key skills required -Mathematically literate -An eye for detail -Team player

Nasty gal junior stylist

Personal Shopper at TOPSHOP TOPMAN

Role description -Styling mannequins, flats, accessories and still life -Styling body model shoots -Follow strict style guides and briefs

Role description -Ensuring the smooth running of the personal shopping suite -Managing the shoppers schedules and diaries, -Building relationships with new and existing clients -Supporting the shoppers in any tasks and appointments and helping to hit targets.

Key skills required -Previous experience in an e-commerce studio environment -Experience styling across mannequins, tables, flats and stills as well as body model shoots.

Senior Digital Design Manager at French Connection Role description -Strong focus on user experience including homepage, landing pages, editorial content and emails. Develop concepts and art directed shoots for the digital flagship and oversee seasonal print projects.

Key skills required -Strong written and verbal communication skills -In-depth digital design capabilities -Confidence to delegate tasks

Key skills required -Able to work well as part of a team in a very fast paced, highly pressured environment -Impeccable fashion and styling sense alongside with a commercial awareness.

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FINDINGS

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MATRIX 15 years + 15 year out of undergrad possibly MA any other professional memberships

Participant 8

The Manchester Metropolitan University Bachelor of Science (BSc) Fashion Buying

(See appendix 8) Participant 9

University of Central Lancashire Bachelor’s Degree BA Fashion Promotion with Styling

(See appendix 9) Participant 10

Nottingham Trent University Fashion Marketing & Branding

(See appendix 10)

10-15 years 1015 year out of undergrad possibly MA

7-10 years 7-10 year out of undergrad possibly MA

Senior stylist Off The Rails Magazine Role description -Manage and execute product styling across all multi-channel output spanning Ecom and site photography, and secondary shoots.

-Partner with Head of Creative, Studio Manager and content team to develop, plan and execute all Seasonal creative shoots -Manage all site E-commerce imagery styling.

Key skills required -Strong fashion and styling sense with the ability to incorporate new trends.

-Experience of working in a photographic studio with a full team, and sample management.

3-5 years 3-5 years out of undergrad

1-2 years 1-2 year out of undergrad

Fashion Stylist at Boohoo

Fashion Content and Fashion Stylist at La Vida Media Group Ltd.

Role description -Researching fabrics, clothing construction and fashion accessories -Keeping up with different designer labels and fashion designer -Locating clothing from all over the world Key skills required -Knowledge of fashion trends, color schemes and designer labels -Awareness of art, design and fashion history -Understanding of different face and body shapes

Internship 1 year out of undergrad

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Role description -Picking clothing and accessories for editorial features and advertisements, concerts, music videos, films and TV shows -Working with designers, tailors, models, photographers, hair and makeup artists, retailers, members of the media, publicists, celebrities and public figure.

Key skills required -Business skills such as marketing, networking and advertising -Effective communication skills to work with clients

Fashion Stylist at In The Style Fashion LTD Role description -Styling body model rails, create trend driven and aspirational looks whilst still maintaining the brands identity throughout.

-Provide a wide range of styling techniques across the board, especially within menswear tailoring and still life set.

-Continually working with the styling team to implement styling changes that can be made within Ecomm, improving imagery and shoot efficiencies.

Key skills required -An exceptional eye for detail -A positive, proactive and assertive approach -Initiative, idea generation and problemsolving skills -Strong communication skills

Buying Intern at Matalan Role description -Create buy data for the creation of line sheets & visual tools on a seasonal basis -Provide data for the analysis of product performance, customer feedback, consumer trends, competitive landscape and local market knowledge to global merchandising/design.

-Increase knowledge of product, consumer and competition in local market.

Key skills required -Commercial awareness -Ability to cope with pressure -Maths skills -IT skills -Good teamworking skills -Interpersonal skills, particularly in negotiating

Burberry Intern Role description -Supporting Director of Styling - Building documents and reports -Ensuring collaborative relationships with Showroom, Samples, Product - Development and Photo Studio Key skills required -Experience in assisting, prepping and shoots/ luxury fashion ideal but not imperative -No specific qualifications but graduate ideal -Creative mind seT

FINDINGS

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INTERVIEW

An interview was carried out where questions were asked to an interviewee who upholds the position of a stylist.

The interviewee was asked what advice they would give to aspiring stylists and the interviewee replied with getting as much experience as possible (Landichio, I. 2019), (See Appendix 11); the answer demonstrated that the key to becoming a successful stylist is by interning at a variety of brands which leads to a wider knowledge on fashion overall for different categories in the fashion industry. This is a key step identified that may have helped her enter the market.

