Fashion Stylist Salary and Career Facts

Research what it takes to become a fashion stylist. Learn about education requirements, job duties, average wages and employment outlook to find out if this is the career for you.

What Does a Fashion Stylist Do?

Fashion stylists assess a client's style and provide personalized fashion advice. They need to have excellent communication skills and a friendly professional attitude in order to work one-on-one with their clients. In order to offer effective style advice, fashion stylists need to pay attention to news in the fashion industry and keep themselves informed of current trends. They need to be experienced in dressing a wide range of body types and personal styles in order to fit their clients' needs.

The table below provides information on entering this career, including degree options and job duties.

Degree Required	Associate's or bachelor's degree
Education Field of Study	Fashion design, fashion merchandising, fashion technology
Key Responsibilities	Provide fashion advice to clients, research fashion trends, attend fashion shows, purchase and deliver clothing
Job Growth (2020-2030)	0% for all fashion designers*
Median Salary (2021)	$40,000**

Sources: *U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, **PayScale.com

Education Needed To Work As A Fashion Stylist

Earning a college degree provides some opportunities for you to begin work as a fashion stylist. You should consider completing an associate's or bachelor's degree program in fashion design, fashion merchandising, fashion technology or in a related major. Art and design courses will also help with the necessary training.

When studying for an associate's degree, you'll likely learn about topics such as sketching, fashion illustration, clothing construction and fashion show production. Other classes may cover tailoring, pattern drafting, computer-aided design, silk screening and block printing. If you're in a bachelor's degree program, your curriculum may include visual merchandising, fashion business and product development. You can gain further training and experience through internships in the fashion industry, with clothing manufacturers or with part-time jobs in retail clothing sector.

You should select degree programs that are accredited by the National Association of Schools of Art and Design (NASAD). Along with fashion-related degrees, these programs may offer courses in digital studio, drawing studio and art design.

What Will I Do As A Fashion Stylist?

In general, you'll learn to develop contacts in the fashion industry and attend various fashion and trade shows to research the latest trends and styles that will be in demand in the near future. You'll be required to purchase or borrow clothing and accessories, as well as to deliver clothing and accessories to your clients' homes, to photo shoot locations or to film sets.

What Else Must I Do?

You'll need excellent communication skills as you'll need to express your ideas to your clients, as well as to retailers, apparel manufacturers, public relations companies and others. Additionally, you'll need to develop an excellent sense of fashion, including of textiles and accessories, as well as great presentation skills.

How Much Will I Make?

Salaries for fashion stylists vary depending on experience and expertise. According to PayScale.com, as of September 2021, most fashion stylists earned between $20,000 and $59,000. The median salary for these workers was $40,000 at that time.

What Are Some Related Alternative Careers?

There are many different career paths in fashion that you could pursue aside from becoming a personal stylist. With a degree in fashion, fashion merchandising or a similar field, you may want to consider becoming a fashion designer. These professionals create clothes that are fitting with current fashion trends in order to appeal to consumers. Another option is to become a fashion sales representative or personal shopper, advising customers on clothes and helping them purchase outfits. Fashion sales representatives can enter the field without a degree, but gaining some formal education in fashion trends and history may be beneficial for higher-level positions.