One Day, One Job » fashion

Elie Tahari

Willy Franzen — Thu, 21 Jan 2010 15:54:47 +0000

I’m probably more fashion conscious than the average guy, but not remarkably so. I have a few brands that I really like wearing—Bonobos and lululemon athletica for example—and most of the rest of the stuff that I buy I get from Gilt Groupe, which is always introducing me to new brands. I figure that it’s important for me to stay up on fashion to some extent because so many of you are interested in jobs in the fashion industry. I recently noticed that one brand that I’ve seen on Gilt Groupe before, Elie Tahari, has a number of job openings available. Elie Tahari is both the name of a designer and “a privately held global lifestyle brand with a presence in more than forty countries.” The company is headquartered in New York and serves both men and women who are “looking for fashion and value in luxury ready-to-wear.”

Jobs Are In Fashion

The story of Elie Tahari is extremely cool. According to Wikipedia he came to the United States from Israel in 1971 to work as an electrician. He spent his first years here as a transient, and eventually ended up working in a boutique clothing store. This inspired him to start designing “women’s fashion inspired by the new york city nightclub scene.” That seems to have worked out pretty well for him considering the fact that he’s built a $500 million business. To get a feel for what the line is all about, you should head over to ElieTahari.com. Getting the scoop on their jobs won’t be so simple. They do have a Careers section on their website, but it is woefully outdated. A quick Google search for “Elie Tahari jobs” is your best bet, as it turns up Monster.com results like Planning Assistant, Assistant Colorist, and a true entry level job—Assistant Technical Designer. There’s also a HotJobs posting for a Fit Model, and you can always use Elie Tahari’s Careers site to submit a résumé.

Links to Help You Begin Your Research

Do you wear Elie Tahari?

Mona Lisa Style

Willy Franzen — Wed, 23 Dec 2009 15:56:32 +0000

I don’t know a lot about how the fashion industry works, but I do know that buyers are the people who make the decisions about which items end up in stores and on websites. Mona Lisa Style is a New York City based startup that wants to help buyers “master the art of merchandising” through technology. While most industries have moved a large portion of their business online, the fashion industry is lagging behind. According to Mona Lisa Style’s Blog the way that many major companies place orders for clothing is by writing an order on a piece of paper and faxing it. All of the organization and tracking of orders is also done over the phone and on paper. Mona Lisa Style realizes how stupid this is, and they want to change it. They want to make buying as easy as online shopping.

The Art of Merchandising

As far as I can tell, Mona Lisa Style is really early as startups come. They’re self-funded, have 3 employees, and don’t even have a Chief Technology Officer / Lead Developer yet (they’re looking for one). That is a big red flag, since software as a service business typically need really strong technical talent. Still, I’m impressed with the concept behind Mona Lisa Style. They’ll certainly have an enormous challenge pushing an industry that is dragging its feet into the digital age, but if they can do it, they stand to reap huge rewards. If you love the risk and want to work towards changing the way that the fashion industry works, then you should check out Mona Lisa Style’s job postings on Startuply. Maybe they’ll join the ranks of big name NYC fashion startups like Gilt Groupe and Bonobos. Right now they’re looking for a CTO and a Fashion Sales Representative. If you’re interested, you can reach out to them at careers@monalisastyle.com.

Links to Help You Begin Your Research

What do you think of Mona Lisa Style’s chances?

Kate Spade

Willy Franzen — Mon, 21 Dec 2009 13:49:41 +0000

I can’t remember whether it was late in my middle school years or early in my high school years, but there were certainly a couple of years in the late 90s when Kate Spade was as hot as could be. Whether it was a wallet, calendar, or other accessories from the New York based fashion designer, the girls in my classes went crazy for them. At that point in my life, I wasn’t the most fashion conscious kid, so I probably thought Five Star binders were still cool. Despite my ignorance of fashion back then, even I knew what Kate Spade was. Since Kate Brosnahan started her line in 1993, her company has grown exceptionally. Hallmarked by “utility, wit and playful sophistication,” Kate Spade’s offering includes handbags, shoes, accesories, clothing, jewelry, baby items, fragrance, glasses, and even paper. The company now runs 46 retail shops and continues to be a huge name in the fashion industry.

Are You Playfully Sophisticated?

Despite my use of capitalization in this post, Kate Spade is a brand that seems allergic to capital letters. It’s a big part of their branding, and it’s widely recognizable. Since fashion is all about branding, it’s no surprise that most people wouldn’t notice that Kate Spade was purchased by Liz Claiborne in 2009. It appears that Kate Spade continues to run itself separately, and that becomes even more evident when you look at Kate Spade’s Jobs page. They have quite a few opportunities available, and a number of them seem perfectly suited to new grads. There are a ton of retail positions, but we’re just going to focus on the corporate positions like E-commerce Coordinator, Assistant Buyer, and International Marketing Assistant. You can apply for these positions directly from the job postings, so give them look and see if they fit.

Links to Help You Begin Your Research

Do you own any Kate Spade?

Bonobos

Willy Franzen — Fri, 11 Dec 2009 14:00:28 +0000

Want to get $30 off your first Bonobos purchase? They have an awesome referral program, so if you want a Bonobos invite, just leave a comment below with your real e-mail address in the proper field (it won’t be displayed). We’ll send you a referral coupon code for $30 off.

Pants are important. Especially when you’re trying to land a job. Going to a job interview without pants is the kind of disaster that only happens in nightmares. Showing up with wrinkled pants is a more likely problem for most recent grads—it makes you look sloppy and careless. Wearing ill fitting pants is almost as bad, even if you have demonstrated to your potential employer that you know how to properly use an iron. The problem is that there aren’t a lot of non-jean pants out there that fit men well. At least that’s what Bonobos, a New York City based fashion startup, thinks. They kind of have a Web 2.0 feel to them, even though they’re in a business that is hundreds of years old. They pride themselves on making great fitting men’s pants (they do suggest a pants hack for women who want Bonobos), offering unbeatable customer service, and providing an overall wonderful shopping experience. I just bought my first pair of pants from Bonobos last night, and I’m excited to see if they live up to the hype. If they don’t, I can take advantage of their free two-way shipping and “any pant, any time, any reason” return policy.

