WHERE HAVE ALL THE UNICORNS GONE?

Somewhere between the brief and the candidate search, I started to wonder… if unicorns are so rare, why do we expect to find one for every job advertised?

It’s a phrase I hear in most job briefs. “We’re looking for a unicorn.” What does that actually mean? We want the candidate who can do it all. Actually no, it means we want the candidate who has done it all.  Someone creative and commercial, on-brand and operational. Their strength is … everything.

A unicorn candidate is a perfect match. They need no training. Someone else did that for you.

Want to know my biggest secret? I know where they’re all hiding. They’re staying with the brands who trained them. The brands who created the space for them to be a unicorn. They’re not waiting to be poached or discovered. They will present themselves to their brand of choice when they are ready.

Relier Team Member: Cassie aka The Genius Author

What I’m saying is, unicorns are incredibly loyal creatures who know a good learning culture when they experience it, and they rarely want to leave.

The Unicorns of the fashion world are in high-performing teams, being nurtured, developed, and rewarded. They’re being seen and supported. And if they’re going to move? The opportunity has to be 10x better and the brand must have an inbuilt, easily identifiable employer culture that sparkles more than most.

If it’s a unicorn you’re looking for, I encourage you to bookmark this blog, alongside the first three blogs in this series:

BLOG 1: Make your employer branding your competitive edge.

BLOG 2: Learning isn’t a luxury. It’s an essential.

BLOG 3: Recognition and Rewards: The 2025 Metrics that actually matter.

If you don’t have the capacity or tools to train and develop a unifoal into a unicorn, then focus on creating an environment that will not just attract one, but retain them.

Unicorns are created more often than they are poached. If you’re not building an environment that people want to be a part of long term, it’s unrealistic to expect one to show up ready-made at your door.

From a talent strategy perspective, this is where brands either evolve or get stuck. Recruitment isn't just about filling a seat. It’s about building a long-term pipeline and engaging people before you need them.

Now, none of this is to say that all the responsibility falls entirely on the employer. Ambitious people need to take ownership too. I’m the first to say that career progression requires work. It requires showing up, learning, asking for feedback and chasing growth at the right time – not at the speed of light.

What we’re often missing in these conversations is clear, consistent investment. If you’re struggling to find those unicorns, start by recruiting based on potential and invest in a training strategy that benefits you both. This is what retains people and builds best-in-business talent.

This may not be groundbreaking news to everyone. There are many people in our industry already leading change and to those brands and people, I see you. In truth, this journal was inspired by you because you’re the ones creating space for incredible talent to bloom.

I wrote this series to spark a modern chain of thought, conversation and curiosity. My hope is that if I can shift even one brands perspective, challenge one outdated belief, or inspire one action, then I have had impact.

So instead of asking, “Where have all the unicorns gone?”, the better question is: what are we doing to create them?

With love,

Cassie xo