The Benefits of Being Multilingual in the Fashion Industry

Since fashion is a global niche, it almost goes without saying that being multilingual in the fashion industry is more than just beneficial; it’s practically essential. The demand for on-demand phone interpreting has skyrocketed over the last year, which means that multilingualism is becoming more and more critical by the day in the industry!

Not sure how important language skills are or how they can boost your career and potential in the fashion scene? Regardless of whether you’re a brand manager, model, or designer, speaking more than one different language can open many proverbial doors for you. Let’s dig into the details!

The Advantages of Multilingualism in the Fashion Industry

Being Multilingual Makes It Easier to Network

In order to rise in the ranks of the fashion industry, you need to put your social skills to good use, and the more languages you speak, the more relationships you can build with a variety of key players in the fashion industry. 

If you’re fluent in more than two languages, it can make it easier for you to connect with others and build a meaningful working relationship with them, all of which help enhance your career.

Traveling is More Fun for Multilingual Fashion Designers and Models

If there’s one thing that models, designers, and brand managers are all used to, it’s the travel tied to their work. Regardless of whether you work in brand marketing or you’re a model strutting your stuff on the runway, it’s inevitable that your job will involve quite a lot of traveling. And if you're multilingual, this can provide rewarding career opportunities!

During your travels, you’ll engage with people from all walks of life and every corner of the world, and not all of them will be comfortable (or able) to speak English. When you’re able to communicate with your peers in their language, it’ll ensure smoother travel and bring the fun element back into the business travel aspect of your job.

Multilingualism Simplifies PR Tasks

This benefit might be more inspiring to anyone working in the marketing department of a fashion brand, but it’s still a big score for fashion professionals. Your fluency in two or more languages can help you better relate to the media as well as other key players within your organization and can see you rising through the ranks to become your brand’s international spokesperson. 

Press releases are at the heart of any brand’s expansion plan, and strategic and consistent communication is the key to success in different countries. But working in the fashion industry requires cultural awareness and knowledge of a foreign language (or ten), something which only multilingual professionals understand. When you understand your brand’s aim and can see the world through the eyes of a multilingual, it’ll be much easier to ensure that no message ever gets lost in translation as you promote your products to globalized markets.

Multilingual Models Score More Opportunities

While the benefit of multilingualism in the fashion industry we mentioned prior to this one was focused on marketing professionals, this one directly addresses the models, the shining stars of the industry. Fashion models like Gisele Bundchen, Eva Herzigova, and Freja Beha, to name but just a few, are all multilingual top models. Working in the fashion industry requires constant personal and professional growth, and language training and communication skills are part of this growth. 

Once you start working and collaborating with a wide variety of people, your multilingualism will help you build rapport with the key players in your industry and make you even better at doing what you do best! Not multilingual yet? You can use a free interpreting app to help you navigate through conversations as you learn the vocabulary and grammar of the new language you’re learning!

New Brands Need Multilingual Skills to Rise Through the Ranks

Starting a new fashion brand can be a daunting task, and navigating your way through endless negotiations with suppliers, buyers, agencies, and models can be nerve-wracking if you don’t speak a common language. 

The international nature of the fashion business means you need to have the ability to communicate with a variety of different people who all have varying cultures and native languages. English will only get you so far, but the more languages you speak, the further you can go!

Learn a New Language and Invest in the Growth of Your Fashion Career in This Global and Diverse Industry!

There’s a general rule of thumb that says, ‘the more, the merrier,’ and that couldn’t be truer when it comes to just how many languages you should be able to speak in the fashion industry.

While Italian and French have always dominated the fashion scene, there are some languages that are on the rise in terms of popularity. It’s true that the majority of ‘live action fashion’ trade occurs in Italy and France, so speaking Italian might be beneficial. But you also need to communicate with clients from all over the world.

Lately, there’s been an uptick in and a high demand for Japanese, Chinese, and Russian fashion interpretations, with Arabic and Spanish trailing closely behind them. If you can speak Chinese or any of the five languages we mentioned here, it could be a major advantage to your brand.

Regardless of whether you choose to learn a new language or improve on your existing knowledge with language courses, your multilingualism will always benefit your career in the fashion industry!