Get in on the Monkey Business

So, the Bonobo isn’t actually a monkey—it’s a “sexually promiscuous Great Ape that possesses nearly all of modern man’s better traits” according to Bonobos’ website. I’m not sure where Bonobos got their name, since chimps don’t wear pants, but the company appears to be extremely committed to saving the Bonobo (they donate $1 for every new customer to an ape sanctuary in the Democratic Republic of Congo). The company was started by two guys from Stanford Business school, one of whom was altering his own pants with a girlfriend’s sewing machine to improve the fit. Word spread about his great fitting pants, and now there’s a company funded with $3 million in angel investment and valued at $15 million pre-money. If that’s not enough, Bonobos is on their way to doing $4 million in sales this year, and they were featured by Forbes earlier this year and by the New York Times just a few weeks ago.

Bonobos seems to be on a hot streak right now, and they’re intent on keeping it going. That’s why it shouldn’t be a surprise to see that their Jobs page is loaded with opportunities. These positions include Junior Art Director/Stylist, Technical Designer, PR Ninja, Operations and Warehouse Ninja, Style Ninja, Field Ninja, and Front End Developer. Bonobos has a great perspective on talent in that they don’t get too hung up on experience, so you shouldn’t hesitate to apply for any of these positions as long as you can demonstrate that you’ll be the best person for the job. I think that Bonobos does exceptionally with their job postings—the only thing I don’t get is why they use the term “ninja” in many of their job titles. I guess hiring a PR Chimp and a Style Chimp might put some people off. The application instructions vary from job to job, so be sure to look at the postings closely. Also, you should note that they’re very open to applications for unlisted positions, so that’s an option too.

Links to Help You Begin Your Research

Fanzter

Willy Franzen — Tue, 03 Nov 2009 15:38:20 +0000

One thing that I find really exciting is the fact that there are cool startups popping up all across the country. Yes, Silicon Valley and the Pacific Northwest are still the primary places for technology focused companies to open up shop, but that’s becoming less and less true. That’s why I was intrigued by Fanzter—they’re web products company based in Collinsville, CT. Considering the fact that I’m from Connecticut and have never heard of Collinsville (it’s near Hartford), you have to consider it an unusual location for a startup (they would tell you it’s optimally located between Boston and New York City). Fanzter’s first (and only current) product is called Coolspotters. It’s a website that “makes it easy to discover and buy the products, brands, and fashions being used by your favorite celebrities – in their real lives, and in movies and television.” It reminds me a lot of what Delivery Agent is doing.

Spot These Cool Jobs

The business behind Coolspotters is pretty clear—their content can flow seamlessly into e-commerce. Coolspotters relies heavily on user-generated content, so the site can grow organically on it’s own. To get a feel for Coolspotters, let’s take a look at Joba Chamberlain (go Yankees!). His profile page will show you products that he’s been spotted with including a picture of him with the product. I see a picture of Joba playing Guitar Hero, and then I can go buy my own Guitar Hero. There are still a lot of kinks to be worked out on Coolspotters’ site (like having Mariano Rivera’s picture for C.C. Sabathia), but the concept is there and so is the funding. Right now, Fanzter’s Jobs page only has one position posted: Software Engineer, which is focused mostly on Web Development. The job is to build a new site called SimpleSports, so you have to love sports to be a good fit for the job. You might also want to note that Fanzter is offering Editorial Internships, so there’s the potential for some non techie jobs in the future (or maybe now if you want to try cold calling). You can apply for a job with Fanzter by sending a cover letter and résumé to jobs@fanzter.com.

Links to Help You Begin Your Research

What do you think of Coolspotters?

ideeli

Willy Franzen — Thu, 01 Oct 2009 14:55:14 +0000

I guess it’s a little awkward when you find a company that immediately makes you think of a very similar, more successful company. In this case, when I came across ideeli, I immediately thought of Gilt Groupe (which we covered a while back). Both are New York City based startups that offer online sample sales that give shoppers the opportunity to buy luxury goods—mostly clothing and accessories—at serious discounts. According to Wikipedia a sample sale is “used by retail businesses in order to discard excess merchandise.” That’s exactly what these companies do, but they’ve moved the entire process online (which is way more efficient). Both sites require invites to get in on the deals, so if you want to try ideeli click here and if you want to try Gilt Groupe click here. Although I haven’t made any purchases on either of these sites, my girlfriend Amy loves this way of shopping. There’s the element of surprise, because you never know what you’re going to find, yet you still get to enjoy the ease of shopping online.

Your ideel Job

Although Gilt Groupe really has staked a claim to this market, it’s big enough and growing fast enough that there’s room for a lot of competition. You wouldn’t think that selling luxury goods during a recession—even at heavy discounts—would be good business, but it is. One way that ideeli has tweaked their business model to stand out is that they offer a subscription service that gives shoppers first dibs on all sales. It’s a pretty creative idea, and it gives them a steady revenue stream (with almost no additional cost) that can balance out the ebbs and flows of e-commerce. ideeli received $3.8 million in investment back in December of ‘07 and they seem to be doing pretty well. I guess that’s why they have a number of job openings. Right now they have opportunities for a Rails Developer and a Studio Coordinator, so check out their Jobs page and apply online if you’re interested.

Links to Help You Begin Your Research

If you want an ideeli invite, click here.

Burberry

Willy Franzen — Wed, 09 Sep 2009 15:22:55 +0000

It’s funny how well respected brands that have been around forever will get swept up in a fad. Some, like Abercrombie & Fitch, will make it part of a new identity, while others like Burberry will enjoy the popularity but maintain their core image. Burberry is a British company that has been making quality garments since 1856, but they became especially trendy in the early 2000s, if I remember correctly. While most brands are recognized for their logo or a specific product, Burberry is known for their plaid. In fact, unless you’re a tartan freak, “Burberry Check” is probably the only plaid that you recognize by name. Over their 150 years Burberry has moved more towards luxury goods than outdoor garments, which is best evidenced by their new ad campaigns with Emma Watson of Harry Potter fame.

