When the dream job becomes a nightmare

34 former fashion professionals on why they quit the industry

I have a lot of good memories from my time as a Fashion Person™. I saw the world, met tons of interesting and inspiring people, and saw the inner workings of one of the world’s biggest and most influential industries. And of course, free clothes, free drinks and free dinners.

But working in fashion is not easy. People face very real ethical dilemmas when they work in a sector that’s, let’s say, problematic. The glory days of creativity are long gone, brands produce mountains of clothes just to keep the numbers up, luxury houses charge obscene prices and even the world’s most expensive brands have skeletons in the closet. And that’s before we get into the collapse of independent retailers and media. There are no easy answers to any of these issues — which makes working in the industry even harder than it already was.

But that’s a big, macro, zoomed-out perspective. When you get down to the individual level, and speak to people who spend their 9-5 in the heart of the industry, it’s clear that fashion has some very real problems in the workplace. 

We’ve all heard the stories — low pay, long hours, bad bosses, burnout and stress — but I wanted to find out more. How did people feel working in fashion, and why did they choose to leave? So a few weeks ago on Instagram, I asked for people to reach out to tell me why they chose to quit their jobs in the industry.

This is a small set of examples from people who DM’d me. I’m not claiming it’s totally representative, but I was sent stories from the US, Europe, UK, Australia and Asia. I removed direct mentions of brands, for obvious reasons, and many people asked to use a fake name as well.

After leaving their old jobs, some people went freelance and some went on to do other things. Many said that they had a lot of good memories from their time in fashion — seeing amazing things, working with inspiring people, keeping up with an industry that’s always moving. But it’s very clear that the industry’s brutal work culture is causing a lot of talented people to leave. The reliance on unpaid internships makes it hard for people to break into the industry, and the low pay makes it even harder for them to stay. And it’s hard to imagine a long career as a parent when your job is supposed to be your entire life. 

The most common thread running through these stories is that people didn’t feel valued at work — and that no matter how bad things got, there would always be someone else to replace them. This doesn’t mean that all fashion jobs are bad, or that if you’re just getting started in the industry then you’re doomed to be underpaid and exploited forever. But we need to be having honest, open conversations about what it’s really like to work in the industry, and why so many people choose to leave.

If you’d like to submit your own story, I’d love to hear from you! You can reach me in the DMs or via the contact page on my website. You can use an alias if you don’t want your name out there.

Here’s 34 industry professionals on why they quit their jobs in fashion.

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“I felt totally stuck and helpless. I felt a relief when lockdown came in, because it meant I didn’t have to drag myself to my anxious life full of inane pressures over stuff that doesn’t matter. But I don’t regret a thing, I am so proud of what I achieved. Looking back, I had a normal response to an industry that has its values completely lopsided. It’s like this monster that has a life of its own, it’s not fashion as art, it’s fashion as capitalism.” — Felicity 

“I need my own peace and health above all. Putting yourself first is what makes the difference.” — Ale

“There is never enough credit that goes out to the working bees that keep the company afloat. All these celebrities wear the garments and have no clue how employees spent days and nights making their clothes, helping the brand become what it is, just to get discarded and treated like they are replaceable with a snap of the fingers.” — Lucy 

“The people are what kept me there, namely my inspiring colleagues and the brilliant creatives whose work we were able to amplify. While I'm extremely grateful for the immense experience and opportunity the job brought me, behind the scenes I was perpetually underpaid, burnt out, and felt that despite almost 8 years at the company, I had to repeatedly prove my worth to a revolving door of exorbitantly paid male leadership. Now, I'm freelancing and exploring other areas of interest. I'm slowing down, sewing, and making things with my hands. I'm so much happier, healthier, and way less anxious.” — Romany

“Having to work on Christmas day was a low point, especially when my daughter kept asking me to put my phone down, but the boss kept calling. Single parents with little support are totally screwed in the fashion world. The industry is losing a crazy amount of talent because it just won't cater for parents.” — Katie

“Staying up to date in this industry means that you constantly overexpose yourself to everything — every marketing stunt, every collab, every seeding campaign. You see how brands are strategically flooding the market until a product is literally dead — but you also realize that nobody needs more products. I couldn’t find the same excitement after I came to this realization.” — Harry

“The demands of a fast-paced industry built on the hands of undervalued people is not worth my health and sanity.” — Cal

