While most of us would love to be a male model, working in the fashion industry is about more than strutting down the catwalk, folding jeans in Topman, or sitting behind a computer writing about how good other people look. (Ahem.) It takes hundreds of diverse jobs to keep the world spinning so stylishly – including unique and unusual jobs you might not have known existed.

Between them, the seven people below define trends, inspire the way we all dress and are even designing next-generation fabrics that will change the way we all think about clothes. They’ve also turned a love of menswear into something that pays the bills. These are some of the coolest jobs in fashion.

The Sneaker Authenticator

Bryan Mora is the head sneaker authenticator with Sneaker Con, one of the world’s biggest conventions for trainers

“My first job was in retail, so I’ve been working around sneakers since I was 16. You get into sneaker authenticating by studying the details of shoes.

“In my team, we middle-man transactions and every day we receive shoes from collectors. If they’re legit, we tag them. But if they’re fake we let the buyer and the seller know – sometimes the seller doesn’t even know they’re selling a fake – and help them get their money back.

“Serious collectors want their very expensive shoes tagged. In this culture, it’s a big thing that other people know your stuff is legit.

“The process of authenticating is looking at the material, the stitching, the details under sole, how the shoe was structured, also what type of smell the shoe has. I spend a lot of time sniffing shoes. The leather and glue have a unique scent. Sometimes you can spot the toxic smell of a fake right away.

“When a shoe comes out, the fake comes out right alongside it. And fakes are like an evolving process. These guys are getting smarter and getting better equipment and materials. Whatever they messed up with on the first batch they’ll fix it on the second batch.