Check Out Burberry

Although Burberry is a British based company, they happen to have a significant presence in the United States. That means that they also have quite a few job opportunities on this side of the pond. Their Careers page doesn’t offer much information about what it’s like to work for them, but you can get a listing of job openings here in the US. You should be sure to check out jobs at their New York office like Account Specialist, Allocator, Assistant Buyer, Assistant Buyer – Outlets, Planning Analyst, and Planning Analyst – Wholesale. There are also a number of retail and in-store positions in places like Chicago, Boston, Beverly Hills, Palo Alto, Scottsdale, and other cities with high end retail stores, but we’ve focused on their corporate positions. Additionally, there are positions with Burberry in the United Kingdom (obviously), elsewhere in Europe, and in Asia. You can apply for any of these jobs online directly from the job descriptions.

Links to Help You Begin Your Research

What do you think of when you see the “Burberry Check?”

Timbuk2

Willy Franzen — Tue, 01 Sep 2009 14:39:43 +0000

Today we’re kicking off our Back to School, Back to Work contest where we’re giving away an HP dv6 Laptop, an HP Mini 110 Netbook, a customized Timbuk2 bag, and Syncables software to one lucky winner. Last December when we did another HP giveaway we took a look at entry level jobs with HP, so this time we’re going to check out Timbuk2 (since they were kind enough to provide a prize for one of you). They’re a San Francisco born and bred company that builds “bags and accessories for urban adventures with a simple philosophy—create good-looking, tough-as-Hell bags you can truly make your own.” I already had one that I stole from my girlfriend, and I just got another to check out for this promotion (the bag goes with me everywhere now).

All the Way to Timbuk2

Timbuk2 does one thing—make bags—and they do it really well. They stand behind their products with an awesome guarantee, and they offer a recycling program (you get a coupon code in return) for people who beat the living snot out of their bags. If you take a look at those two pages, you’ll learn a lot about Timbuk2’s culture. They seem pretty loose, but they’re also deadly serious about being the best at what they do and doing it the right way (check their manufacturing policy). Beyond that, Timbuk2 takes a fun approach with their Jobs page. Although there’s not a lot of content, you’ll get the idea of what working at Timbuk2 is like pretty quickly. Right now they only have one opening for a Graphic Designer (not really entry level), but they are always looking for top new talent. You can reach out to Timbuk2 by sending a cover letter and résumé to jobs@timbuk2.com.

Links to Help You Begin Your Research

Dont’ forget to enter our Back to School, Back to Work contest to win prizes from HP, Timbuk2, and Microsoft.

New Era

Willy Franzen — Mon, 31 Aug 2009 14:46:49 +0000

In my younger days hats were a big deal. I wasn’t particularly image conscious, but when it came to hats, I was. I remember one summer college hats were in. You know—the simple white hats with horizontal lines and the college’s name. Getting them just dirty enough with the just the right bend was essential (heaven forbid if someone “doritoed” your favorite hat), and, of course, you had to pop off the button on top. The next summer they were out. It was all about fitted caps—just like major leaguers wear. I was suddenly aware of how big my head really was, as I had to buy a properly sized hat. Then it was different color hats or hats with Japanese lettering. At some point I stopped obsessing over my hats, but Buffalo, NY based New Era has continued to be THE hat manufacturer of choice for all of the cool kids.

Enter a New Era

New Era entered the cap making business in 1920 as the E. Koch Cap Co. By the 1950s they were the “only independent cap maker supplying big league teams.” In 1954 they redesigned their pro cap and named it the 5950, which has been the iconic cap that you are probably familiar with. In 1993 New Era became the exclusive manufacturer of caps for all Major League Baseball teams, and then things got exciting. When Spike Lee personally requested a red Yankees hat in 1996, it changed everything. New Era caps became more than just a fan item—they became a fashion item. Now, finding all of this information about New Era isn’t easy, because their home page doesn’t seem to link to their About page. The good news for the hat junkies out there is that their Jobs page is easy to find. We can’t list to specific positions because of the Applicant Tracking System that they use, but you should definitely look for the following positions: Logistics Coordinator and Project Coordinator. There’s also an opportunity to send an unsolicited résumé for consideration. You can apply online for any of these positions.

Links to Help You Begin Your Research

Do you own any New Era capos?

Lucky Brand

Willy Franzen — Thu, 30 Jul 2009 14:49:56 +0000

Next March I’m going to regret not saving this one for my St. Patrick’s Day holiday themed post, but today we’re going to take a look at Lucky Brand. They’re a clothing manufacturer and retailer that is “rooted in rock ‘n ‘roll with a signature sense of humor.” Their About page will tell you that they stand for “independent thinking, individual style and a feeling as authentic as love” and that they’re known for “great-fitting, vintage-inspired jeans;” however, I think it’s much simpler than that. One of their founders came up with the idea to put the phrase “Lucky You” behind the flies of every pair of pants that they made. It was an instant point of differentiation, and I think that it has a lot to do with why Lucky Brand is going strong 19 years after they started. It really is pure, politically incorrect genius. Lucky you…

Get Lucky

The best way to get a feel for Lucky Brand is to check out their clothes online or visit one of their retail stores. If you don’t get what the brand is about, you’re not going to get a job with them. I think that’s true of any brand, but it’s especially pertinent in industries like apparel where brand is everything. So, what about jobs at Lucky Brand? They have a ton of Store Management opportunities at their retail stores. This may not be exactly what you had in mind post-graduation (or maybe it is), but it kind of offers the opportunity to run your own business—at least that’s what the job description makes it sound like. They have openings for Retail Management in Ala Moana, HI; Miami, FL; Monterey, CA; Pittsburgh, PA; Tampa, FL; San Jose, CA; San Francisco, CA; Austin, TX; Waikiki, HI; Westlake, OH; Los Angeles, CA; Manhattan, NY; Las Vegas, NV; El Paso, TX; Aurora, IL; Chicago, IL; Pleasant Prairie; WI; Washington, DC; Philadelphia, PA; Bridgewater, NJ; Elizabeth, NJ; Seattle, WA; Wrentham, MA; Peabody, MA; Boston, MA; Houston, TX; Studio City, CA; St. Louis, MO; and quite a few more locations (although those jobs were posted in March and earlier). You can find all of those job postings on Lucky Brand’s Jobs site.

