The labour market is experiencing a major upheaval both inside and outside of fashion, changing the job
landscape tremendously. AI advancement, the volatility in content consumption, global inflation, and a shift in market demand caught the age-old industry off-guard, throwing talents and businesses into disarray. Just as we latched on to the role of an avatar fashion designer—otherwise known as a “skin designer”—designing virtual garments for avatars, the industry is now looking for a Reelographer who optimises video content for social media, edits, and films in a specific 16:9 aspect ratio. The existing roles in the job market are barely filling these gaps hence job seekers fresh out of the ivory tower flocked to workshops and schools to hone their digital skills—institutions are introducing new programs such as Influencer Branding or AI Pattern Designer.
The virtual real estate is moving into the popular fashion lexicon, but the progress does not end there. While AI stylists, data scientists, AI trainers, and social media specialists are all the rage with heightened demand that outpaced the supply, the labour workforce trends swing from one extreme to another faster than ever. Priorities are revised now and then with the geo-political and economic uncertainties. When the laypeople finally had a better grasp of AI-generated content and equipped themselves with digital literacy, the World Economic Forum released the Future of Jobs report, revealing that by 2030, farm and agriculture workers will be, statistically, the most in-demand jobs, followed closely by light trucks and delivery services driver—labours or the “backbone of the economy” topped the list.
In the fashion context, while digital slanted resumes are like gold dust, the need for craftsmanship—the “backbone of the fashion”—is in dire shortage. This arises due to the retiring and ageing artisanal workforce—20,000 vacancies were left unoccupied in France as reported by the Comité Colbert in 2022. The launch of Bottega Veneta’s Accadamia Labor et Ingenium too, aims to nurture young craftspeople that will hopefully, preserve the savoir-faire of the leathermaking house. With the ever-progressive technological proliferation on board, however, old-school skills will be revived in a new way.
It’s not unprecedented that as the Information Age evolves, some jobs recede from views but more jobs—most of which are, surprisingly, non-AI related—were created to accommodate and forge the bridge between fashion and the general public.
Hitting Numbers
The rise of e-commerce and social media has indubitably altered consumers’ relationships with fashion, but unfortunately, not all luxury brands are on par with the changes; some were late to the game. The easy access and affordability of e-commerce did not align with the luxury market’s emphasis on exclusivity and even if brands were to embrace it, they depend heavily on e-tailer platforms such as Farfetch and Net-a-Porter. The unexpected arrival of the pandemic, however, thrust the online business model down their throat, forcing them to pull out all the stops for digital sales.
Those who have both e-commerce and luxury fashion knows-hows under their sleeves were highly in demand in the labour market. Chatbot developers for customer services, back-end engineers and virtual assistants, just to name a few, underwent substantial growth, but with time, the shortcomings of online fashion shopping surface. For an industry that hangs its hat on visual appeal, the input is lacking. Hence, technicality in digitisation is no longer the only skillset needed, virtual retail leverages virtual reality, augmented reality and gaming to create immersive experiences like virtual try-ons or metaverse runways, filling in the creative gap in the digital realm.
With e-commerce as the backbone, live stream shopping (LSS) grows exponentially in the same direction, creating dozens of new positions ranging from live stream hosts to operators. In May 2024, Rakuten
Insight unveiled that 79 per cent of Malaysian respondents made purchases through LSS. Like their retail
counterparts, these hosts—many became influencers eventually or vice versa, are virtually the same as store sales assistants, stock managers or buyers. As mind-boggling as it might sound, this format replicates an offline experience that is essentially lacking in e-commerce.
With conversational and personalised real-time shoppable content, most hosts set the tone of their respective channels. Like a curator of a multi-brand store, these hosts understand the needs of their audiences and oftentimes have a say in selecting items to be sold on their platforms—sometimes added with exclusive discounts. It’s like an in-store experience but better, it can be done at your own comfort. The “see now, buy now” excitement LSS offers is undeniably a disparate experience as luxury brands provide delayed gratification with a format like a “waiting list”, leading to soaring sales that reflect better than brick-and-mortar’s, especially in countries like China. Since interoperability has always been a pain for many fashion brands, even high-end jewellery like Tiffany & Co. took the leap of faith into uncharted territory, tapping experienced hosts as their buoys to target an untapped bevvy of audience.
Strike A Chord
The convenience of omnichannel retail normalises the trajectory of online shopping and facilitates the never-ending pursuit of consumption, eventually escalating it to overconsumption—buying and returning unwanted goods can be done with minimal effort. The hardest part? Decluttering. Something easier said than done. Wardrobe organisers—luxury organisers are available for those who are looking for experts in handling precious or couture garments—come into the picture, lending a helping hand in organising and clearing out your wardrobe. Whether or not this resolves or spurs on overconsuming and instant gratification, succumbing and eventually being trapped in this never-ending addictive cycle, is a question for another day. On the bright side, this realisation brought sustainability to the light, fostering a sustainability generation.
Named the third-most transformative trend overall by the World Economic Forum, the awareness of conscious consumerism grows alongside fast fashion, drumming in the growth of public interest towards slow fashion. With more brands putting the green agenda in the forefront, positions such as sustainable editor, corporate social responsibility specialist, and sustainable sourcing manager are created to ensure an ethical production process—at least on paper. A sustainable supply chain is now a profitable investment for businesses to cash out on—H&M launched an internal venture fund, Group Venture to support sustainability whereas the LVMH-backed platform, Nona Source, provides the mainstream market access to deadstock from luxury houses such as Loro Piana, Louis Vuitton, Dior and more. This has also encouraged the growth of 3D printing, slashing wastes like excess fabric that ends up on the cutting room floor.
With Iris van Herpen pioneering the sector, especially in haute couture, 3D printing fashion designers will flourish into a rosy career path. This shift leads to a greater thirst for personalisation. A personal stylist is no longer a bespoke service reserved for celebrities and public figures, the general public too, is looking for personal styling experiences that are available in a more affordable and viable way. Subscription services such as virtual style bundles, or “thrift bundles” tailored for sustainable-minded shoppers, quickly gained momentum among the younger cohorts. The success of such services rides on the consistent churn of micro-trends on social media, offering an immediate solution that satiates the craving to stay relevant.
On the other hand, the nature of the short-lived trends makes it a challenge for most businesses to establish their names, calling upon fashion psychologists. A helping hand to brands in fortifying their relationships with consumers, fashion psychologists have a better comprehension of the variables that would make or break a brand. Identifying consumer behaviour comes in handy in making business decisions, from product designs to marketing strategies. Recognising and understanding the profound psychological impact in today’s setting, put the stone-cold trend analysis and figures derived from statistics in situ.
The hiring pool is growing in unpredicted ways. Traditional careers are morphing at full tilt to cope with the demand; new career choices that were once considered “niche” and “unheard of”, become a juggernaut in the mainstream market as the metrics of success shuffle. The fashion industry, for one, is standing at this invigorating juncture, with the transition and the transformation, new positions are needed to handle these dynamic uncertainties with much care.
This story first appeared on GRAZIA Malaysia March 2025 Issue.
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