Starting up a fashion label can be beyond pricey and the financial challenges of starting your own line are often what prevents many fashion professionals from going that route.  Costs include labor, factories, materials, advertising, equipment, and much more all of which can prove to be great obstacles for the new designer. But an up-and-coming designer in NYC has a uniquely expensive hurdle.  And frankly whatever field you’re in, if you’re a New Yorker you know what we are talking about (hell, there was even a musical named after it) RENT.

The cost of real estate in the city is so ridiculously high that it’s nearly impossible for anybody without major financial backing to start a business. Unlike other areas of the US where a designer can start up a business in a spare bedroom or basement, that is not feasible in a 300 sqft studio in Manhattan or while sharing a tiny Brooklyn walk-up with three roommates.  Some innovative designers do make it happen but then face the rent challenge when they want to grow their business and find themselves needing larger office or manufacturing space.

This dilemma is where the Garment Center comes into play and one of the reasons it is so important to support efforts to save the Garment Center.  Unlike other areas of Manhattan where office space goes for  an astounding $65 a sqft plus, the Garment Center thanks to government and zoning protection, is able to keep rates below market for fashion manufacturing businesses.  This is a huge benefit for many local NYC designers.  For example, women’s brand THL Inc./ Zelda Brand just got a great deal down the block on 39^th street for a 6000 sqft space and the rent is only $35 a sqft.  Also in that building are tenants like Tracy Reese, Vivienne Tam, and Carlos Falchi.

However, this same scenario is exactly why the Garment Center is still struggling and why many young designers are fleeing to the Boroughs and even New Jersey! While $35 a sqft is far less then $65 a sqft (the normal Manhattan commercial pricing) the discounted rent is still $210,000 in rent!  Many young designers not only do not have that kind of rent budget, but often have even less capital to cover their entire line.  Recently we found this listing on Craigslist for a smaller design office or factory space with a more reasonable rent of 140k a year.  But as good as these deals may sound to a NYC real estate guru, to a start-up fashion designer rent can seem like a insurmountable obstacle in NYC.  When the same amount of office space can be found in Atlanta for $6 a sqft, or Portland for $8 a sqft, or even LA for $10 a sqft,  what is keeping designers local?

Well, the obvious answer is NYC is the heart of the fashion industry and the Garment Center is its soul.  From fashion schools to publishers, fabric suppliers to sample rooms we have it all.  Unfortunately, having it all is just not as affordable as it should be. We have written extensively on why New York is the place to be for fashion, there really is no other place in the US so fundamentally geared to support the industry and for many of us no other city as inspirational. It is our challenge to make working and thriving in NYC affordable for future American designers.

Please help support the Garment Center and all the efforts to save it for the fashion industry by visiting, the Save The Garment Center Organization and joining up.  Also, for more info on real estate in the Garment Center and all the latest deals and offerings click here.

As many of you remember last fall Anna Wintour and the CFDA made history by launching the global fashion event, Fashion’s Night Out.

Well, this September Fashion’s Night Out is coming back bigger and better then ever.  Not only will it be a borough wide shopping event at all your local retailers, but there will also be some new and exciting elements this year.  One addition will be the hosting of New York’s largest fashion show ever at Lincoln Center.  With over 200 top models and 1500 VIP guests, it’s the place to be this fall. Another brilliant addition to FNO will happen thanks to CBS, they are preparing a documentary and filming all the behind the scenes action.  According to FNO the film will, “Look beyond the glamour to the real-life implications at stake, on the individuals working in all parts of the industry, from sales people to design staff, for whom the vibrancy of the fashion business is a question of economic survival.”

Don’t know about you, but we are beyond giddy to see how this year’s Fashion’s Night Out comes together.  September cannot get here soon enough!

Yep, we’re on vacation! Mmmm vacation, what could be better.

While we are gone we’ve compiled a list of timeless posts and all around favorites for your enjoyment.  Also don’t forget about our forum where you can share your opinions and ideas on the state of the fashion industry.

Be back soon!

Can Zoning Save the Garment Center?

The Importance of the Fashion Industry

Death by Over-Scheduling

Life as a Corporate Fashion Designer

Apparel Designer versus Technical Designer

Incompetent Salespeople

Do I NEED to go to Fashion School?