The interviewee was also asked on advice of portfolio work and they answered ‘Do as much over the holiday as possible, take some styling pictures with your friends and try and get as much work as possible into your portfolio to display your skills’ (Landichio, I. 2019), (See Appendix 12). Making sure portfolio work is up to standard is beneficial when applying for a creative job; having a cohesive collated piece with illustrations of different styling skills and techniques learnt and demonstrated in a portfolio widens the chance of a future job in the industry.

The interviewee was asked about working in the fashion industry and the interviewee mentioned that ‘building contacts’ (Landichio, I. 2019), (See Appendix 13) is extremely important within fashion as it gets you jobs in the industry easier. This shows that building contacts is useful for broadening creatives job opportunities. They also mentioned that being open minded and speaking to everyone is a skill a stylist needs to uphold which is why communication is the most crucial for a stylist because job opportunities are opened through connecting with different people in the industry.

The interviewer also stated how she started out in the fashion industry. She started doing internships and from there Urban Outfitters reached out to her (See Appendix 14). Her freelance jobs were given through industry contacts which again reinforces the skill of communication and persistence.

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CONCLU SION

To conclude both primary and secondary research gave different perspectives on the key skills required for a stylist. In the literature texts the key skills of a commercial e-commerce stylist were to fundamentally use their left brain; whilst fashion styling is a creative job there’s a lot of logistical elements that go into it such as being organised and multi-tasking as stylists will be working on multiple projects at a time. The literature texts also mentioned that one of the important skills to have as a stylist is the ability spot trends. Trends are a big factor in styling because it influences how something is styled.

The matrix created by gathering 10 LinkedIn profiles showed occurring skills that an e-commerce stylist must have, and they were verbal communication skills, team player and organisational skills which all are left brain skills. The creative foundational skills were having an eye for visual composition and having superior knowledge in fashion brands and designers. These are all fundamental steps to becoming a fashion stylist in the e-commerce industry.

The interview conducted explained different aspects of styling such as preparation into the job role and how to get into the job role. In the interview it was mentioned that a way to start involving yourself in styling is by doing a lot of work experience within styling such as assisting on shoots, sets and events. This doesn’t only broaden your knowledge within e-commerce/ fashion styling but also opens opportunities to making more contacts in the industry.

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REFERENCES Mowner, S (2007). Stylists: Interpreters of fashion. New York: Rizzoli International.

Burns-Tran, S. (2013). Stylewise A Practical Guide to Becoming a Fashion Stylist. Florida: Bloomsbury.

Shradha, (2018). History of fashion styling- A timeline of its evolution. [online]. Available from: https://vue.ai/blog/vuestyle/history-of-fashionstyling-a-timeline-of-its-evolution/ [access date: 3/5/19]

Dingemans, J (1999). Mastering fashion styling. London: Palgrave MacMillan.

Hanley, J (2017). Stylist job profile. [online]. Available from: https://www. prospects.ac.uk/job-profiles/stylist [access date: 17/5/19] Crowder, S (2015). 5 reasons why primary research is essential. [online]. Available from: https://blog.gcldirect.com/blog/info/5-reasonswhy-primary-market-research-is-essential [access date: 17/5/19] Collins, H. (2010) Creative research: the theory and practice of research for the creative industries. [e-book]. London: Ava Acadamia.

Landichio, I. (2019). Stylist: Urban Outfitters. Interview with author March 28th

REFERENCES/ APPENDIX

APPENDIX PARTICIPANT 1

APPENDIX 1

PARTICIPANT 4

PARTICIPANT 2

PARTICIPANT 3

APPENDIX 2

PARTICIPANT 5

APPENDIX 4

APPENDIX 5

PARTICIPANT 7

PARTICIPANT 8

APPENDIX 3

PARTICIPANT 6

APPENDIX 6

PARTICIPANT 9

APPENDIX 8 APPENDIX 7

APPENDIX 9

PARTICIPANT 10

APPENDIX 10 Appendix 11 What advice would you give to someone who wants to do styling?

Get as much experience as possible. I interned for Jonathan Sanders, Nazir Mazhar, Mix Mag and Harrods Magazine.

Appendix 12 What advice would you give on portfolio work?

Do as much over the holiday as possible, take some styling pictures with your friends and try and get as much work as possible into your portfolio to display your skills.

Appendix 13 What is it like working in the fashion industry?

In the industry you will find bad and good people that you can work with but the most important thing is building contacts; even if someone is hard to work with they may be your boss in a couple of years so it’s important to be nice to everyone. Building contacts is how I got most of the work that I’ve been involved in, this was through linked in on set at style shoots etc. Be open and speak to everyone because you never know what contact may lead you to your next job.

Appendix 14 How did you start out in the styling industry and what job do you have now?

I was doing internships as I lived in London is was more accessible. After that Urban Outfitters reached out and I started styling for them. I also work as a fashion and lifestyle editor at The Earth Issue.

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