In order to become a clothing distributor, it is important to have experience in the field of apparel and, in many cases, training and education about the clothing industry. Many people who have dreams of working for or becoming a clothing distributor go to school to study fashion. It is possible for a person with either a fashion design or a fashion merchandising degree to become a clothing distributor. Fashion merchandising, however, often focuses more on manufacturing and selling clothing, which are important skills for anyone who wants to become a clothing distributor. Fashion design focuses more on the creation of the items that are to be sold, which is also an important skill set for someone working in the field, but may not be the most important skill set for someone who wants to become a clothing distributor.
A great way to get experience while studying to become a clothing distributor is to make use of internships and summer job opportunities while still in school. Students completing a two-year degree in fashion design or fashion merchandising have four semesters to take part in internships and one summer between school years to have a summer job in the fashion industry. Students completing a four-year degree have double the number of opportunities to get experience in the field.
Clothing distributors come in many sizes. Some sell thousands or even tens of thousands of pieces of the same clothing item in a given season. Others who create specialty apparel might only sell a few dozen pieces of a given style in one year. When working to become a clothing distributor, it is important to consider size. It can take quite a long time to develop a business that moves tens of thousands of units in a given fashion season, so people looking to become a clothing distributor on this scale might have to invest a great deal of time in the process.
People who want to become a clothing distributor that specializes in servicing boutiques, however, might be able to reach their goals more quickly. Setting up shop and making enough clients to sell between a few dozen and a few hundred units of a given item usually takes less time. Either way, it takes time and startup money to become a clothing distributor of any scale. As such, it is a good idea to start with a solid base of knowledge and experience.
