In the modern world of today, how you dress tells a lot about your character. Clothes are not just meant to adorn the body anymore. Clothes and accessories now play a huge part of everyone’s wardrobe. What you wear for grocery shopping or picnic cannot be the same outfit for your board meeting or other important business meetings. Your character and attitude towards work is judged by the clothes you wear. Because of this great matter lots of people hire image consultant to help them decide what to wear and how they change their overall appearance.
If you have a great passion for fashion, you may have what it takes to be an image consultant. Let’s take a deeper look at what an image consultant is all about.
What is an Image Consultant?
An Image consultant is a person who is hired to advise others on their visual appearance. Image consultants should know how to help individual or organizations achieve their full potential through appearance, behavior and communication. Today an Image Consultant is not only a wardrobe make-over specialist, but as a helper to build a better and more confident person.
Duties of an Image Consultant
- Image consultants should have aspects in dress and image, with full focus on the effects of image and self concept, personalities and values.
- Will provide image enhancements. Image consultants provide individuals as well as corporations services through coaching, seminars, presentations and workshops. The consultation process should include detailed explanations and education regarding appearance, attitude, color analysis, wardrobe development, effective communication and body language and branding.
- Choose garments appropriate for the person’s personality and occasion, group or task.
- Choose hairstyles and facial features as well as skin tones.
- Should have great knowledge in fashion trends and make ups as well as fashion designers.
- Helping individuals with their appearance, dressing, grooming and behavior to lift up and redefine a new person.
- Provides professional enhancement program for individual and corporations.
Work Conditions of an Image Consultant
- Home Based – Image consultants may work from their own home or office. An image consultant will have a proper working space, with a proper desk, computer and high speed internet connection. Working hours for image consultants can differ from client to client. Schedules will be based on clients; can sometimes include weekends and holidays.
- Travel – Some image consultants, travel from place to place to meet their clients needs. If a particular client travels a lot, the job of an image consultant is to travel along with the client. For instance lots of Hollywood stars have their own Image Consultant which they bring everywhere they go.
- Almost all image consultants are self employed, some work in large agencies and some work for individual persons.
- Image consultants would work for variety of sectors, such as public and private companies, politics, Medias and retail.
Educational requirements for Image Consultant
- High School graduate – all Image consultants must at least be high school graduates
- Work experience – any part time job with the public is an advantage. As you would know how to communicate with different people. Working experience as sale lady in a shopping mall will also be a great quality. Working experience in clothes department, perfume department and beauty department is a great advantage.
- Post Secondary training – training programs for color analysts, image consultants, workshop for outfits and make ups will also be helpful in becoming an image consultant.
- Programs and classes – seminars in colors, psychology, training method, presentation methods and communication are all great qualities to become an image consultant.
Occupation and Progress of an Image consultant
Years back image consultants were only hired by famous people. Today, the demand for professional image consultants has risen to a higher level. Professional and personal development skills become critical and it is only good news for the industry. The definition of an image consultant has widened beyond “make-over specialists” to include behavior and etiquette, body language, communication skills as well as presentation skills and personal branding.