You also have the option of submitting a résumé for general consideration for corporate jobs in Vernon, CA. I think that this might be worthwhile because of what Lucky Brand has to say about their Internship Program:

The Lucky Brand Fall 2009 Internship Program is intended to help acclimate Junior and Senior level university/college students to our company culture, build on their creativity, and allow them the best opportunity to get to know Lucky Brand. This program is designed to identify, develop and potentially hire top entry level talent.

If they’re looking to hire top entry level talent, then why don’t they have any entry level jobs posted outside of retail? Maybe it’s just a season thing, or maybe they mostly like hiring past interns, but it’s worth investigating. Lucky Brand offers internships in Design, Human Resources, Wholesale Sales & Planning, Accessory Jewelry Design, Accessory Design, eCommerce, and Marketing, so those are areas where they might also have entry level jobs.

Links to Help You Begin Your Research

Do you consider yourself lucky?

Vans

Willy Franzen — Tue, 28 Jul 2009 14:40:08 +0000

Yeserday we talked about jobs at Vann’s, which made me think that we should talk about with jobs at Vans today. The two companies don’t have much in common beyond being homophones of each other, so let’s start talking about shoes. Cypress, CA based Vans was founded in 1966 as the Van Doren Rubber Company. They started out by producing shoes for sports like baseball, basketball, and wrestling, but that didn’t end up working out too well for them; in fact, it led to bankruptcy. They eventually came out of bankruptcy, and then Sean Penn’s character wore a pair of Vans checkerboard slip-ons in Fast Times at Ridgemont High. That changed everything.

Jobs with Sole

Since then Vans has really embraced the skater culture that first embraced them. It’s pretty much become an essential part of their brand. They don’t offer a ton of information about their company (there isn’t even an about page), but I do know that they are part of a larger company called VF Corporation. Since there’s no quick and easy way to “get to know” Vans, you’ll have to do some browsing around their website to get a better feel for what they’re all about. You might also want to check out their LinkedIn Company Profile. Once you feel like you have a good idea of what Vans is all about, you can check out their Jobs page. They give you the option of checking out jobs at Corporate, Retail, or their Distribution Center. For our purposes we’re going to focus on Corporate, where they have a Corporate Trainee Program. It is “a one-year cross-functional developmental program for a recent college graduate with a business or art degree who seeks a broad experience in key areas of Vans.” It sounds awesome, and you can apply online. It seems like nearly any career path at Vans should start with this program.

Links to Help You Begin Your Research

Do you wear Vans?

Juicy Couture

Willy Franzen — Tue, 14 Jul 2009 14:52:40 +0000

I don’t know when wearing sweats started counting as “dressing up,” but I’m pretty sure that it coincided with when Arleta, CA based Juicy Couture became popular. I guess if you’re going to pay a bunch of money for a tracksuit, you’ve got to show it off. Ok, so I can’t say that I love what Juicy Couture has done to popular fashion, but I have to respect it. They completely changed what it means to wear sweats, and they created a new market for high priced, super casual clothing. There’s obviously more to the Juicy brand than just tracksuits, but when I hear the name Juicy, that’s what I think of.

Juicy Jobs

I guess Juicy Couture’s slogan doesn’t pop in to my mind when I hear their name, because according to Wikipedia, they can’t settle on just one. Slogans that they’ve used include: “For Nice Girls Who Like Stuff”, “Eat Candy”, “Smells Like Couture”, “Be Juicy”, “Cupid Couture”, “Viva la Juicy”, “Juicy is Forever”, “Her Royal Juicyness”, “Wake Up And Smell the Couture”, “Go Couture Yourself”, “Cupcake Couture”, “Bundle Up, Wear Juicy”, “The Joy Only Bling Can Bring”, “Peace, Love, and Juicy”, “Let Them Eat Couture”, “Have a Juicy Day”, “Some Girls Have All the Juicy”, “Dude, Where’s My Couture?”, “Choose Juicy”, “Queen Couture”, “Prep It Up Juicy Couture”, “Couture is Here”, “Kiss My Couture”, “I just want Couture”, “Crimes of Couture” and “It’s Exhausting Being This Juicy”. I also can’t tell you much more about Juicy than the fact that they were founded in 1994 by Gela Nash-Taylor and Pamela Skaist-Levy to sell maternity pants because all their About page says is:

Once upon a time in a land far, far away called Pacoima there were two nice girls who liked stuff Juicy Couture swept the land & they lived happily ever after

Since that’s the whole story, let’s get to the jobs. Juicy Couture offers a ton of retail positions, but they also happen to have some corporate positions. If you’re interested in retail, you can browse through Juicy’s Job postings; however, if you’re looking to put that shiny, new college education to use, there are some more options. These include Assistant Designer – Handbags and SLG (New York, NY), Assistant Designer – Intimates, Sleep and Yoga (New York, NY), Associate Technical Designer: Girls (Arleta, CA), Associate Technical Designer: Wovens (Arleta, CA), Assistant CAD Designer (Arleta, CA), and Jr. Merchandiser: Extra Juicy & Maternity (Arleta, CA). You can apply for all of these jobs online, so check out the job descriptions and see if they’re juicy enough for you.

Links to Help You Begin Your Research

What do you have to say about Juicy Couture?

Fuse Marketing

Willy Franzen — Thu, 25 Sep 2008 12:00:55 +0000

Hopefully college hasn’t drained you of your youth, because its going to be one of your strongest assets if you want to apply for an entry level jobs with today’s company. Fuse Marketing is a youth marketing agency that focuses on offering Consulting, Event Marketing, Communications, and Creative services. They work to “connect brands with youth through sports, music, fashion and other relevant youth cultural interests.” They’ve worked with Eastern Mountain Sports to build a more youthful customer base and with the Association of Surfing Professionals to increase awareness of its World Championship Tour. These are just a couple of examples of how major brands trust Fuse Marketing to reach young people.