The Modern Face of NYC Designers

The Evil Fashion Boss

Designing Divisions

Fatty, Porker, Chubby, Heifer

Don’t Tell Me To Go On Project Runway!

Why We Hate Forever 21 & Why You Should Too

Equality for Women in the Fashion World

The Garment Center, We Make You Look Good!

Unfortunately, taking credit for someone else’s ideas, stealing another’s designs, copying a co-worker’s work, etc are all issues that come up in fashion design offices. In most apparel firms and design houses  it takes many designers, associates designers, product developers, trend forecasters, and design directors to create a brand. In the ideal work environment these people would all work together as a “team” to ensure the best ideas (and thus the best products) are what make it to production. The drama comes when a company promotes an aura of divisiveness and intense competition. We all know fashion is a competitive field, and a little friendly competition has been known to bring out the best in people, but when you feel your job is always on the line and everyone is out to get you, the result is failure for the company and its employees. We have mentioned in the past the issues of taking undue credit, here, or the lack of job security in the Garment Center, here, but today we’d like to focus on the common cause of this. So what often causes such drama? Bad management.

When a design department is built on the notion (which many are) that there is only one way up, the person above you must go, you instantly get a culture of negative competition and occasionally sabotage. We mentioned before experiences where a head designer announced her pregnancy and within a day those below her were courting management to replace her. And many of us have missed a day of work due to illness only to return and find our assistants attempted to promote themselves into our positions while we were away. We have even seen some companies where designers are literally afraid to take lunch breaks, bathroom breaks, or leave computers and files unattended for a minute, for fear of what their co-workers may do. What is even more distressing is that in many of the smaller and mid-size companies the owners and execs are fully aware of the situation and encourage it. Sadly, many Garment Center owners see their design staff as a replaceable, rotating pool of talent to draw from. They know that in NYC every year talented fashion grads from around the world flock to their neighborhood in search of jobs.  Many owners see the constant employee turnover as a good thing, because it insures every season will have a fresh new look, since the collection quite literally has a new perspective every season.  This failure in thinking leads to a very unstable design department where everyone fails to thrive.  Most talented designers would actually benefit from working with their co-workers rather than against them.

This backwards management style is not only harmful to the employees, but actually causes the company to lose money.  For example, a Women’s knit designer we know designed a lovely group of tops made from some rather pricey organic cotton. Because of the high cost of fabric the company’s profit margin for this line was very tight. Shortly after it went into production the owner realized that the Tween division also designed a line using the same organic cotton, from the same fabric mill, but at an even higher price.  Now if the two divisions and their designers had not always been in such competition with each-other and actually worked together, they could have gotten a much lower price for ordering a larger quantity of fabric, and saved each other time in fabric approvals and testing, not to mention, increasing profits for the company.

In another design department we are familiar with, a certain very senior  Menswear designer was so threatened by his competition and the fear of being replaced that he often lobbied management to fire younger designers whom he was afraid would replace him. This designer was extremely talented, but he was old school and not very competent or comfortable designing via computers programs which was the direction the company was going. Another younger designer came aboard and while very good at CAD, she was not as experiences in pattern and fit as the senior designer. This would have been the perfect opportunity for them to work together, learn from each other, and use their complimentary skills to further the brand. However, due to the toxic work environment at the company that is not what happened. The senior designer convinced the VP to let the newbie go, but it wasn’t long before management decided that the senior designer’s work style was dated and within a few months he was let go as well in favor of a younger CAD savvy designer. In the end the company lost two talented designers and unfortunately both of them were unemployed for almost a years before finding new jobs that really weren’t close to as good as the original company.

At the end of the day, your employees are your biggest asset and it’s time Garment Center companies wake up and realize this. Within design departments, a good director who fosters an air of teamwork and collaboration is key. Team leadership is often overlooked in the design field to the detriment of everyone. Designers need to be trained, encouraged, and they need to feel that they have a career path within their company. Things that are basic management or HR elements in most fields, like performance reviews and career guidance, rarely happen in the Garment Center. It is time that apparel execs and design department directors step up and recognize the value in retaining talented and effective employees.

(Fashion Flashback – This post was originally posted on March 4th 2009.  With spring in the air, we have just been reminiscing about all the reasons we love NYC fashion. Plus, we decided to re-post this article for some of our newer readers.  Enjoy!)

