Question. I want to be in fashion. Can I get a broad sense of what career options there are? Answer. There are many paths to a career in fashion whether you work for a company or are independent. Broadly, there are 6 traditional commercially focused sectors of which are organizationally structured with numerous skilled jobs; […]
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Stay focused, slow it down, present scarcity, and invest in a circular system.
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. . . And to Those Still Trying to Break Through the ‘Noise’. There are no impossibilities. In a world where we are taught to conform, we must be diligent in using our creative power for change. Many new to the fashion industry will see the difficulty in challenging the status quo. If you work […]
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The Japanese shibori industry now has serious issues: aging artisans without next generation to pass this heritage on, and decreasing demand partly caused by globalization. – Jun Nakamura
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Expertise is no longer a guarantee in this business and bachelors degrees and awards don’t always take you to the top. Sometimes boundless energy, street smarts, a killer idea and an iPhone are what it takes.
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Breaking the rules, disrupting the fashion system is easier than you think. Fashion designer, Peivand Mirzaie has made a mark on breaking the rules, disrupting the system, while embracing the power of fashion. She has gone beyond the ‘system’ in her designs, pushing concept over saleability; in her choice of education, wanting more freedom and […]
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A ten minute catwalk? How about a ten month campaign of exposure! Why not leverage this very short window of exposure to maximize your business long-term. Here are 10 steps of keeping your brand prominent in the eyes and buying power of your audience: Tell your story – document your design and development stages by […]
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The fashion industry—including retailers, manufacturers, designers and wholesalers—employs more than 1.8 million people in the United States. It relies on workers in a wide range of occupations, including fashion designers, market research analysts, graphic design artists, computer systems developers, patternmakers, sewing machine operators, retail sales workers, wholesale buyers, accountants and business operations specialists.The U.S. fashion […]
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In ten minutes the past few months of working on something is presented to the world. The show itself is over so fast, and for myself, I only see it on a playback video after it’s over. – Brendan M Combs, designer. With each show available for the viewing public, digitally, designers question where is the […]
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Tapping into your audience/client at key points during the design process can save you a lot of disappointment of the ‘big reveal’ at the end. Consider this your focus group/feedback session. Sketches really help you “sell” your designs to the clients. – Icon Utopia Designers, the entire design process is of such meaning to your […]
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“Mind, heart, & hands” is Jodi de Marcos’ deep rooted belief and guidance for what she does. Jodi is the founder of De Marcos Fashion Academy [DMFA]. Annually, DMFA presents Santa Barbara Fashion Week, a student fashion show. Prior to this year’s show, I sat down to talk to Jodi about how the students benefit […]
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Alex Jaeger is an awarded costume designer based in Los Angeles. His background spans multiple disciplines of the performing arts and film. We gained insight on the costume creation process and the role it plays in the performing arts from our talk with Alex.
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A student fashion show is not just “show and tell”, but a collaborative educational experience that showcases student marketing, design, and event production talents. It’s applying academics to real life. I wanted to learn more about the “what, why, and how” of producing a show by the student body and in particular how it is […]
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Business and design go hand in hand, now, and without understanding how each part is important you can easily find yourself losing your power in major decision making moments. . . – Brendan M Combs, designer.
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The designers/brands that were truly professional would arrive a day or two in San Francisco [when I was a buyer for Macy’s] prior to our meeting. They arrived well in advance in order to shop the floor, shop the market, and understand the competition of both my department and their product competition. They wanted to […]
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Another lesson I’ve learned is that it’s so important to create strong relationship and to develop a strong network of professionals you can turn to for advice or support and know that they truly have the best interest for you and your brand. Building those relationships are like partnerships that will help strengthen your business, […]
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One of the most important challenges of your career as a successful fashion designer is to get and maintain retail and/or media exposure for your brand. Sometimes the hardest thing to do is to land that first buyer meeting. You can’t stop trying to expose or get appointments just because some buyers or media have […]
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Commit yourself to your vision and goals, and understand clearly what will and will not help you along the way. Stay in your “lane” or on the road that will lead you to accomplish your goals. Sometimes designers/brands encounter situations that appear to be opportunities, but can take them off the road in directions that […]
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During my many years as a buyer and merchandising executive, I got to know and observe a variety of successful designers and brands from around the country. Many of these designers were emerging designers, others were well on to becoming established, yet all of them were fast on their way to making not only national […]
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