“I’ve grown so much as a person from when I first started”

When first considering a career in fashion, Ria Sharma first worried she didn’t have the connections to break into a highly competitive industry. 

While she has “always been a creative person”, she recalls how the lack of conversation about careers within the creative industries during her time at sixth form left her unsure of her next steps. “I didn’t think it was really possible,” she admits. 

Now a final-year student on the CMI Dual Accredited BA (Hons) Fashion Management course at Nottingham Trent University, Ria is graduating with an exciting internship lined up at jewellery brand Daisy London. She is quick to identify the range of exciting opportunities that the course has given her – from a placement year at ME+EM as a buying intern for knitwear and jersey, to her dissertation focused on improving equality, diversity and inclusion in the fashion industry. 

As well as providing her with a greater sense of confidence in herself and her abilities, having CMI accreditation on her CV will help Ria to continue to “stand out”, she says. 

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Here’s how the course has helped her to kick-start her career in fashion…

Q: How important do you think management and leadership skills are in the field of fashion?

Ria Sharma (RS): They are so important. I've had my year of industry experience, and management experience is something that I'd love to have in the future. I think it's really good to teach young people about it because, as an industry, workplace dynamics can be quite difficult to navigate. Having knowledge about great management or leadership skills or how to handle difficult situations is really important, especially for young people.

Q: How do you think completing a CMI-accredited course will help you in your career?

RS: It will help me stand out against other people, especially for future interviews and assessment centres. In the fashion industry it is competitive, so having anything that makes you stand out in such a crowded pool with so many people going for the same role is great. Having accreditation on your CV is really useful. 

• “Management accreditation will just put me one step higher”

People experience toxic workplaces and I know how this can ultimately lead to burn out. Proving to an employer that it's something that you care about and that you want to be a manager that cares about their team and nurtures talent is so important. I know from my dissertation research that when you have a healthy team and a healthy workplace, it does produce better results in terms of creativity, adaptability and innovation.

Q: What did you achieve during your placement year and can you think of an example where you used your management skills?

RS: During my placement year, I grew a lot in confidence. By the end, I was so sure of myself and my tasks, and experiencing difficult situations taught me how to stand up for myself and be confident. Having the accreditation helped me be a better communicator, and while it can be daunting when you go on placement and you're with people who have been in the industry for years, knowing how to get my ideas across and be confident was really helpful. 

Having anything that makes you stand out in such a crowded pool with so many people going for the same role is great