We thought we’d put together a top ten list of all the reasons we love working in fashion.  Considering how often we bitch and moan about all the “issues” in our industry, we thought we’d throw in some positive as well.  For many of us, getting a job in fashion was a dream come true, but turning your dream into an actual profession can cause some of the shine to wear off.  But what keeps us all here, day in and day out, is our love for all things fashion.  So in no particular order here is our list.

1. Shopping, shopping, and more shopping. Who wouldn’t love to get paid to shop at all the best stores, all over NYC, the country, and the world.  Not to mention, when you get done using all you sweet shopping goodies they can often end up in your closet!
2. Living in NYC! Arguably the best city in the world and fashion’s playground.  Living here is a unique and inspiring experience. No matter how exhausting of a week you’ve had, the pulse of this great city will keep you going.
3. Getting to express your passion for fashion. No matter what department or category of the business you work in, if you work in the fashion industry you will live, eat, sleep and breathe fashion.
4. It just sounds cool! A random little perk to working in the business is the enjoyment you get whenever somebody asks, “So what do you do for a living?”  Whether you are a pattern maker, graphic designer, buyer, designer, or whatever, saying that you work in fashion is just plain cool (unless you are a reality TV star, then not so much).
5. Seeing people wearing your product is always a thrill. It will often catch you off guard, like the person in front of you in the grocery store, wearing a jacket you produced. Or, as you’re window shopping downtown, a mannequin is sporting that adorable miniskirt you designed a year ago and have long forgotten about.
6. Getting to travel the world on the company’s dime! Whether it’s shop trips to Europe or factory trips to Asia, fashion offers once in a lifetime travel experiences.
7. Money, yes we said money. We often complain about being underpaid but, it is possible to make a decent living in the fashion industry.  While you will most likely never get rich, you are getting paid to do what you love, and compared to the alternative (working in retail or fashion media) the pay can be very rewarding.
8. Working in a profession that values and caters your innate creativity is a rare treat. While the fashion industry is certainly a business, creativity is rewarded, and in a successful workplace it is fostered.
9. We are all affecting the consumer market. No matter how large or small your company, we all have a national if not global impact on the economy.  In some way, what you are working on today will impact the manufacturing and retail marketplace tomorrow.
10. The people. Over the years we have all worked with many coworkers who share our passions and have also had the privilege to learn from many talented industry veterans (divas and crazy beotches aside).  Not to mention, the entertainment value in meeting models and celebrities alike, it’s all the people who make this industry what it is, and that includes all of you, our lovely readers.

**For more insider industry scoop and to share your thoughts on the fashion business please visit our forum**

*** Happy Passover Everyone***

(Fashion Flashback – Originally posted on 2/19/09 –  It was just over a year ago when this article was originally posted, and we thought in honor of the recent Oscars and our popular new post on the fashion calendar,  it would be a good time to revisit a trend that is unfortunately thriving in the fashion industry. The below post should shed some facts on the issue of knocking off and you may want to click here for more details on the topic. It is certainly a fine line, between knocking-off somebody’s work, versus using high-end fashion as inspiration for affordable , trendy items for the masses.)

Being in the midst of award season and fashion week, we all are coveting the exquisite yet ridiculously expensive fashions on display.  While many of us cannot afford couture, we turn to more affordable brands to give us our fashion fix.  Although there is a grave difference between making style affordable to the masses, and straight up copying another designer’s product.  Many designers and brands have made a name for themselves by knocking off high-end designers.  Chief among them is the brand ABS, who quickly parades their red carpet Oscar knockoffs on morning shows across the country following the Academy Awards.  Recently, ABS and fashion label Faviana, débuted gowns inspired by Michelle Obama’s inaugural fashions on the Today Show.  Couture evening wear is not the only garment class being copied; actually every category is subject to copycats.  Stores like Forever 21 and H&M have made multimillion dollar businesses out of knocking off designer looks for less.

Many would argue, as we did here, that all fashion is in some sense copying from elsewhere.  Designers, high-end and low, all get inspiration from somewhere and are influenced by what they see in their daily lives, including from fashion rivals.  Next time you wander through a mall or department store, see if you can find a garment that is not in some way similar to an existing design; be it in color, fabric, silhouette, or overall aesthetic. But back to the original issue, what about those brands whose true intention is to knock off a particular item as close to the original as possible.  The most common question we get is, “is that even legal?”  In short, yes unfortunately, it is legal.

