An Introduction to Fashion Schools

Lots of smart and influential people have considered fashion and clothing important. For example, Ben Franklin said, "Eat to please thyself, but dress to please others," and Mark Twain added to the Latin proverb "Clothes make the man" the dry observation that "Naked people have little or no influence on society." However, one of the nicknames that insiders use for the fashion industry -- sometimes affectionately, sometimes derisively -- is "the rag trade," as if all that fashion were about was mixing and matching leftover scraps to sell to the unsuspecting public. The truth lies somewhere between these extremes, but closer to the former. At its worst, fashion can seem terribly artificial and self-involved (Right Said Fred's song "I'm Too Sexy" springs to mind), but at its best, fashion can be a vital, exciting enhancement to personal appeal and self-esteem.
That being said, what opportunities exist in the fashion industry? Is it the sole province of top-flight designers and models of women's clothing? Hardly. David M. Schmida, Executive Director of the International Association of Clothing Designers and Executives (IACDE), says, "Sometimes students call me because they want to be the next Donna Karan or something, which is great, but that's not our main focus. Our membership works mostly on the technical side of the design and production of fine menswear." For every marquee fashion designer with their own label, there are hundreds of other people who create less heralded but no less important designs, or who move designs from an illustration on a screen or a one-off prototype to finished goods on the racks at a store or on the shelves at a boutique.
Careers in Fashion
To help you understand the different careers available within the fashion industry, we're providing short overviews of each in the following paragraphs:
Lead designers are the folks that most people think of in connection with the words "fashion industry." Their main responsibility is creative; they work up designs for individual pieces or entire lines of clothing and accessories. This typically involves several generations of sketches or computer-aided drafts; consideration of color, texture, material, and shape when worn; and supervision of final patterning and construction. Some lead designers aim to set trends (and, with skill and luck, they often do); others do their best to follow and capitalize on trends that are already established, or simply to design very beautiful, comfortable, and/or useful garments. Their markets vary from department stores to boutiques and specialty retailers to individuals willing to pay large amounts of money for custom-designed originals. While some lead designers are self-employed or head their own labels, many others work for apparel manufacturers, designing fashions to be sold to the discriminating few through high-end catalogs or to the millions who shop at discount super-centers.
Technical designers take a lead designer's creations from the prototype stage through to full production. They work up specifications for new clothing and accessories, have samples made, and work with marketing and production facilities to ensure that finished pieces are made correctly and profitably. Technical designers need to uphold the quality of their company's brands, not just by making sure that garments are solidly and consistently constructed, but by maintaining "fit continuity": If they're responsible for a line of dress slacks (to choose an arbitrary example), all of the line's different slacks with the same measurements should fit customers the same way, and should fit customers very close to the same way as slacks with the same measurements that the company has released in recent years. Technical design might be done "behind the scenes," but it's tremendously challenging and important.
Once the designers have figured out what shapes and cuts of material to use for an item, patternmakers create the master patterns for those shapes and cuts that guide further production. In the modern fashion industry, this is mostly done on computer, but it still requires a steady hand and a sharp eye.
The fashion industry is driven by innovation just as other industries are, and for many of its innovations it depends on new and improved construction materials and procedures created by textile specialists and engineers. Fashion and textile science have both come a long since the inventors of synthetic fibers unleashed nylon, rayon, and polyester on the world. Today natural-fabric mainstays such as cotton and silk can be "tweaked" with desired properties, and original synthetics can be virtually custom-crafted to have just the right amount of stretch, thickness, wear, strength, fire resistance, etc. Textiles can also be processed in new ways; for example, to allow garments to be made with fewer pieces or less stitching. If blending art and science this way appeals to you, you might want to investigate this type of career.
Marketers make people want to buy new designs, new clothing lines, or even a designer's or company's entire output. They do this not just with advertising, but with every tool at their disposal. For example, they often try to get actors and actresses to wear their clothes in movies, in TV series, and at award shows; recruit NBA stars to wear and endorse their shoes; snag the best possible display locations at trade shows; arrange lunches, demos, and previews with influential members of the fashion press; and send free samples to people identified as trendsetters in hopes of generating positive exposure and word-of-mouth. Marketers need to have a finger on the pulse of pop culture, so they can see where the trends are going, which designs are likely to be most successful (or need the most help to be successful), and which groups of consumers are most likely to buy the clothing they're selling.
If one word could describe what merchandisers do, that word might be "presentation." They typically work for retail stores; it's their job to make the clothing that the store is selling (and for that matter the entire store or clothing department) seem as attractive as possible to the store's customers. They select which clothing items to sell (and which of those to prominently highlight), figure out the optimum amount of space to use for displaying them, what height to place things, which items to display together or next to one another, how to arrange any forms or mannequins involved, even what kind of signs and lighting to use and (sometimes) what kind of music to play.
Sourcing specialists, or "sourcers," work for apparel manufacturers, distributors, and retailers, contacting suppliers (usually in China or elsewhere in Asia) to find either the raw materials needed to make clothes (fabrics, leather, dyes, etc.), manufacturers who will make clothing to your company's specifications, or particular types of already-finished clothing that match what your company is looking for. Sourcers need to be diplomatic, tactful, and culturally sensitive, yet have a keen eye for bargains and trends, be strong negotiators, and be able to keep track of where lots of sample packages and other shipments are at the same time. Being computer-savvy and fluent in both English and Chinese are big advantages in this kind of position.
Buyers purchase clothing and accessories for their company, either on their own discretion or following the selections of the merchandisers or sourcers. They travel as needed to search for products at trade shows, preview new items that suppliers are offering, present these new products to company executives, negotiate prices and margins, and so on. They also track orders and make sure that purchased items are delivered on time to where they need to go. Just like most other fashion professionals, buyers need to consider target markets and key trends when they make their purchasing decisions.
Stylists put together wardrobes, coordinate outfits, and do whatever else it takes to make fashion models and their surroundings look good for the viewers and cameras.
All of the aforementioned people help get clothes onto the racks of a store or warehouse, but once a customer buys something, it's the job of tailors and seamstresses to take garments from "approximate fit" to "perfect fit."
Fashion writers, photographers, and videographers cover fashion shows, expositions, and the industry in general, keeping people everywhere in the world informed about styles, trends, and activity happening anywhere.
Costumers and costume designers create or select the costumes that actors wear in theatrical, film, or video-game productions. This is often normal contemporary dress, but can range from the period clothing of ancient Rome or Victorian England to the spacesuits of science-fiction epics. Some apparel companies employ cosmetologists to work with their models and stylists, and other firms that meld women's fashion with personal beauty and cosmetics employ cosmetic designers.

