Shanghai Fashion, Retail, and Luxury Goods Internships
Industry Overview
Chinese shoppers’ unrestrained purchasing power over luxury brands made headlines back in 2011 when the industry sales growth reached 30 percent. Although the growth has slowed down through 2014, faith in Chinese consumers remains strong. And deservedly so: In 2015, China will account for 20 percent of global sales of luxury goods.
That's $27 billion USD!
An optimistic outlook on Chinese retail is bolstered by e-commerce giant Alibaba's recent IPO at a $160 billion offering. As internet penetration in China spreads alongside a rise in disposable incomes, retail in China continues its positive outlook.
As global luxury brands try to appeal to Chinese consumers’ tastes and compete with emerging domestic brands, the industry continues to import talent who understand fashion and luxury and luxury goods.
Shanghai is the center of China's fashion world, and is the perfect place to launch a career in this exciting field.
Fast Facts
- According to projections, Chinese shoppers will contribute more than half of the luxury goods sales by 2025.
- China is estimated to replace the U.S. to become the largest retail market in the world in the next five years.
- Chinese shoppers could spend one fourth of the global retail market within ten years.
- Chinese first lady Peng Liyuan’s personal designer Ma Ke is one example of many emerging Chinese designers. Ms. Ma’s company EXCEPTION de MixMind soon became the national pride and a commercial success for its elegant combination of traditional Chinese elements with modern design.
- Shanghai is the center of retail business and fashion. It hosts Shanghai Fashion Week twice a year, which offers an expansive window for various Western and domestic brands.
Current Fashion, Retail, and Luxury Goods Openings
Current Openings (March 2015):
Position: Digital Marketing Intern
A leading online fashion retailer is offering a marketing internship. The office is a multicultural, multilingual environment with colleagues from across the globe. Gain immediate responsibility and develop skills in content writing, blogging, social media, SEO, website localization, affiliate marketing, CPC & Google Adwords. Work with fashion bloggers to develop brand ambassadors and publicity. You will be learning from mentors and colleagues who understand digital marketing from an international perspective. For those applicable, there is a possibility of full-time work after the internship.
Who We Are Looking For: A motivated intern who is ready to get involved with a multicultural team. Background knowledge on luxury brands, blogging and digital marketing is preferred, concrete experience not necessary. Must be willing to speak up and get involved!
What You’ll Learn:
- Communication and negotiation skills
- Social Media strategy
- How to adapt quickly to ever-changing strategies and new marketing techniques
- Blogging & content development
- SEO, CPC
APPLY NOW!
Learn More About Fashion in Shanghai
2014 saw numerous reports of the gains Shanghai has been making on Hong Kong as the most fashionable Chinese city, and arguably the most fashionable city in Asia outside of Tokyo.
It's a city with a varied past: up until 1949, it was known as the Paris of the East, but with the communist takeover fashion and style gave way to blue "Mao suits".
Recent decades have seen Shanghai return to its roots in events such as Shanghai Fashion Week, China's largest fashion event, which is held twice a year. Part of fashion week includes fashion trade shows to help bring attention to new designers- both foreign and Chinese- and the city seeks young designers and international talent to contribute to it's new role as a fashion centerpiece on the world stage.
China's Luxury Retail industry continues to grow. In 2011, just three years ago, China ranked sixth in luxury good spending. Gucci, LV and other luxury brands remain the go-to's among China's growing middle and upper classes. However while international high-end brands will always appeal, there is a new movement to stray from name brands and onto independent designers thanks to internet marketplaces and the overexposure of stores like Gucci. Local, smaller brands are poised to obtain larger amounts of exposure due to this internet popularity.
For fashion brands, Shanghai is a perfect mix of location, industry, business and communication. These attributes make it the perfect place for a base of operations. Aside from being more open and receptive to style and fashion, Shanghai has a local population with spending power. Shanghai is centrally-located along the coast, with easy access to factories and a large international airport only a couple hours to Tokyo, Seoul, and Hong Kong. Add that to the higher standard of living, and it makes sense as to why mainland headquarters of every major international brand.
Additionally, if you're looking at e-commerce retailers to get your feet wet in the fashion & retail industry, look no further than Shanghai. International retailers have a major presence there, while Chinese-owned online retailers have local offices, plus others throughout the rest of the country.
Whether you're still a fashion student back home, or looking for your first gig in a studio, international or Chinese brand, a fashion internship in Shanghai will get your feet in the door and provide you with the experience necessary to launch your career!
Looking for more? Get our Guide to Jobs in Shanghai's Fashion Industry!
Do you..
...have more than 2 years of work experience and want a full-time job (not an internship) in Shanghai?
..want to find an internship on your own rather than through an agency?
..want to start your own business in fashion in China?
If the above describes you, and you are left wanting more information about the fashion industry in China, our Guide to Shanghai's Fashion Industry will help.
Our Guide has been developed after speaking with and researching close to a thousand of Shanghai's top companies. It includes:
- An overview of working in Shanghai's fashion industry
- A look at where the opportunities are, and where they aren't
- A formula to help you figure out whether you should work in purchasing, merchandising, or fashion marketing
- How you can find work in fashion even if you don't speak Chinese
- Interviews with key entrepreneurs and executives in China's fashion industry
- An step-by-step guide on how to begin sourcing apparel from Shanghai
We know where the opportunities for working in fashion are, and just as importantly, where they aren't.
If you would prefer an accurate overview of working in Shanghai's fashion industry to wading through webpages, check out our guide.
After repeater customer requests for to release industry-specific guides to Shanghai we are finally releasing it.
And it's just $17!
Clicking the link below will take you to PayPal to make your purchase, and your guide will arrive in your inbox within 24 hours!