The 16 Chillest Fashion Companies to Work For
The fashion industry is notoriously brutal.
A non-paid internship that involves doing all the actual staff’s bitch-work is almost always a prerequisite. After that, long hours and crappy pay, a.k.a. “putting in your time at the bottom,” are in your future.
In fact, for every doe-eyed non-fashion employee that gets excited when she meets someone who works at Louis Vuitton, there’s an exhausted and overworked employee that wants to die every time she hears the words “fashion week.”
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But, not all employers are complete hell-holes. Business of Fashion just released their list of the top 16 companies to work for in 2017. If you’re a wannabe Anna Wintour and deciding where to apply for summer internships, add these places to your list.
1. Galeries Lafayette: Paris, France
You may not have heard of this French retailer, but they have 50 stores around Europe and Asia. They garnered a spot on this list due to their plethora of leadership and development opportunities, not to mention some hefty bonuses.
2. Tommy Hilfiger: Amsterdam, Netherlands
The fact that Tommy’s worldwide headquarters is in Amsterdam is a little confusing since they’re known as an American brand, but they do have an NYC office for their national division. Regardless, their company culture and working environment is allegedly awesome.
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3. GAP Inc: San Francisco, USA
Most stores like GAP have been having a tough time due to malls not being that cool anymore, but GAP has still managed to stay on top of lit employee benefits and bonuses, go them! Their employees also gush about how they’re paid to be trained and to be taught new stuff, which sounds amaze.
4. Gucci: Firenze, Italy
Gucci is the only truly aspirational fashion brand on the list, which is unsurprising since everyone has been obsessed with Gucci all year. Turns out, their revenue increased 21% and their re-vamp has also led to changes with their CEO and leadership style that gives awesome opportunities in advancement to their employees.
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5. Adidas: Herzogenaurach, Germany
Adidas has really been having a sort of renaissance, and that includes their ability to invest in their talent and really make them kill it. They also have lit employee benefits and travel allowances, and who doesn’t want a job that caters to their wanderlust?
6. Warby Parker: New York, USA
Warby Parker is another cool kid brand that was once said to be a “disrupter” of the eyewear market when it launched in 2010. Today, they’re going strong and are lauded for their great work environment and company culture which involves using “any excuse” to have a company party.
7. Farfetch: London, UK
This UK based e-tailer is one of few fashion brands that really slayed as a tech company. They also have the type of perks you’d expect from a tech company, including rooftop yoga, running clubs, pilates, free homemade soup, and company breakfasts.
8. Cotton On Group: North Geelong, Australia
WTF is Cotton On? Well, it’s a “value fashion group” according to Business of Fashion.
“I have just come back from my in-house osteopathy appointment, in an hour I have my weekly personal training session in the company gym,” explained one employee to BoF. “On Friday, I will be leaving early for a long weekend, made possible by the group’s flexi-hours programme.”
Sounds nice!
9. Levi Strauss & Co: San Fransisco, USA
Levi’s, like Adidas, has been having a renaissance. The employees are pretty hyped that even though they’re living in San Francisco, they can more than afford their rent, which allows them to actually do work instead of worrying about if they need a sugar daddy or not.
10. Calvin Klein: New York, USA
Calvins was dubbed “the company that helps you plan for your future,” which means they’ll keep the money in the bank.
11. Nordstrom Inc: Seattle, USA
Nordstrom already had our hearts after dumping Ivanka Trump’s line, but they’ve also won the hearts of their employees who applaud their diversity and inclusivity — not to mention a killer internship program.
12. Loewe: Madrid, Spain
You may not have heard of Loewe, but they’re a leather brand owned by LVMH, so you can say that they’re fancy. They also encourage employees to spend time learning about arts and culture, and employees work on initiatives in field such as poetry, dance, architecture, photography, design and craftsmanship.
13. H&M: Stockholm, Sweden
Fast fashion isn’t always synonymous with bad working conditions — although we doubt this list includes the people who are actually sewing the clothing. Regardless, H&M wants you to know that they’re not “fast fashion,” and their employees are happy in an environment that they say is all about teamwork and democratic practices.
14. Zalando: Berlin, Germany
Zalando is another brand that’s not super well-known around the US, it’s a German e-tailer. The company was founded in 2008 and the employees feel like they have a hand in shaping business, which is dope.
15. Berluti: Paris, France
Berluti is another older leather brand, known prominently for men’s shoes. It’s a small company with around 150 employees, but those employees enjoy discounted yoga and gym memberships, bougie veggie juices, and a concierge.
16. Zara: A Coruna, Arteixo, Spain
Rounding out the list is another fast fashion brand that made its way over to the US. Zara’s business model is famously genius, and their employees tend to think so too — especially considering their hefty paychecks and bonuses that they’re rewarded for working successfully at the fast-paced brand.