Light Your Fuse

If you want to work for a company where your lack of experience is an asset and your youthful ignorance is worth something, then Fuse Marketing is a company that you need to look at. Their general focus is on youth marketing, but they get more specific than that. Fuse helps companies with sports, music, fashion, buzz, viral, lifestyle, entertainment, ethnic, and college marketing. Within each of these categories they have expertise on targeting tweens, teens, Gen Y, and Gen X. Their site is loaded with case studies based on their Consulting, Event Marketing, Communications, and Creative practices. A quick look at those will give you a more detailed look of exactly what kind of work Fuse does.

Fuse Marketing doesn’t currently have any job listings that are specifically suited to new college grads, but you have to think that they love hiring at the entry level. There is a Brand Consulting Group Account Manager that requires 2 years of experience that might be within reach, but even that’s a stretch. There are 60 Brand Ambassador jobs for students on specific campuses, but these are contract jobs, not full-time. They are paid, and they might be a great way to build up a relationship with Fuse Marketing during your Senior year to make way for a full-time job after graduation.

The good news is that Fuse Marketing accepts applications for unlisted positions. That means that you can send them your resume, and they’ll let you know if they have something that will be a good fit for you. You might even be able to convince them to create a new position for you if you’re impressive enough. Fuse Marketing is headquartered in Burlington, VT, but they also have an office in New York City. You’re not going to find a better company to cold call, so get to it and show them why you’re going to be a youth marketing superstar.

Links to Help You Begin Your Research

Which of Fuse Marketing’s case studies do you find most interesting?

Stetson

Willy Franzen — Mon, 01 Sep 2008 12:06:32 +0000

Happy Labor Day! We’re certainly enjoying the holiday weekend, and we hope that you are too. It’s ok to take a break from your job search, but if you won’t allow yourself to take some time off, we’ve got some homework for you today. We’ll get to that in a second. Now, you probably know that it’s frowned upon to wear white after Labor Day, but did you know that cowboys and other lovers of Country/Western culture are expected to switch from straw hats to felt hats after Labor Day? Although fashion tenets such as no white after Labor Day seem to be fading away to some extent, we’ll bet that the cowboys still abide. Stetson is the company when it comes to cowboys hats; in fact, just as the Kleenex trademark is used to describe for all tissues, the Stetson brand name is often used to describe all cowboys hats.

Do Stetson Hats Make Themselves?

When it comes to jobs at Stetson, we can’t find a sliver of information. It begs the question, do Stetson hats make themselves? We believe that Stetson is located in St. Joseph, Missouri, but they also seem to have an address in Texas. Their website also says that they have a showroom in New York City, but we also found an article from 1992 that says that the showroom was shut down. Finally, we also found a lead that Stetson may have been purchased at some point by R.H.E., Inc., which is the manufacturer of the famous Resistol hat. We can’t find anything on their jobs either, but we hope that we’ve provided enough clues to get you intrigued and start searching. If you can find something on jobs with Stetson, please share with us in the comments. Remember, you can always cold call an employer and ask about working for them.

Links to Help You Begin Your Research

Did you know to switch from straw hat to felt hat after Labor Day?

DailyCandy

Willy Franzen — Mon, 11 Aug 2008 13:53:42 +0000

Since we launched, we’ve wanted to do a post on entry-level jobs at DailyCandy. We’ve been waiting for them to post something appropriate, and they finally have! The timing is perfect, since we just got some inside info on DailyCandy’s Fall internships, which we’ve posted about on One Day, One Internship. Daily Candy has extremely talented copywriters copywriters, so we’re going to use their words to tell you what they’re all about.

DailyCandy, a free, daily e-mail newsletter and website, is the insider’s guide to what’s hot, new, and undiscovered — from fashion and style to gadgets, travel, beauty, and more. As useful as it is entertaining, it’s like getting an e-mail from your clever, unpredictable, and totally in-the-know best friend. The one who knows about secret beauty treatments, must-have jeans, hot new restaurants — and always shares the scoop. DailyCandy is the creation of journalist Dany Levy, who, in 2000, found herself frustrated by the limits of magazine lead times. She developed a new, immediate way to share information while it was still fresh and actionable with an affluent, influential female audience.

DailyCandy is Sweet for Marketers Too

DailyCandy is not only a phenomenal resource for savvy women, it’s also a marketer’s dream come true. DailyCandy has 2.6 million e-mail subscribers, and the majority of those subscribers come from a very valuable demographic. The stats on their subscribers are amazing – 95% are female, 64% are under 35, 92% have at least a college degree, and the median household income is $75,000. Can you say targeting? Even more impressive is that 96% of DailyCandy subscribers read their e-mails every day or almost every day, 63% forward articles to friends, and 66% bought something that they read about in DailyCandy. Those are some amazing numbers, and they have a lot to do with why Comcast has apparently shelled out $125 million for DailyCandy.

We won’t deny it, DailyCandy is our role model. What they’ve done with Fashion, Beauty & Fitness, Lifestyle, House & Home, Food & Drink, Travel, and Arts & Culture is what we are trying to do with entry-level jobs (and internships on One Day, One Internship). No, we don’t think that we’ll sell for $125 million, but we’re in love with their business model.

If You Like Our Daily Jobs, You’ll Love Working at DailyCandy

We’ve been watching the DailyCandy Jobs page like a hawk for many months. We’ve waited and waited for something that could be considered entry-level to be posted. Last week we saw that DailyCandy is looking for an Ad Traffic Coordinator in New York City. The job description says that they want someone with one year of work experience in advertising trafficking, but that screams entry-level to us. There are some pretty specific requirements and qualifications, but they don’t seem to be anything that a new grad couldn’t handle. The good news is that the job description is really comprehensive, so you should have a good idea if it’s something that you should apply for. If it is, send a cover letter and resume to prodjobs@dailycandy.com.

DailyCandy also has job openings for an Account Executive in Detroit and an Advertising Production Manager in NYC, but both of these jobs require 3 years of experience – something to aspire to. DailyCandy is an amazing company, and from what we hear they’re a lot of fun to work for. They don’t post entry-level opportunities very often, so jump on this while it’s still available!

