How to Build a Fashion Portfolio and CV That Hiring Teams Actually Read

Start with the job, not your archive

The most common portfolio mistake is showing everything. Hiring teams usually review applications quickly, and they are looking for evidence that you can do the specific job advertised. Before you send anything, read the posting closely and list what it asks for.

Real listings are often precise. A Brand Design Lead posting at Glossier asked for a portfolio showing brand concepts and design across digital and physical media. An Everlane women's cut-and-sew knits design role asked for technical knowledge of knit construction. Those are instructions: put that work first.

A portfolio structure that works

• Lead with your strongest, most relevant project. If the role is womenswear knits, open with knits.

• Show four to six projects, not twenty. Depth beats volume.

• Show process as well as results. Research, sketches, fabric and trim choices, fittings and the final piece tell a reviewer how you think. For commercial roles, include the brief and the outcome.

• Explain your part. On team projects, say plainly what you did: "I developed the colour story and trims; the print was by a colleague."

• Include technical evidence where relevant. Flats, spec sheets, grading notes or CAD files matter for design and product development roles.

• Make it easy to open. A single PDF under 10 MB, or a simple website link, with your name in the file name.

Non-design roles benefit from a portfolio too. Copywriters can share three or four strong pieces, merchandisers a range-planning example, and marketers a campaign with its brief and results.

A CV that matches the posting

Your CV should do three things quickly: show what you do now, prove you have done what the job asks, and make it easy to contact you.

• Use the employer's language where it is true. If the posting says "purchase orders" and you managed purchase orders, use that phrase.

• Lead each role with outcomes, not duties. "Rebuilt the size curve for denim, reducing end-of-season markdowns" says more than "Responsible for denim".

• Keep tools visible. Fashion roles regularly list Adobe Creative Suite, Figma, CLO 3D, PLM systems or Excel. If you use them, say so.

• Keep it to one or two pages. Put education and courses after experience unless you are a recent graduate.

• Leave out personal details that are not needed, such as date of birth, marital status or a photograph, unless the local norm or the employer asks for them.

The short note

Where a form allows a cover note, two or three short paragraphs are enough: why this role, the one or two pieces of evidence that matter most, and when you are available. Name the company and the role. Generic notes are easy to spot.

Before you press send

• Re-read the requirements and check every must-have is visible within the first page or first project.

• Check that links work and files open on a phone.

• Save the job posting, including its pay range, so you can refer to it later.

Use the tools on Style Serum

On every job page on our job board, signed-in candidates can use Check my fit: paste your experience and our AI compares it with that role's stated requirements, then suggests strengths to highlight and gaps to address. It is private guidance only; nothing is saved or shared with employers. For roles that accept applications on Style Serum, you can upload your CV and follow your application's status from your careers desk.

Browse open roles by area in the Careers Centre.