Staffing, Recruitment, & HR Blog
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We’re always hiring fashion & apparel designers, developers, merchandisers, and more!
Director of Merchandising - Boys and Newborn
Senior Technical Designer - Womenswear
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With Yeezy Gap Engineered by Balenciaga, Adidas for Prada Re-Nylon, and hundreds more, you’ve probably noticed that there are more fashion brand collaborations right now than ever before. Collabs have become so explosive because of their ability to inspire new collections outside of brands’ typical styles, therefore introducing them to new audiences.
For some companies, there are full teams designated solely to creating and developing collaborations. Bay Area giant, Levi Strauss and Co., has an entire design and merchandising team dedicated to collaborations, producing approximately 24 collab collections per year! You can check out all of their collaborations here.
In addition to expanding brands’ reach, collaborations create new energy within brands. Using celebrities and influencers is a common strategy that helps these collabs better target their consumers and create interest at the celebrity level. Check out this brand new Levi’s collaboration with Naomi Osaka, Japanese tennis player, that just dropped a few weeks ago – right at the time of Wimbledon!
When it comes to the job market, collaborations create many new opportunities for jobs. Collabs require a unique, niche set of skills. By widening brands’ reach to new customers, designers, and creatives, collaborations create more opportunity for diversity and inclusiveness in fashion.
Calling outdoor lovers in the digital marketing space – we’re hiring a Digital Marketing Manager for an outdoor apparel brand in Charleston, SC. This is a great opportunity for digital marketers that are ready to break into the eComm space. The eCommerce industry has fantastic long-term growth opportunities and is currently one of the fastest growing sectors!
We’re always hiring for Retail & HR jobs in fashion, home, & beauty.
Check out the jobs we’re working on today:
Human Resources Business Partner - San Diego
Human Resources Business Partner - Carlsbad
Check it out! We’re hiring an Assistant Designer for a surf & lifestyle apparel brand in Pacific Palisades, California! This is a gnarly opportunity to learn directly from the brand’s Design Director and team while supporting all phases of the design process for the brand’s swim and apparel lines.
Read more about the job here.
One of the top driving factors for success of a retail business is the strength of its internal team, woven-in values, and company culture.
Retail post-pandemic is a new frontier in many respects, one of which has largely been finding great employees and retaining them.
A workplace without a strong company culture can see employee burnout and high turnover, especially in a retail environment. To create the most positive retail experience for your customer, investing in your dream team is a great first step.
The impact of the “great resignation” has hit retail specifically. With the challenge of an increased interest in remote and hybrid work, and a shifting view by perspective employees on what defines “perks of the job,” it is more competitive than ever to be the retail brand that employees commit to joining!
Investing in employees can appear in many ways, most commonly in the form of financial compensation and benefits offered. However, in recent years, there has been a shift in the priorities of employees’ values; this shift being placing a higher value on overall company culture than compensation. According to Business News Daily, “American millennials are more likely to care about work culture over salary (65%) than those age 45 and older (52%).”
To build a retail business where employees feel supported, there must be a compelling mission, goals, and values that are well-defined and implemented into all work practices, most crucially being the hiring and onboarding processes. If hiring managers articulate the company values during the interview process, employees are more likely to understand and reflect those values on the retail floor.
There are three underlying values that are trending as top priority in the retail sector: employee voice, diversity, equity, & inclusion, and sustainable practices.
Company culture extends beyond shared lifestyles and common interests. Employees want to feel heard by their leaders. An insider at Fast Company wrote, “If you look at some of the strongest companies around the world, regardless of industry, a common thread is that leaders in those businesses don’t just dictate. They also get feedback from their teams and consider what workers say.” Retail is a particularly important industry for employees to feel heard, as they serve as the face of the brand and interact with customers in-store, every single day. Likewise, retail employees provide invaluable internal feedback on the day-to-day retail operations.
There is a level of responsibility for company leaders when it comes to diversity, equity, and inclusion. In fact, a study found that “more diverse workforces perform better financially compared to those that are less diverse.” It can be challenging to know where to implement these practices. An insider at Forbes suggested, “Start inside and ask your teams what types of training they would find beneficial when it comes to diversity, inclusion and belonging and how they would like to see the company improve its efforts in the months and years to come.” When business leaders engage with their employees and respect their opinions on these sensitive matters, they make their employees feel supported.
These authentic conversations about diversity, equity, & inclusion should always be included during the employee hiring processes. One of our amazing clients, Vans, leads diversity and inclusion in the workplace by great example. We are proud to align ourselves with a brand that has such a strong commitment to providing a diverse and inclusive workplace for their employees. If you haven’t heard of it before, check out their “Off The Wall” mindset that promotes and embraces creativity and self expression.