Unlike most products in the United States, fashion design is not protected by intellectual property law.  While your trademark is protected, like the Levi’s V embroidery, Lacoste’s alligator, or Louis Vuitton’s interlocking LV, the actual garment design is not.  Copyright law which protects most artistic works, has an exception for functional creations.  So, if your garment is wearable, which of course it is, then it is not protected by law.  There is some good news for you graphic designers, graphics like screen prints or original patterns do seem to be covered as artwork.  People will often remark, if you have a great design idea you should get a patent for it.  Unfortunately, patents only apply to completely new inventions, which as we mentioned above, fashion design is never completely original.  This is the reason for the Victoria’s Secret patent “pending” bra campaign.  Additionally, in the fast paced world of fashion, by the time the US patent office approved you, your design would no longer be on trend.  For more information on the issue of fashion copycats here is a great site counterfeitchic.com

(Part One)

A while back we mentioned that skinny jeans were hazardous to your health, well now, we’d say the fashion calendar is a hazard to our industry.  In our business the fashion calendar and the time from development to market, has gotten so tight that it is strangling our creativity and killing our profits.  The old system of fashion collections being shown on the runway six months before they hit the store, or featured in fashion magazines months before the consumer could purchase them, or even merchandise on the floor a season before the customer could feasibly wear it, is all part of an outdated and broken system.  While the last issue is no longer a major obstacle, as thankfully we are not forced to buy wool coats in July anymore (especially thanks to online shopping), the other two issues, especially fashion week, are major problems.

There was a recent article in the WSJ addressing the issue of getting clothes from catwalk to closet, faster.  The six month delay allows fast fashion chains like Forever 21 and H&M time to knock off designers and have the more affordable imitations available in stores even before the originals.  To combat this issue some designers have begun putting their collections into production before they walk the runway and made them available for sale immediately following their shows. Designers Norma Kamali, Cynthia Rowley, and Burberry have recently tried this tactic with extremely lucrative results.  The WSJ also mentions that part of the problem is the designer’s collections are featured in Vogue or Elle and the customer sees them, but by the time they are available in stores they no longer appear fresh and new to the shopper.  We would also like to add that the role of fashion blogs have tightened the calendar even more, as the shopper does not have to wait a month for Vogue but can go online immediately and view the pieces within 24 hours of the show.

For most designers and brands, fashion week do not equal sales, as very few actually show during the week. And for those that do show, much of the actual selling and ordering takes place in the showroom. While fashion week gets the media attention and is a PR darling for the high-end designers, many of us know that far more of the world’s apparel gets sold during market week not fashion week and sales often get done in private showings not on the runway. However, to the shopper and of course to fashion’s marketing, PR, media, bloggers, and celebs, fashion week is the Holy Grail. But many of us realize the current model is no longer effective for either end of the industry.

It seems to us a decision needs to be made as to the purpose of fashion week and if that purpose is advertising and immediate retail (not wholesale) sales than put photographers and bloggers in the front row, move the calendar forward to meet the production requirements, schedule fashion week closer to the actual season when goods hit the floor for shoppers to purchase immediately. If the intent is to use fashion week as industry event to generate internal buzz and initiate wholesale buying then it should be kept that way, and moved back to the Garment center. The problem is for many years fashion week worked for both sides of the business, but that is just no longer feasible. Between online shopping, new media, consumers buy now mentality and the increasing production times for oversea manufacturing, fashion week can no longer accommodate both needs effectively.

As you may have noticed, we marked this post as “Part One” that is because the fashion calendar is not just detrimental to fashion week and high-end designers, but also for the rest of the apparel industry. Those of us working for big brands, private label lines, vertical retailers, and everyone from Walmart to Saks are suffering from calendar woes as well. These designers, due to production issues, bureaucracy, and the micro-managing of creativity, are also suffering. They companies require designers to design a year or more ahead of calendar. The product then suffers and often looks dated and unoriginal, while the designers end up like this.  So stay tuned for a follow up post from this perspective too.

We randomly stumbled across this little gem online and thought it was time for a lighter post on here.  Anyone who works in the fashion industry is sure to get a laugh. Thanks to joke diary for supplying a giggle in the midst of a hectic work week!