“I have a passion for sustainability in fashion, but I felt so powerless that every time I tried to do something about it in a big brand — the approach was always greenwashing and profit. Now I’m working as a freelancer for some projects that I relate to, and I finished my pilates teacher training this month. Finally I had the courage to change my path and follow what makes me feel truly happy while helping others.” — Marie

“I was the marketing and e-commerce manager for a sneaker store. There wasn’t one moment, but over a period of time I started to reflect on these products — why are people so crazy about them? Are they really good, innovative products? I was trapped in a cycle where buying new sneakers every other day is the norm.” — PC

“The moment I decided to quit is when after praising my work all week, I received a work email from the founder on a Sunday that was questioning my competence and borderline threatening, in all caps. I guess he was expecting to scare me but this wasn’t my first rodeo, I just said we should discuss this over the phone, he didn’t answer, and to this day he doesn’t even look me in the eye when I see him on the street.” — Jo

“For a period of time I was living the dream that I always envisioned myself having as a designer in New York City. There were many fabulous parties and backstage moments during Fashion Weeks, and it is where I learned how to work hard, and really understand what it takes to make things happen. I am proud of myself for my accomplishments. However I don’t think I could still be working in this type of environment nonstop for this long, especially with the amount of hours required and the incredibly low pay. Even though I had two fashion degrees and worked overtime, it wasn’t enough to live comfortably. Burnout is real!” — Nicole 

“The unspoken request is for your job to become your life and to do anything to achieve the aspirations of the clients. I have met many interesting people over the years, and people that I respect to this day, but their jobs are their lives. And there are so many values in the fashion industry that I consider unethical that will never allow me to make it my life.” — Violet

“I was an editor at a major glossy, working NYFW when I realized I was withering away. I was writing stories in cars, barely showering or eating. I lost five pounds. What was meant to be the best part of my job had turned into the worst. Looking back, I'm still glad I got to work in fashion but I don't miss it.” — Sam

“I thought there was room for art. There isn’t anymore. The artists still around from the ’90s keep their places and rich kids fill the gaps. It’s all men too. They keep women in specific positions to make other women satisfied, but it’s all a game.” — Maria

“I had an accident and a concussion. I got emails about how my absence affected everyone, asking if I could work only two weeks after my accident. It was hard to say no but my concussion made it impossible. That’s when I got an email from my boss saying that I would get no salary…I’ve learned a lot about business, sales and PR, cultural differences, all things I can use in other places. That feels reassuring, but mainly it makes me feel angry looking back on all the injustices I’ve been through.” — Anonymous

“I got paid $21 an hour as a junior designer in LA. They would not give me a raise, no one ever got raises there. There was little opportunity to be creative, they would just steal designs from small businesses. I’m a virtual assistant and social media manager now, and I love the freedom. I get to pick my schedule, I work remotely and I work with creators I never thought I could work with. The fashion industry left such a bad taste for me, I would never go back.” — Cindy

“I was a 25 year old unpaid intern at an independent womenswear label. They pulled me into a meeting after Paris to run through the expense report I had sent to them — we went through each item on the list and I had to explain why I spent x amount on transport, breakfast and lunch, things they agreed they would cover when I was asked to join…Now, I work in brand and influencer marketing for a health and wellness company. It’s provided me with more security than my internship, I love my team and have grown so much. It’s helped me bring my standards up for what I want from an employer.” — Shannon 

“I had been working beyond my remit for over a year and any time I seriously broached the idea that I should be adequately compensated I was told I wasn’t ready yet. There was no plan to help me become ready or any tangible feedback. A little while after I left, I learned that a male colleague who was more junior than me was paid more than I was. Now I’m working in-house as a creative at a global brand. It can be super corporate at times, but my salary is nearly double what it was. I feel a lot more valued and respected in my current role, and friends who also left fashion media feel the same. You don’t realize how bad it is when you’re fully in it.” — Anna

“I’d love to go into some of the examples but fear legal action if I were to discuss specific situations. Everyone who left was pushed to sign an exit agreement. At the time of quitting I felt amazing, I chose myself and prioritized my sanity and my health above a broken system built on fear tactics and mental abuse. But to be completely honest, I’m still recovering.” — Hayley

“What looked like on paper as a great opportunity at a brand who claimed to live the culture and lifestyle quickly felt like I had joined a bit of a cult. I don't know how else to describe it, it was the worst year of my life and I left as soon as possible.” — Sean

“Since my first day in luxury I noticed something was off. The amount of crocodiles being killed to do a couple of backpacks that will be shown for two seconds on a runway. It seems for these companies that natural resources are infinite for them.” — Julia