Links to Help You Begin Your Research

Do you subscribe to DailyCandy? Do you love it? Let us know in the comments.

Sugar Inc.

Willy Franzen — Thu, 31 Jul 2008 12:14:57 +0000

Sugar certainly doesn’t have the cleanest reputation. It’s accused of making us fat, rotting our teeth, and causing hyperactivity. Sugar Inc. is a company that wants you to throw out those bad associations you have with sugar and just think back to when you were a kid and sugar was the essence of everything good. Sugar Inc. isn’t in the business of sweets – they run a network of websites, but their CEO is named Brian Sugar and his wife Lisa Sugar is the Editor in Chief, so they’re running with the sweet play on words. Sugar Inc. consists of 15 style/entertainment sites – PopSugar, BuzzSugar, FabSugar, BellaSugar, CasaSugar, YumSugar, FitSugar, Geek Sugar, GiggleSugar, DearSugar, PetSugar, LilSugar, SavvySugar, CitizenSugar, and TeamSugar. You can probably guess from the names what topic each of the sites covers, but you should probably check a few of the sugars out to get a better sense of Sugar Inc.’s content strategy, which is to be “the definitive online media company for trendsetting, passionate women ages 18-44.”

Sugary Sweet Jobs

There are a lot of blogs and sites for “trendsetting, passionate women ages 18-44,” but not many are part of a network that is said to be bringing in $15 million in revenue this year and doing so well selling ads that they can cancel a sales deal with NBC. Revenue growth often means job growth, and that’s exactly what we’re seeing with Sugar Inc. They have quite a few job openings right now, and a number of them look like they might be of interest to new college grads. Sugar Inc. doesn’t come right out and say that these are entry-level opportunities, but most of the experience requirements are well within the realm of possibility for a new graduate.

All of the job opportunities that we’ve picked out for you at Sugar Inc. are located in San Francisco, CA. Each has a different e-mail address to which you should send your cover letter and resume, so take notice. Sugar Inc. is currently looking for a Celebrity Style Editor (celebritystylejob@sugarinc.com), a GiggleSugar Editorial Assistant (gigglejob@sugarinc.com), a UI Design Engineer (geekjobs@sugarinc.com), a PHP Software Engineer (geekjobs@sugarinc.com), and an Executive Assistant/Receptionist (adminjobs@sugarinc.com). We haven’t found too much information on what it’s like working for Sugar Inc., but how could working at an Internet company that is making money and covering a wide range of interesting topics not be fun?

Links to Help You Begin Your Research

What’s your favorite Sugar Inc. site?

Ford Models

Willy Franzen — Tue, 22 Jul 2008 15:35:13 +0000

Are you a fashionista? Do you just like being around beautiful people? Do you secretly wish that you could be a model despite the fact that you are way too awkward to walk down a runway without tripping? If you said yes to any of those questions, then you might want to look into Ford Models. They’re a tough company to research, since there’s a ton of online information about them, but very little that is job related. Getting a job at Ford Models doesn’t look like it’s an easy task, but that doesn’t mean that you shouldn’t try.

But I Can’t Turn Left

Go look in the mirror. Take a good long look at yourself. You should be paid to be beautiful, shouldn’t you? You’re a perfect candidate for Ford’s modeling opportunities. We know you’re good looking. Everyone who reads One Day, One Job is, right? Now here’s one more test, to make sure that giving up on your job search and becoming a model is the right choice. Walk down a hallway in your house, pose, turn left, and come back to where you started. Ahh… that left turn snagged you up didn’t it? It’s not as easy as it looks. If you can’t turn left, you can’t be a model. Looks like you’ll have to consider Ford Models’ entry-level job opportunities instead.

Ford Models doesn’t list specific job opportunities on their website, but they do invite individuals who “have an understanding of the dynamic changes in the fashion talent industry and an innovator’s desire to create value” to send a cover letter and resume to careers@fordmodels.com. There’s a significant internship program at Ford Models, which makes us think that they are relatively likely to hire new college grads; however, you’d have to think that competition for jobs at Ford Models is pretty fierce. Everyone wants to be around beautiful people, and there are few jobs that offer better opportunities for that. Ford Models takes on most of its interns in New York City, so that’s probably the place they’re also most likely to do entry-level hiring. They also have offices in Miami, FL; San Francisco, CA; Los Angeles, CA; Milwaukee, WI; Chicago, IL; Scottsdale, AZ; Canada (Toronto and Vancouver); Brazil (Sao Paulo and Rio de Janeiro), and France (Paris). Our guess is that job opportunities might be in Marketing or PR, with an outside shot at some other areas. If the careers@fordmodels.com doesn’t work out for you, you can also try using the contact information for individual offices found on Ford Models’ home page in the Location – Division link (we can’t link to it, because it’s Flash based).

Links to Help You Begin Your Research

Ford Models.com (Flash site, can’t link to individual pages)
FordModels.tv
Ford Models on YouTube
Everything You Always Wanted to Know About Ford Models from the Freakonomics Blog

Are you too good looking for an entry-level job? Then stop reading this site and go fill out a modeling applications.

Trendstop

Willy Franzen — Tue, 20 May 2008 12:29:31 +0000

What you wear is important. Whether it’s for a job interview or your first day of work, there’s no debating that your appearance is essential to your success. It may not be fair, and it often isn’t legal, but it’s true. For many it’s enough trouble just to wear something appropriate, but for others being trendy is extremely important. They want to give the impression that they are at the cutting edge of what’s cool. It takes a lot of work for an individual to keep up with the latest trends (unless you sign up for trend alerts, of course). Now, imagine being responsible for putting out an entire line of trendy clothes. Many companies can’t do this on their own, that’s why they sign up for Trendstop, a fashion forecasting and trend watching service.

What’s Trendy in Trend Watching?

Trendstop specializes in trend analysis with a focus on color trends, fabric trends, trend silhouettes, store window trends, street fashion trends, runway trends, and fast fashion trends. Designers, manufacturers, retailers, and consultants all use the information provided by Trendstop to make key business decisions. Whether it’s what to make or what to buy, people in the fashion industry need to be in touch with what’s next. Trendstop is one of the best in the industry when it comes to providing this up to date information. How do we know? We’re not fashionistas, but we trust Infomat’s list of top trend forecasting services, which gave Trendstop an A+ rating.