Two executives working in the garment center are having lunch together. Goldstein says to his friend, “Last week was one of the worst weeks of my entire life.”

“What happened?” asks Birnbaum.

Goldstein moans, “My wife and I went to Florida on vacation. It rained for seven days and seven nights, so my wife went out and spent thousands of dollars on the credit card. I came back to New York and found out that my rat brother-in-law accountant has been ripping me off for millions. And to top it all off, when I came in to work on Monday morning, I found my son having sex with my best model on my desk!”

“You think you had a bad week?” responds Birnbaum. “My week was even worse! I went to Florida on vacation with my wife and it rained for seven days and seven nights, so my wife went out and spent thousands on the credit card. Then, when I got back to New York, I found out that my rat cousin accountant has been ripping me off for millions. To top it all off, when I came in to my office on Monday, I found my son having sex with my best model on my desk!”

“How can you say that your week was worse than mine?” asks Goldstein. “It was identical!”

“You shmuck!” replies Birnbaum. “I manufacture menswear…”

(Forward on to a friend who works in menswear)

Here’s the question, is fashion important? Well, in short, YES.  Now, of course, we would say that since this is a fashion blog after all, and we do work in the fashion industry, and we are particularly supportive of NYC’s Garment Center, but is it really important to the rest of the world? And should it be?  Again, we have to say the answer is a resounding yes.  The fashion industry’s importance comes from its ability to consume your spending dollar in massive quantities, it comes from a lasting tradition of bringing women into the workplace, it comes from encouraging self expression for all individuals, it comes from its impact on the US economy as one of the nation’s largest manufacturing sectors, it comes from a long history in the Garment Center of promoting the immigrant’s American dream, and of course, it comes from the couture talent in creating wearable art.

As fashion industry professionals we have often heard comments dismissing fashion as a career, as a rather less than serious job, akin to a paid hobby. This attitude comes from the misrepresentation by mainstream media that fashion design is just fun sketching and then, poof, the product appears in stores. (For our full rant on that issue read this, Amazingly Stupid Fashionistas?)

Beyond the dismissal of fashion as a serious career, there is also the common notion that caring about fashion is rather shallow and vapid. In a recent post where we uncovered the ugly truth about Forever 21, we received a surprising amount a feedback mentioning, “well, I don’t really care about fashion” or “fashion doesn’t effect me.” The truth is, if you wear clothes (which we hope you all do) you should care, especially during this time of economic uncertainty.  We should all care where our money goes. People think long and hard before buying a house, they research when buying a car, but somehow clothes shopping just happens. As we mentioned before in our Label of Origin post, the least people should do when shopping is think about where their products are made. How you spend your consumer dollar directly affects our economy and sends a message to retailers, designers, and manufacturers alike. By not patronizing companies and brands that support sweatshop labor or unethical labor practices, you are impacting the greater world.

The angle most often overlooked is fashion’s impact on our national economy. While fashion evokes images of supermodels and runway shows, many people forget it is also an industry of great economic importance. In New York alone the industry supplies over 10 billion dollars worth of wages to its residents. The apparel and textile industry is one of the largest domestic manufacturers in the US, (and unlike the auto industry we did not get a bailout) it supplies over 700,000 jobs in manufacturing alone. When people question the importance or relevance of fashion, they often forget its significant role in our economy.  Fashion employs everyone from retail store clerks, to seamstresses, to designers, not to mention the majority of these jobs have historically been held by women and minority groups when other industries were not so welcoming. For anyone who has ever worked in a union, the fashion industry should matter. We set the standards in protecting workers’ rights and ensuring safe working conditions beginning with the ILG union in the 1920’s. Those pioneering women garment workers set the standard for today’s unions.

No matter who or where you are, the fashion industry affects you. Every morning when you look into your closet and choose to wear an item you purchased, you have affected your budget, our environment, somebody’s job, the national economy, and a company’s bottom line. Obviously we care about fashion for many reasons, including that it is our livelihood, but we get particularly frustrated when people claim that caring about fashion is unimportant. Besides styles and trends (which of course, we adore too) fashion and apparel have a long and storied  history of importance. So, we dedicate this post to anyone who has ever questioned the value of the fashion industry. And if you still feel fashion is irrelevant, why are you reading and complaining to a fashion blog?

