News: New Roles at The Business of Fashion, Stüssy and Anest Collective

Monday, May 13, 2024

New Roles at The Business of Fashion, Stüssy and Anest Collective

In this week's Careers Newsletter, read BoF senior correspondent Sheena Butler-Young's latest: Fixing Retail's Sales Floor to C-Suite Pipeline.

Chanel Scales spent three years dreaming up window displays for a global fast-fashion retailer's stores across the Midwest. She hoped her skillful styling of mannequins and clothing-and-accessories setups would someday lead to a corporate job where she could set the visual strategy for the chain's locations nationwide.

But, every time she tried to make the leap, she hit a dead end.

"I'd have meetings with my store manager to let them know 'I've been at the store level for a while and I would like to move up," she said. "Nothing ever really came from it."

Scales quit seven years ago, and is now a clothing designer. Over the years, she's heard from former colleagues who stuck it out longer, only to eventually share her disillusionment about ever advancing into a corporate career.

The post-pandemic labour shortage has forced retailers to get serious about improving working conditions in stores. Companies have raised pay, expanded benefits and rebranded sales associates as brand ambassadors and style advisors.

Most of these measures are designed to convince store employees to stay in their roles longer. But though many companies talk up training programmes and tuition assistance designed to give low-level workers a leg up on the corporate ladder, many retail employees who spoke with The Business of Fashion say they see no viable path from their stores to headquarters.

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