It’s more fad-driven than possibly any other industry. It’s extremely fickle, changing with the seasons and dramatically reflecting both the upswings and downturns of the economy. But it’s this unpredictability that makes the $300 billion fashion industry one of the most fascinating and exciting around.
Considering the monetary value of the industry, it’s not surprising that there are so many opportunities for creative people interested in forging a career in the field. The industry employs everyone from fashion designers and pattern makers to sewing machine operators and textile stylists, as well as a whole raft of people in ancillary professions, including fashion models, editors and writers; advertising copywriters and publicists; educators—and, of course, the people who sell these items to their adoring public.
Fashion accessories command 10 percent of the overall fashion market, or $30 billion, according to the Accessories Council, an organization dedicated to raising awareness of and demand for fashion accessories. Fashion accessories include everything from footwear and handbags to jewelry and watches, gloves and scarves, hats and headbands, belts and ties, wraps and anything else people use to polish their look and create their own style.
It’s believed that the origins of mankind’s interest in clothing dates back to around 10,000 BC. Archeologists have found evidence that the needle and the loom were invented around that time, but it wasn’t until the Neolithic period (6,000 BC) that humans began to make jewelry, which could be considered the world’s first fashion accessories.
