The Fashion Assistant Rate Card

Your Guide to Navigating the Industry

Let’s play a game.

You’ve been up since 5:30am. On set by 7.
The stylist is two hours late.
The sample shoes didn’t arrive.
The steamer’s already buzzing — you forgot to top it up.
Everyone’s glaring at you like it’s your fault.

You’re steaming five looks, fixing a broken zip, legging it to the dry cleaner, and juggling a WhatsApp war with a PR about a missing earring.

You finally wrap at 9pm.
You eat a crisp sandwich on the train home.
You invoice the next morning — for £100. Or $120. Flat.
No overtime. No expenses. No discussion.

And the worst part?
You’re grateful.
Because at least this one paid.

This isn’t an exception. This is the standard.

I’ve spoken with assistants who are working 14-hour days for £50/$65, being told it’s “a great opportunity.”
I’ve seen stylists turn down £25k/$30k campaigns — then offer their assistant £80/$100 for the week.
I’ve watched brilliant, degree-holding creatives expected to carry this industry on their backs… unpaid, uncredited, and completely exhausted.

It’s been dressed up for too long as “just how it is.”
But let’s be honest:
It’s not how it has to be.
It’s how it’s been allowed to stay.

And today? We’re pulling it apart.

Because if you keep reading, you’re getting the full 2025 rate card.
What assistants should be paid.
What to ask. What to avoid.
And how to negotiate without getting ghosted.

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The Illusion of Opportunity

Fashion loves a hierarchy.
There’s always someone above you. Someone below.
And when you’re the assistant? You’re at the bottom of the pile.

You’ll be praised for your work – but not credited.
Expected to perform miracles – but not ask for overtime.
Told you’re “lucky to be here” – while being sent to carry 17 garment bags through a rainstorm with no car in sight.

You’ll go home and question if you’re cut out for this.
Wonder if you’re just not working hard enough.

But here’s the truth:
It’s not you. It’s the system.

A system built on silence, unpaid labour, and a never-ending queue of young creatives desperate to “break in.”

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Stylists, We Need To Talk

If you’re hiring assistants – this is your cue to reflect.

If your own rate is low, say it. Be transparent.
Don’t disguise unpaid work as an internship. If you can’t pay, allow shadowing. Make tasks optional. Make it a learning experience — not unpaid manual labour where they spend the day hauling returns and gain nothing in return.

If you can pay more, but don’t?
That’s not budgeting.
That’s exploitation.

The way we treat assistants sets the tone for the entire industry.
And if the foundation’s cracked, don’t be surprised when the whole thing starts to collapse.

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This is the part most people won’t say out loud.
But we will.

Every assistant deserves to know:

– The real going rates for 2025: across editorial, celebrity, e-comm and commercial
– When working unpaid might actually make sense – and when to walk away
– The exact questions to ask before saying yes (so you don’t get screwed)
– A downloadable deal memo checklist to protect yourself
– How to negotiate rates professionally – even as a first-timer
– The red flags hidden in job briefs that no one warns you about (until it’s too late)

This part’s for paid subscribers.

Because your energy, your time, your future?
They’re worth protecting.