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How Much Does a Fashion Marketer Make?

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"Fashion marketer" is a catchall term that includes coordinators, managers and directors who work in marketing departments of apparel and retail companies. Fashion marketers are concerned with the design and sale of merchandise. They might perform research to investigate the market shares of competitors and determine the types of apparel consumers want, sometimes conveying that information to designers. They might also set prices for clothing and accessories and develop and place ads that reach their target customers. Salaries for fashion marketers can vary based on experience, actual position and the region in which they are working.

Salary, Qualifications and Experience

Fashion marketers earned average annual salaries of $60,000 as of 2013, according to the Indeed jobsite. Most marketing professionals, including fashion marketers, have bachelor's degrees in marketing, advertising, communications or business. Employers often want to hire someone who has one or more years of experience in the industry. You might gain experience working in retail management or the buying office of a company before moving into marketing. Other essential requirements include creativity as well as analytical, communication, decision-making, leadership and management skills.

Salary and Location

In 2013, average salaries for fashion marketers varied considerably in the four U.S. regions. According to the Indeed website, in the Midwest region, they earned the highest salary of $64,000 in Illinois and the lowest of $46,000 in Nebraska and South Dakota. Those in the Northeast made $52,000 to $72,000, respectively, in Maine and New York. These marketing professionals earned $51,000 and $70,000 per year, respectively, in Louisiana and Washington, D.C., which were the lowest and highest salaries in the South region. In the West, they made the most in California and least in Hawaii at $65,000 and $41,000, respectively.

Contributing Factors and Possibilities

A fashion marketer earns more in New York and Washington, D.C., because housing and living costs are higher in these areas. For example, a fashion marketer earning $60,000 in Kansas City, Kansas, would need to make $132,072 in New York City to maintain the same living standard, according to CNN Money's "Cost of Living" calculator. She would need to make $86,498 in Washington, D.C., for the same reason. Fashion marketers can also earn more as they gain experience, or get promoted from coordinator jobs to manager- and- director-level positions. A fashion marketer can also do consulting work, helping private retailers and/or designers develop marketing strategies to grow their businesses.

Career Outlook

The U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics doesn't forecast jobs for fashion marketers. However, it does project a 14 percent increase in jobs for marketing managers, which is on par with the 14 percent national average for all occupations. Fashion marketers typically help apparel manufacturers and retailers increase sales, profits and market share by promoting the clothing items and accessories consumers want. But employment in the apparel manufacturing industry decreased by 80 percent between 1990 and 2011, according to the BLS. However, the apparel industry expects future growth in emerging markets -- Brazil, Russia, India and China -- and as such, job opportunities for fashion marketers are likely to develop in companies that focus on these markets. For example, an April 2013 article on the Forbes.com website notes that the emerging market share for women’s midmarket apparel is expected to go from 37 to 50 percent by 2025, while for women's luxury apparel, the emerging market share will go from 14 to about 25 percent by the same year.

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