Today we have another fascinating interview for you. As usual we bring you a side of fashion not usually covered by mainstream media and certainly not covered during our recent fashion week. This fashion designer (who prefers to remain anonymous) has been working in the industry for about 12 years and has been responsible for many of the big brands you see at your local mall, department store, and even mass-merchandisers. Her range of experiences makes her the perfect person to share her thoughts on working as a designer in corporate America. At the moment she works for a mid-sized company overseeing two women’s brands and a huge private label business, her team of four assistants, associates and graphic designers do about 42 million dollars of goods a year.

1) Do you feel your formal fashion education helped prepare you for working in the industry?
Yes, definitely. I attended a traditional four-year university and got my Bachelor’s degree with a major in apparel design. I was very concerned that because I hadn’t attended Parsons or FIT I would struggle finding work or even be unqualified. Surprisingly, that couldn’t have been farther from the truth. In many ways I was better prepared because the grads from those schools were so focused on couture and illustrating that they were not well rounded. I had four year of fashion like them plus cad, graphic, and Adobe classes. At that time those schools were not even teaching any computer design, so I actually had a leg up. Plus, since I have a University degree if I choose to leave fashion, I believe it gives me more options as far as other careers or a graduate school.

2) You moved here after graduation from the Midwest, do you like living in NYC, and are you glad you made the move?
Absolutely, this is where fashion is in the US. The city itself is inspiring and this particular neighborhood is so full of fashion professionals and resources. There is nowhere else you get that in such a concentrated area. The amount of opportunity is amazing here and I think if I had never tried, I would’ve always regretted it.

3) What one piece of advice, would you give to someone wanting to start a career in fashion?
Make sure you really want it, be prepared to work hard for long hours and low pay in the beginning, and get an internship.  The internship is a great way to get your foot in the door, especially for your first job, after that your work history and portfolio speak for themselves. I would also say, move if you need to. For recent grads, this is before you have kids, mortgages, medical bills etc, this may be the one time in your life to pick up and move to a big city or different country and not have much to lose. Oops, I guess that is a lot more than one thing.

4) You have worked for some major apparel companies in the garment center, what would like to see companies improve on?
Quality of life for their employees, better pay for everyone but salespeople, who frankly are already overpaid, and most of all I’d love to see Human Resource departments be mandatory for apparel companies and benefits greatly improved. My last company had so many incompetent people who got away with it, while qualified people got frustrated and quit, yet the owner never even knew what was going on until employee exit interviews. There was no HR, no way to notify anyone at the executive level what was going on. The owners of many mid to large apparel companies are so disconnected; they may breeze in and out of the office a few times a week/month and not even know who their employees are. I realize this is the case in many industries and at many large companies and that is why they have HR departments. We need that too!

5) What is you day-to-day schedule like as a designer working for a large corporation?
Well, I think that would surprise most people. I would say being a senior level designer is 85% business and 15% creative.

I spend my mornings following up emails from overseas factories. Seeing where they stand, what questions they have, what problems need to be solved that day etc. Then mid-morning my samples usually arrive. The assistants go through and check/spec them and any problem are brought to me. Any samples for production and fittings are giving to me for review as well. Then I usually meet with my team and review sketches they have and give them any design direction I prepared the night before.

Then I will meet with the sales team and hear the selling reports, what’s doing well in stores, what’s not etc. They will let me now what their buyers want more of, and what styles they are looking for etc. This is probably the most stressful part of the day. Lots of yelling by salespeople of what designs they want to see, how they hate this idea but want that, why one of them believes her request is more urgent then another’s, and how they all want stuff designed and sent to the factory asap.

After this I take an associate designer with me to fit any samples that need to be fit with the technical designer and patternmaker. Then I begin to work on the sales requests and come up with a game plan. At this point I try to eat lunch while working, as it’s usually around 2-3pm. I then pass on the sales info to my assistants and start them working on new sketches and techpacks to be sent tonight. Usually a fabric supplier or trend forecaster will stop in to meet with me, which I try to get done quickly. And often around 5pm-6pm the VP or big boss will want a meeting, have a question, or need a sample review, before they leave for the day.

Then after 6pm it gets quiet with only the design and technical teams left and I can get some work done. I start checking and reviewing my team’s sketches and techpacks, making my comments and corrections as needed. Then I will start finding design inspiration for tomorrow and doing some of my own sketching and techpacking. Finally, I will follow up on all emails and go through any budget, expense, or employee paperwork that needs to be done. Finally I will head home around 9pm-10pm!

