In December, Teodora Nicolae, a seasoned marketing executive, most recently at a fashion trade show group, took to LinkedIn to share a popular year-end refrain: “Today is my last day … I am simultaneously very excited to step into a new chapter.”
The new year often prompts self-reflection, life planning and resolutions — and careers are no different. But Nicolae’s new chapter — launching a platform that offers advisory services and resources to “big dreamers” in fashion, tech, design and entertainment — wasn’t just the result of asking herself, “What do I want to do?”
It was driven by a more pressing question she believes many in the industry are grappling with: “Where is fashion going?”
“It feels like this point where the industry is on shaky footing,” said Nicolae. “There’s not a single part of fashion I would say is just killing it and thriving and needs no changes.”
A wave of disruption — from the rapid rise of ultra fast fashion to a downturn in the once untouchable luxury sector — has many in fashion questioning their career paths. The New Year is likely to bring more uncertainty: Donald Trump is promising tariffs and a rollback of diversity and sustainability initiatives when he returns to office. TikTok is staring down a Jan. 19 deadline to be sold or banned in the US.
For those looking to accelerate their fashion careers, softer skills like agility, intellectual curiosity and an ability to work across departments and categories will be crucial in 2025, experts say. The most effective leaders will prioritise breaking down silos in their businesses, while talent will need to showcase commercial savvy and a clear link between their expertise and company profitability.
Success will require playing the long game and leaders must avoid placing innovation on the back burner in a tough economic climate — instead focussing on sustainable growth beyond quarterly targets.
“[Fashion] needs people who can be cross-functional experts and look at the business holistically in any role they’re in,” said Lisa Butkus, managing partner of the retail and luxury goods practice at CAA Executive Search. “We’re hearing more [about] agility … and the skill set to be able to navigate an uncertain economy, figure out how you add value … and help a business shift and focus their priorities.”
The Skills You’ll Need
The industry’s trend of prioritising soft skills like agility, curiosity, critical thinking and creativity will persist into 2025, experts say. In other words, business is challenging across even the most resilient sectors — and talent who can adapt quickly and help brands find solutions will fare best.
“If an area is declining today, eventually it will again be on the rise,” said Kyle Rudy, a senior client partner at Kirk Palmer Associates. “Go with the flow and be able to work both sides of the trend without changing who you are.”
In the luxury sector, where sales have slowed significantly for major players, “commercial savvy” will be essential in the year ahead, along with practical skills such as inventory management, Butkus said.
Across retail, Rudy expects an emphasis on roles tied directly to driving revenue, such as chief revenue officer or head of growth.
“[It’s a person] who takes a realistic view of external trends that are going to impact the business and has the ability to coalesce various groups around solutions to those trends,” he said. “They’re data-focussed yet have vision.”
Similarly, Butkus said fashion companies will prioritise talent with expertise in “brand strategy or marketing strategy” and the ability to think proactively — anticipating consumer trends and planning for things like category expansion.
“[The question is] how do you tap into a new consumer? Instead of simply reacting to what other brands are doing — it’s about being a leader in the space,” she said.
As brands in luxury and in the outdoor and athletic sectors grapple with consumer fatigue and a lack of product innovation, more companies will look to appoint new chief product officers or hire one for the first time, Rudy said.
“Companies are seeking brand heat — product is king and so is differentiation if you’re going to be able to defend your market share in this very competitive landscape,” he said.
Where Is Fashion Going?
All told, the year ahead will be both complex and pivotal for fashion professionals largely because the industry’s next big thing hasn’t come to the surface yet.
Even so, the most successful talent and leaders will press ahead with meaningful innovation and progress in areas like AI and tech, DEI and ESG, and the convergence of fashion with arts, culture and sports, experts say.
In practice, this means taking a more proactive approach to technology, including generative AI — recognising that “AI doesn’t begin and end with ChatGPT”— and creating bespoke solutions tailored to the fashion industry, said Karen Harvey, founder and CEO of the business consultancy Karen Harvey Consulting Group.
“[Innovation] means not talking to ourselves all the time,” she said. “The reason people are moving away from fashion … is because they don’t feel like there’s really room within fashion to question things.”
Brands will need to push the boundaries of fashion more aggressively by collaborating deeply with other sectors like art, sports and entertainment, as younger consumers increasingly expect the industry to offer more than just clothing, Harvey said.
Large fashion houses have been leaning heavily in this direction for several years — LVMH most notably sponsored the 2024 Summer Olympics, while brands like Gucci, Hublot and Cartier generated buzz with activations during Miami Art Week at Art Basel in December.
But collaboration is trending across categories and brand sizes. For instance, in August, indie fashion label LoveShackFancy teamed up with Gen-Z favourite drinkware brand Stanley, while denim maker Levi’s launched a Formula 1 collection with luxury car brand McLaren.
One of the first companies Nicolae’s platform, The Dreamers, will collaborate with in 2025 is Auroboros, a self-described luxury tech fashion house that “lives at the crossroads of fashion and technology.” As Nicolae sees it, companies like Auroboros are “future-focussed” and less constrained by the industry’s survival-driven mindset.
“We’re still talking about a lot of the same things we were talking about 15 years ago, and haven’t really solved for them,” Nicolae said.
Looking ahead, companies are likely to continue to merge functions like DEI, ESG and human resources, said Butkus. However, fashion firms that rapidly dissolve these functions will likely face serious consequences down the line, Rudy said.
“DEI in 2025 will remain a critical business strategy — not a marketing campaign,” Rudy said. “The companies planning to lead 10 or 20 years from now, not just through the next quarterly earnings call, are the ones that will continue to embrace DEI — however they choose to label it.”
