What fashion consultants actually do and why brands pay for it
Unpacking briefs, contracts, and the value of outside advice.
Once upon a time, fashion people had job titles that naturally explained their work. Namely, there were editors, stylists, PRs, and designers. Easy enough. In 2025, however, many professionals across the industry are opting to refer to themselves as consultants, in addition to or instead of a traditional title. When did this change happen? Is this a new job or a rebrand of something that already existed? And, for the uninitiated, what actually is involved in consulting? To find out, we asked a few respected consultants from different backgrounds to explain.
“As someone I know once said, ‘Those who don't say names are those who are really in business,’ because there is often a confidentiality contract in place,” says LR3 designer Louis Rubi, a former consultant (2015 to 2022) for brands including Louis Vuitton and Off-White. For him, consulting projects often came as package deals, comprising everything from training global teams and helping structure companies to advising on design, research, styling, and shopping experience. It sounds broad, but his previous experiences lent itself well to the scope of work. Rubi had previously served as men’s image director for Mango and visual merchandising director for Inditex, the world’s largest fast-fashion group. Essentially, he built a portfolio in the corporate space such that when he left Mango, people were quickly asking him to help out. Like most sources who spoke to me, Rubi’s clients came to him before he set up a consulting studio.
Beyond the corporate-to-consulting pipeline, there’s also an editorial-to-consulting pipeline. "For me, it was a natural next step to start my own creative studio,” says Holly Shackleton, a creative director and brand consultant who worked at i-D for almost 15 years (six of which she was global editor-in-chief) and as Vogue Global Network’s editor-in-chief for over two years. Today, her remit covers editorial and creative guidance for brand identity, digital content, photography, website design, and social media strategy.