6) What do you wish people would understand about working in the fashion industry?
How freaking hard it is! It’s a business, its manufacturing; it’s much more than style and shopping. Fashion is hard work but can be incredibly rewarding as well. I wish people, students especially, would realize it is serious business. Having interns who show up thinking it is all going to be styling outfits and going on shop trips, and whine when they have to track packages or get stuck measure dozens of pre-production samples, makes me crazy! Yes, there is fabulousity, yes, there are shop trips to Europe but they are not the bulk of the business and they don’t come easily.

Well, it’s that time of year again; fashion week is almost upon us.  This is not just any fashion week however; it is the final showing at Bryant Park.   As we mentioned before here, the powers that be decided to move the shows out of the Garment Center and relocate uptown to Lincoln Center.  While many people equate fashion week with glamour and high-end design, it certainly does not start out that way for our little neck of the woods.  Rather, our poor little Bryant Park and the surrounding streets are a mess of construction, security, and equipment.  The sidewalks are overflowing with building materials and supplies, where as next week they will be filled with fashion models and celebrities.

So as fashion week approaches, how are our readers doing?  No doubt many of you are overworked trying to meet fashion week deadlines.  While others are rushing sample requests in before the factories close for Chinese New Year.  What about the shows, who are you excited to see?  What designer are you hoping will inspire you?  And, are you as sad as we are that fashion week will be leaving Bryant Park?

The New York Fashion Week shows begin this Thursday Feb. 11th and run through Thursday Feb. 18th. For a full schedule and the details please visit their site by clicking here.

(Fashion Flashback – This post was originally posted on 9/23/09. However, since we have so many new readers and  many of you are students, we felt this article may be of interest. To view the original post’s comments click here.)

Having happily become a source of all things fashion industry related, we are constantly bombarded with inquiries about working in the business.  One of the most common questions we get from young people is, “Do I need to go to college to have a career in fashion? Well, the short answer is, yes.

It’s our unanimous opinion that college is absolutely necessary.  Now certainly there are a rare few who succeeded without it, but even for them a degree wouldn’t have hurt.  There are many famous designers like Ralph Lauren, Yves Saint Laurent, and Donna Karan who never finished school, but one thing to remember is, for them years ago a college diploma was not the prerequisite that it is today.  Not to mention they all began by working for other companies and designers, whom today all require a Bachelors degree even for an assistant level position. Regardless of your career path, a college degree is, at the very least, something to fall back on.  Should you change your mind in a few years and want to switch careers paths or attend grad school, a degree gives you options.  In the US today a college degree is what a high school diploma was 30 years ago.  According to the US census bureau, over the course of their life a college grad earns one million dollars more then their high school diploma counterpart!  So all fashion industry intricacies aside, we will always recommend higher learning.  Additionally, since many of our readers and the majority of fashion industry professionals are women we feel even stronger in pushing education.  Women have enough battles for equality in the workplace; a lesser education should not be another.

Now, the second most common question we get is the follow up, “Do I have to go to a fashion school like Parsons, FIT, FIDM to get a job?” To that we would answer, no.  However, if you are absolutely certain about a career in fashion and you can afford these often expensive universities, we would recommend them.  There are certainly benefits to a well known fashion school that is unparalleled. For example, you will have in-depth training in your field far greater than a “major” at a traditional college.  The equipment, from sewing labs to CAD labs are often much more extensive, the resources at your disposal are priceless.  And of course, the networking and relationship building from attending these schools, along with the prestigious name on your resume can not be overlooked. That being said choosing a school is a very personal choice and there are many cases were a traditional Bachelors degree is actually better than a fashion school. Receiving a well rounded education is always a sure bet and at age 17 or 18 this may be a smarter move, leaving more options open to you in the long run.  Additionally, it depends what you want to do in fashion. If you want to be the next CEO of the Gap or be VP of Sales and Marketing for Macy’s a traditional four year University plus an MBA program is your best bet.  Even for those in the more creative fields a University with a strong fashion major and perhaps an art minor will certainly be respected.  Keep in mind that in the fashion industry people have a wide variety of backgrounds and especially here in NYC your future co-workers will come from schools all over the country as well as the world.