Most consumers, including employees of the fashion retail industry, have expectations of sustainable and ethical transparency from fashion retailers. Many employees are seeking opportunities to implement change on a local or global scale. Liv Simpliciano, policy and research manager at Fashion Revolution, said “Transparency is the antidote to greenwashing. Scrutiny might sound like a scary thing [for brands], but it’s actually a capacity-building exercise.” For brands looking to grow their retail businesses, ethical and sustainable transparency, in addition to a positive work culture, is attractive to both employees and customers.
Vuori is a great example of a brand that is actively invests in sustainable practices. In fact, they offset 100% of their carbon emissions to help combat global warming. Not to mention, they’re rated the #1 retailer to work for in Encinitas, CA.
Vuori’s 2021 Footprint. More information about their sustainable efforts can be found here.
If you’re looking to grow your fashion retail business and build a strong team of employees that are the perfect brand-fit, there is much to consider. By having honest conversations with your applicants and digging into what values they’re looking for in a company, you’ll find that you are able to identify the right fit most efficiently. Creating a strong company culture by hiring employees that share a passion for your mission is what will guide your retail business into undeniable success.
Emerging Blue focuses on the brand and the fit, Britt Noyes is our Retail Recruiting Director for Retail with 8+ years of experience in the fashion retail industry. If you’d like to partner with Britt to grow your brand’s retail business or support in finding that perfect brand-fit candidate, reach out to us at info@emergingblue.com.
THANK YOU FOR 50K LINKEDIN FOLLOWERS! To celebrate, we’re hosting a giveaway contest with some amazing gear, gift cards, and accessories from a few of our incredibly generous clients.
HOW TO ENTER:
1. Follow us on LinkedIn & Instagram @emergingblue.
2. In the comments, tag 3 of your friends on LinkedIn & Instagram.
3. Share this giveaway post on LinkedIn & on your Instagram story.
WE WILL RANDOMLY SELECT 3 WINNERS: 1 TOP PRIZE VALUED AT $2,000+ AND 2 RUNNER-UPS.
Prizes from:
Vans, a VF Company
KREWE
Marine Layer
TravisMathew Apparel
Mizzen+Main
Free Fly Apparel
Rhone
Swig Life
SCOUT Bags
686
Babiators
Giveaway ends 7/27 at 5:00pm EST. Winners will be tagged in LinkedIn post & on Instagram.
Look out LA! We’re kicking off the search for a Director of Marketing and a creative Content Strategist & Copywriter for our newest client, a contemporary denim brand based in Los Angeles, California.
If either of these opportunities sounds like it may be a fit for you, click the links below to apply!
Ready to step into your next job? We’re on the hunt for a Footwear & Apparel Developer for our client, a golf & outdoor performance apparel company. If you’re ready to change course in your career, this may be the perfect fit for you. Learn more about the role here.
Amidst the great resignations of the past year, there remains a competitive search for strong digital talent as companies expand their digital, eCommerce, and direct-to-consumer businesses. If your fashion, home, or beauty brand is looking to grow your digital presence, our brand-focused team of recruiters will tap into our diverse pool of experienced digital talent to find you the perfect fit for the job.
Learn more about our digital staffing services here.
On the flip side, if you are ready to take the next step in your digital career, we’re hiring for plenty of jobs in the digital field. Check them out!
Senior Director Technical Solutions Architect/Engineer
Senior Product Manager, Digital and eCommerce
Manager, Email & SMS Marketing
Nicole Rossetti, Digital Recruiting Director for Emerging Blue
Nicole Rossetti is our Recruiting Account Director for Digital. She is well-experienced in recruiting for eCommerce, Digital (Growth & Performance) Marketing, CRM, and Social Media positions.
If you’re interested in working with Nicole, you can reach her at nicole@emergingblue.com.
More exciting leadership opportunities with KREWE! We’re on the lookout for both a VP of Digital and a Senior Director of Optical to join their team in New Orleans. Tap the links below to learn more about each role and to apply.
Our client, a SoCal based snowboarding and technical apparel brand, is growing their team! We’re looking for a Senior Merchandiser to oversee line plan creation and execution in alignment with business goals and consumer insights.
Another shiny job opportunity in NYC! Our client, a jewelry company with a wide portfolio of impressive brands, is looking for a Global Jewelry Merchandising Manager to manage the entire line as well as their fashion segment.
Looking for a digital or marketing job in NYC? We’re hiring a Director of CRM and a Manager of Consumer Lifecycle Marketing for our client, a rapidly growing naturally inspired beauty and skincare brand. Interested? Click the links below to apply:
Happy 4th of July! We are so grateful for the red, white, and (emerging) BLUE!
Another exciting leadership role with Mizzen+Main, a premium menswear brand based in Dallas. We’re on the search for a Director of HR & Culture to be the champion of company culture and be responsible for recruiting, interviewing, hiring, onboarding, training, retention, and tactical needs of traditional human resources.
If you’re interested, click here to read the full JD and to apply.