“There was almost no time for market research, focus groups, quality control, etc. Just sell whatever the hell we can as quickly as possible. When I resigned from my job, the CEO screamed at me and told me she wished she had never hired me. I’m now a lecturer at a university. If I hadn’t gone through such an awful experience, I wouldn’t be able to be an effective teacher and educate my students about the importance of kindness, humility, and empathy.” — Tom 

“I feel sad for my younger self. Some of the things I put up with and sacrificed for those jobs just seem so sad now. I’m glad I have the experience as it’s given me the knowledge I need to change things. Seeing the industry from the inside is the catalyst for me to want to make a change so I guess it’s been important in that sense. The worst part for me was loving fashion and design SO much as a younger girl, and then having my dreams of it completely torn apart. It’s not glamorous, it’s rarely fun, and is morally questionable in a lot of ways.” — Holly

“A masochistic part in my brain is still hoping to get my career back on the rails. Another part of my brain wants to stay out of the fashion industry for good. Both parts are fighting with each other on a daily basis. A part of me would love to go back into fashion, but not in the toxic way I have experienced before. But does that exist?” — Robert

“Let’s face it – no one in fashion is earning enough money for the lifestyle they pretend to have.” — Ron 

“I might have disdain for my former job/industry but one positive thing that came out of it was that it taught me a lot of lessons. I'm extremely grateful to the people who got me to this point and I'm even grateful to myself for making it through with my sanity. But if I could go back and start over I would never ever choose to go into anything remotely close to fashion LOL.” — SK

“When looking back I totally understand why I started in fashion. I loved clothes and the creative and expressive part of it, but over time it lost its creative glow and everything just looked the same. The wheel just started to spin too fast! I should have quit much earlier than I did, when I got the feeling that it was starting to feel wrong in my heart.” — Hannah

“The company prioritized women as their target audience, portraying itself as an inspirational holistic destination, and yet we only catered to surface level crap that magnified damaging social tropes towards beauty and appearance. The most minor blemish could ‘take away from the aesthetic’ — like hair on legs, minor scarring from acne, crows feet on eyes…I am grateful for the times I was able to work with the brands I loved, and I got to make a lot of amazing memories and travel. But it was all off the back of horrible pay, terrible managers, and an environment where your personal wellbeing was never a priority.” — John 

“What drew me to fashion in the first place – what made me really fall in love with it – was the design, craftsmanship, and creativity behind the products, as well as the unique and personal relationships we can have with our clothes. It just seemed like there was less and less interest and space for those kinds of stories…I ultimately left the industry because I did not see a way to create positive change, to reconcile what I saw with what I was doing, while also being able to support myself.” — Ian 

“It seems ridiculous that experienced professionals — MA level with a couple of years of experience — are made to work for free to the advantage of established businesses. At the end of the day, we talk a lot about diversity and inclusion, but this only opens doors to those who are able to afford them.” — Lea

“I was doing four peoples’ jobs, really above my pay grade. Since I joined, there was no growth path for my role. Every time I would have a conversation about it, they were like, we’ll think about this, but years and quarters would pass without anything happening. At one point, I had five job offers come through and I said no to them, because of the allure of working in fashion. The identity of working in fashion, telling people at parties and people saying “wow” — I was too attached to that identity.” — Alex 

“Six months out of the industry, I feel resentful about it but proud of myself for what I achieved in my career. I am left with harrowing memories of male colleagues who were abusive, and having to leave jobs because I wasn't taken seriously. Now I work in higher education in an arts college. I work with super interesting academics and colleagues who are inspiring and the best thing is, I leave the job at the door when I leave.” — Sian

“The thing that brought me out of the industry was the amount of mindless waste that I ended up being a part of. It was hard to leave fashion, but the skills I learned have equipped me for niche areas that I wouldn’t have expected to work in, that I truly love.” — Frankie

“Four years in, I’m starting to realize how difficult it is to exist in the fashion world without following the capitalist playbook. It’s been a hard realization, but it’s shifted my attention to other avenues at a higher level, like writing and mending. I’m currently looking into textile conservation graduate programs. I still love clothes at the end of the day, but I’m much more inclined to preserve the old than produce anything new.” — Alexis

If you’d like to submit your own story, I’d love to hear from you! You can reach me in the DMs or via the contact page on my website. If you don’t want your name out there, your answer can be anonymous.

Photo via ultralinx / Unsplash