Trend Spot for Trendstop

It’s only four words, but that’s quite a tongue twister! Trendstop doesn’t appear to be hiring for full-time positions in their London office, but they do have a number of part-time and freelance jobs available. Opportunities that are currently listed on their website include: Global Trend Spotters, New Business / Account Manager, Menswear Retail Reporter, Fashion Writers, and CAD Designer (Garments, Artwork). Only two of these jobs are linked to descriptions, so it’s hard to get a read on what qualifications are necessary for the jobs. We can say that we’re pretty sure that the New Business / Account Manager opportunity is reserved for people with experience in Account Management.

We’re not sure what the logistics are of working for Trendstop since they’re located in the UK (and most of our readers are US students). We do know that the Global Trend Spotter jobs are freelance positions that are available in Milan, Los Angeles, Moscow, Antwerp, Barcelona, Berlin and New York. We would imagine that the Menswear Retail Reporter and Fashion Writer jobs are also freelance positions, but we could be wrong about that. Your best bet is probably to contact Trendstop yourself and see what they’re looking for in each of these positions.

Links to Help You Begin Your Research

Want to keep up with the trends in entry-level employment? Subscribe.

Standard Style Boutique

Amy Gordon — Mon, 07 Apr 2008 12:00:18 +0000

Here at One Day, One Job we like to feature jobs at companies that we use and respect. I came across Standard Style a couple of years ago when I was shopping for a friend’s birthday present, and I have been a loyal customer ever since. Standard Style is a boutique, online and off, that is trying to meld traditional mid-western values with the latest fashions. What is great about Standard Style is their top-notch customer service and their extensive collection of high fashion clothes and jewelry (that often go on sale). Even greater for you is that they appear to be hiring!

Values? Fashion? Huh?

We used to think that the groups “places that are known for barbecue” and “places that are known for good fashion” were mutually exclusive. Standard Style has changed our opinion, as they’ve focused on “selling West Coast and New York City ideas of fashion to a city where jeans are widely acceptable at high-end restaurants.” Where are they doing this? Kansas City, of course. Matt and Emily Baldwin founded Standard Style after they moved back to Kansas from California, and so far it’s working out pretty well with them. Their Christian faith plays a strong role in how they run their business, which is perfect for their target market – mid-western moms.

“Matching religious ideals with high fashion might seem paradoxical,” but the excessive use of sex in advertising can be a turn off to many. That’s why Standard Style’s marketing efforts are toned down, and they focus on working with suppliers who are a little less provocative than your average fashion designer. It’s definitely a different tack, but you can’t argue with a successful business.

We’re Not in Kansas Anymore

Just kidding. All of Standard Style’s jobs are in Kansas (ok, we think they might have some in Kansas City, MO). Standard Style’s Careers page offers a lot of hope for job searchers, but we’re not sure how many opportunities are actually current, since they don’t list individual positions. They say that they’re looking for people in: Administrative Services, Advertising, Buying, Sales & Customer Service, Distribution/Warehouse, Finance/Accounting, Human Resource, Information Technology, Marketing/Sales/Public Relations, Merchandising, Product Management, Research Analyst, and Store/Retail. Either they’re doing an amazing amount of hiring, or they’ve taken an “always looking” approach.

We used our usual research methods to see if we could dig up any more information on what kind of jobs Standard Style has or what it’s like to work there, but we came up empty-handed. We don’t know for sure that they’re hiring at the entry-level, but they should be. They’re trendy enough to attract the top young talent, and they’re certainly in the right industry. We can’t make any promises, but we think that you probably have a good shot if you send your cover letter and resume to Employment@standardstyle.com with your area of interest clearly identified. There’s not much else to go on, but we’re sure they’d be happy to answer questions through e-mail as well.

Links to Help You Begin Your Research

Do you know something about working at Standard Style that we couldn’t find? Share it in the comments.

Gilt Groupe

Willy Franzen — Wed, 26 Mar 2008 12:00:32 +0000

Looking for a Gilt Groupe invitation? Here’s our Gilt invite link.

If you just looked at the tags on our posts, you would think that today’s company has a lot in common with Moosejaw, whom we talked about yesterday. That couldn’t be much further from the truth. The fact that both sell clothing online by creating a unique brand identity is about the only similarity. While Moosejaw relies on irreverent humor to sell products, the Gilt Groupe uses viral exclusivity to woo customers. It’s interesting to see more and more integration between typical web startup ideas and traditional business models. Gilt Groupe is a perfect example of a company that has secured funding by adding a dash of Web 2.0 flavor to a tried and true brick and mortar business model.

Gilt Groupe is an invitation-only, high-end retailer. They offer online sample sales that are exclusive, designer-specific, and for one day only. In a way they’re like One Day, One Job, except they sell stuff, they are invite only, and their offers are only good for one day. Our model sounds a lot friendlier, doesn’t it? That’s ok, friendly and high fashion don’t really go together anyway. The Gilt Groupe site is pretty sparse, since all the real content is in the Members Only section. You’ll need to join if you want to do your due diligence in researching career opportunities at Gilt Groupe. Luckily we managed to snag an invite. If you want a Gilt Groupe invite, leave a comment on this post, and we’ll send you one. Be sure to use your real e-mail address, otherwise we won’t know whom to send the invite to.

It seems that whenever we find a company that is doing something new and exciting, there are two things that bother us. First, the companies usually aren’t actively looking to hire at the entry-level. Second, the jobs that they do have open are in areas that are far removed from the core of the business. Unfortunately, both cases apply to jobs at Gilt Groupe. We’re often torn about whether we should write about such companies, or pass them up for less interesting companies with more robust and relevant entry-level recruiting needs. We figure that you can find those jobs on your own and that you’re here to learn about companies that you’re unfamiliar with (if you disagree, tell us in the comments section).