Top 10 Qualities of a Great Fashion Designer

The fashion industry is exploding and everyone, it seems, is vying for a part in the action. To get ahead in the business and sit with the ranks of Ralph Lauren and Calvin Klein, you as an aspiring designer should have some of the same qualities as the world’s top designers. Here are some of the qualities you'll need to succeed as a designer:

1.Strong Business Sense
A great fashion designer has excellent business skills. You understand budgets, marketing, and sales concepts that are vital to getting designs produced and sold.
2.Good Communication
A number of people are involved in the creation of a garment, and as designer, you must be able to effectively communicate to everyone involved what he or she expects.
3.Sense of Competition
You continually strive to do better than your peers to come up with quality innovative designs quickly.
4.Highly Creative
You have a great sense of style and are constantly coming up with new ideas for fashions.
5.Strong Drawing Skills
Excellent drawing skills mean you can easily sketch your ideas onto paper to start the production process.
6.Good Eye for Materials
You have an eye for the materials of a garment, as well as the elements that make it unique, such as color and fabric.
7.Strong Sewing Skills
You can construct the garments you design. You understand what materials work best in the designs you are developing.
8.Team Player
Great fashion designers work well as part of a team. Designing a garment for production involves the work of many, from pattern making to sewing to shipping. As designer, you must be able to work well with all involved.
9.Knowledgeable of Current Fashion Trends
You follows trends and have a good eye for anticipating what your audience will respond to next.
10.Strong Visualization
Abilities Good fashion designers can visualize a garment before ever putting an idea on paper. You can see the finished product well before production and can put your ideas into words and onto paper so others can grasp the idea as well.

High Fashion Brand Weblink

A
Reem Acra http://www.reemacra.com
Max Azria http://www.bcbg.com
B
Badgley Mischka http://www.badgleymischka.com
Balenciaga http://www.balenciaga.com
Balmain (fashion house) http://www.balmain.com
Belle & Bunty http://www.belleandbunty.co.uk
Blumarine http://www.blumarine.com
Bottega Veneta http://www.bottegaveneta.com
Brioni http://www.brioni.com
Burberry http://www.burberry.com
C
Cacharel http://www.cacharel.com
Calvin Klein http://www.calvinklein.com
Roberto Cavalli http://www.robertocavalli.it
Cerruti 1881 http://www.cerruti.com
Chanel http://www.chanel.com
Chloé http://www.chloe.com
Christian Dior SA http://www.dior.com
Comme des Garçons No weblink
Commuun http://www.commuun.com
D
DKNY http://www.dkny.com
Diesel S.p.A. http://www.diesel.com
Dolce & Gabbana http://www.dolcegabbana.com
Dsquared http://www.dsquared2.com
E
Benoit Pierre Emery http://www.benoit-pierre-emery.com
Ermenegildo Zegna http://www.zegna.com
Etro http://www.etro.it
F
Diane von Fürstenberg http://www.dvf.com
G
G-star http://www.g-star.com
Armani http://www.giorgioarmani.com
Gucci http://www.gucci.com
Guy Laroche http://www.guylaroche.com
H
Alexandre Herchcovitch http://herchcovitch.uol.com.br
Hermès http://www.hermes.com
Carolina Herrera (fashion designer) http://www.carolinaherrera.com
Hugo Boss AG http://www.hugoboss.com
J
Jean-Paul Gaultier http://www.jeanpaulgaultier.com
Jil Sander AG http://www.jilsander.com
Jovovich-Hawk http://www.jovovich-hawk.com
K
André Kim http://www.andrekim.co.kr
L
LOVA http://www.lovadesign.com
Lacoste http://www.lacoste.com
Luxottica http://www.luxottica.com
M
Marchesa (brand) http://www.marchesa.com
Missoni http://www.missoni.com
Moschino http://www.moschino.it
N
Nina Ricci (brand) http://www.ninaricci.com
O
Oscardelarenta http://www.oscardelarenta.com

P
Perry Ellis (brand) http://www.perryellis.com
Polo Ralph Lauren http://www.ralphlauren.com
Prada http://www.prada.com
Pringle of Scotland http://www.pringlescotland.com
R
Rochas http://www.rochas.com
Narciso Rodriguez http://www.narcisorodriguez.com
S
Salvatore Ferragamo Italia S.p.A. http://www.ferragamo.com
Sass and Bide http://www.sassandbide.com
Raf Simons http://www.rafsimons.be
T
Takeshy Kurosawa http://www.takeshikuriosa.de
V
Valentino SpA http://www.valentino.com
Versace http://www.versace.com
W
Vera Wang http://www.verawang.com
Y
Yves Saint-Laurent (brand) http://www.ysl.com/

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