The retail labor shortage is expected to continue through the holiday shopping season as workers are feeling over-worked, burned out and, in many instances, not highly valued. After a prolonged pandemic, many workers have shifted their personal priorities while a large number are following their dreams and launching their own businesses.
According to data from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, the number of people establishing their own business is on an upward trajectory, and economists expect the trend to continue for some time. In the fashion industry, employees are breaking out on their own to launch collections, design apparel and accessories, and create direct-to-consumer e-commerce businesses.
Career advisers say it’s not too late to reinvent one’s career and redirect the employment path from working for others to working for yourself. For budding entrepreneurs, Björn Bengtsson, a faculty member at Parsons, suggests launching a business with the help of advisers. He said fashion apparel is a business that tends to be costly. “Which is why you need an adviser in your business — someone who has business experience,” he said during an online lesson, “Entrepreneurship and the Fashion System,” which is part of Parsons and WWD’s Fashion Business Essentials. The program is

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