Gilt Groupe has a number of jobs that could be appropriate for a new college graduate, but they seem more focused on hiring experienced professionals. It’s easy to get discourage by these types of job listings, but you can also see it as an opportunity to take a risk and see if a company will consider hiring you for a position that is a bit above your experience level. Current openings at Gilt Groupe include IT Manager, QA Manager, Web / Graphic Designer, Motion Designer / Videographer, and Public Relations / Marketing Manager. Like we said, they’re not purely entry-level, but we know plenty of new grads who have backgrounds that make them completely capable of stepping into these jobs. Be sure to look at the job descriptions carefully and make sure you’re not totally out of your league before sending a cover letter and resume to careers@gilt.com. And don’t forget to tell them that we sent you, since they’re offering a $1,000 referral bonus. Help them reward us for our hard work!

If you’re a computer geek whose wardrobe goes beyond t-shirts and jeans, the Gilt Groupe’s current job opening could be an especially attractive to you. If you love fashion, but don’t have the technical skills for the jobs that are currently listed, you can watch and wait, or you can send your resume and a cover letter telling the Gilt Groupe why they need you to be a part of their team. Maybe they’ll create a job for you – you never know. And don’t forget that at Gilt Groupe there’s a future with 6 figures in it, according to this interview with CEO, Alexis Maybank.

Links to Help You Begin Your Research

Gilt Groupe
About Gilt Groupe (Most company information, including Careers is on this page)
Gilt Groupe in the Press
Interview with Gilt Group CEO Alexis Maybank

Don’t forget to leave a comment with your e-mail address if you want a Gilt Groupe invite.

American Apparel

Willy Franzen — Fri, 28 Dec 2007 14:00:04 +0000

They’ve invaded your Facebook with pics of half naked emo-hipster models (by the way, we’re dorks and had to look up the definitions of emo and hipster on Wikipedia, kind of like when Peter, Samir, and Michael Bolton look up money laundering in the dictionary in Office Space). A certain Ivy League campus in New York City has also been overrun with people dressed straight off this company’s website. Even when you win a t-shirt, it’s not Hanes or Fruit of the Loom anymore. American Apparel is attacking on all fronts. And before we go any farther, we should warn you that their site is filled with near-nudity, so don’t go browsing it in a public place or whatever.

American Apparel is a company whose defining advantage is the way they treat their workers. Yes, their clothes are trendy. Yes, American Apparel has provocative advertising. But without their made in America by fairly paid workers philosophy, they’d have no identity. And think about this: if they treat their sewers (people who sew, not where things go when you flush the toilet) well, they’re going to treat you well too. It’s definitely working for American Apparel, they’re growing rapidly and have been featured in Businessweek and more recently the Inc. 500.

American Apparel has a ton of entry-level jobs available in many different areas of work (almost all of which are located in Los Angeles, CA). There are more than we’re going to list, so if you want to see them all, head over to American Apparel’s jobs page. In Customer Service there are jobs such as: CSR & Reports, Retail Operations for Japan and Korea, Sales Coordinator, Showroom Sales Representative, and Wholesale Customer Returns Agent. In Production jobs include: Fabric Planning Assistant, Field Fabric Quality Control Assistant, and Technical Package Specialist. There are also a number of IT related jobs that might be good for new grads, but we feel we’ve listed a lot of tech jobs recently, so you can find them yourself. If you’re not quite ready for that desk job, you can always work at one of their retail stores.

Beyond paying above market wages, American Apparel also offers significant training for entry-level hires. So if you’re nervous about some of the skills needed for that position you really want, they might be able to help you get where you need to be. Beyond a willingness to train, they also offer free fitness and English as a second language classes, on-site masseurs, and company-subsidized lunches. From what we can tell, American Apparel also offers a very different work environment, so if their ads make you uncomfortable, working there might not be for you.

Don’t want a day job just yet? Want to just get by on your pretty face? Try modeling for American Apparel instead.

Note: On April 23rd we revisited entry-level jobs at American Apparel.

Links to Help You Begin Your Research

Do you like American Apparel’s ads? Or do you find them offensive? Leave a comment.

The Doneger Group

Willy Franzen — Thu, 06 Dec 2007 13:00:21 +0000

Every day we try to keep our eye on the trends in entry-level employment. We search Google, read magazines, and talk to recent college graduates about their job experiences, in hopes of finding new companies and growing industries to tell you about. We want to give you job ideas that you’ve never even considered before. Take our posts as inspiration to expand your job search beyond the companies that your Mom wants you work for.

We first heard about The Doneger Group in a CNN Money article on jobs in fashion trend forecasting. Unfortunately, the article spelled the name wrong (Donegar), and we spent quite a bit of time trying to find their website (goes to show you how a small error on someone else’s part can derail your job search). But we were persistent, and eventually found The Doneger Group Home Page.

While we’ve only been watching employment trends since May, the Doneger Group has been in the fashion trend forecasting business for 60 years. This is an interesting field because it requires the analytical skills of a high powered consulting firm but is subject to the whims of fashion. Through industry experience and excellent research capabilities, Doneger is able to consistently aid their clients in making smart business decisions about an unpredictable industry.

As excited as we were to finally find their web site, we were even more pleased to find that Doneger is hiring a Trend Sales Representative. This is a Sales position that requires 2 years of relevant experience, but if you’re right for the job you will be able to sell them on the fact that you can do the job extremely well without the 2 years’ experience. Fashion trend forecasting is an industry where getting your foot in the door can be difficult. You need to be aggressive about applying for jobs, even if they aren’t explicitly entry-level. Speaking of being aggressive in your job search – Doneger’s executives have their contact information listed on the web. Use that information however you see fit. You can submit your resume for the Trend Sales Representative position to hr@doneger.com.

Note: On April 22nd we revisited entry-level jobs at The Doneger Group.

Links to Help You Begin Your Research

Being that we are almost as good at spotting trends as The Doneger Group, we know that the Nintendo Wii is the hottest gift this holiday season. People are spending half a day waiting in line for one. Why do that when you can win one in our Find a Job, Win a Wii contest? And to clarify, you don’t need to find a job to win, but we will try to help you do both.

Subscribe to our e-mail newsletter and leave a comment and you’re already on your way to winning a Wii.