Finally, we would just like to give our personal opinion as most of us have hired people (usually in design) before. First, when an ad is put out we receive hundred of applicants, as fashion design is a very coveted and competitive field. We are busy and certainly don’t have the time to interview or examine everyone’s portfolio. So step one for an entry level position, if your resume does not contain a college education and classes or major in fashion it goes out with the garbage.  Second, we don’t really care about GPA’s or school awards, we’d rather see strong skills (pattern making, foreign languages, CAD, etc)  and an innovative portfolio. Third, we’d like to see a portfolio that goes beyond just a few sketches, show us you have more abilities than any random joe with a fashion sense who can draw. Lastly, while the fashion industry may be known for its diva behavior, recent grad needs to check the attitude at the door, and be gracious. It is always shocking to us how many newbies forget that last point because even the best degree won’t overcome a bad attitude.

Our animosity towards Forever 21 has grown over the years, from a simple pet peeve to a burning hatred.  Online, particularly on  “what I’m wearing” type blogs there is a preponderance of fashion loving ladies sporting their Forever 21 gear.  It seems young fashion savvy shoppers online and off are continuing to favor our nemesis, Forever 21.  It is so hard, when we see a blogger, coworker, or friend bragging about their latest Forever 21 deal, to keep from screaming; “Do you have any idea who or what you are supporting?”  We’d hoped for awhile that the despicable chain would disappear, which has been the fate of many retailers this year.  However, it seems their evil plot of world domination is continuing.  Forever 21 has just announced plans to develop 30 massive department stores across the country, including one in Times Square replacing the Virgin Megastore.  So to make it perfectly clear why you should forgo F21 (if you must indulge in disposable fashion, H&M or even Target are better) here is a list of reasons to boycott Forever 21 forever!

1. Sweatshop labor in the US – Forever 21 has been running sweatshops in California and using Mexican immigrant labor in subpar working conditions to provide you with cheap disposable clothing. Especially for our LA readers, how can you in good conscious spend money on a product that forces fellow women to work in sweatshop conditions?  Several of these women have banded to together and created a must see documentary called “Made in LA”.  It is very easy to say “Oh yeah, it may be cheap labor but I can’t afford anything better” and thereby distancing yourself from the issue at hand but watching this documentary and seeing the faces behind your garments should open everyone’s eyes.  Additionally, Forever 21 has been taken to the California Supreme Court regarding its unfair labor practices repeatedly.  As one factory worker Guadalupe Hernandez explained she earned, “$4 per hour working 10 hours a day 6 days a week in a factory with no running water and no bathroom.” Clearly the cost of fast fashion is too high!
2. Sweatshop Labor overseas – As many are not aware, much of Forever 21’s products are not made in their own factories, but rather subcontracted out.  F21 finds third party manufactures who produce private label pieces (i.e. with Forever 21’s labels and hangtags) made in subcontracted overseas sweatshops to make the incredibly low price-point that F21 demands.  You see, Mexican/American sweatshop labor is far more expensive then that of Chinese, Cambodian, or Bangladeshi workers.  Forever 21 has repeatedly faced lawsuits regarding overseas sweatshop labor; however, they avoid the consequences by laying the blame on the third party contractors and deny any responsibilities.  Unfair labor practices, child labor, dangerous work environments and the exploitation of women are the true cost of that $12.99 sun dress you picked up.
3. Designer copyright infringement – We’ve written before about the legalities of protecting a designer’s original designs and what can and can’t be protected in fashion.  Unfortunately knockoff’s and thievery are common place in the fashion industry and if not always illegal they are at least unethical.  Please check out our full post here about being inspired by a high-end designers and creating an affordable versions vs. running a business based solely on direct copycats.  Bottom line, Forever 21 is the largest offender of creating knockoffs, be it upscale designers or struggling independent designers, F21 is in essence stealing their livelihood from them.  They have been taken to the US District Courts for their violations and have been sued over 50 times in the last 4 years alone for copyright infringement!
4. Proselytizing and shopping don’t mix – For those of you who are not aware, the owners of Forever 21 Mr. and Mrs. Chang are evangelical Christians and big supporters of Christian missionaries.  This, in and of itself, is not a big deal, however they have been accused of discriminating against employees and workers based on religion.  Mrs. Chang has been known to take young designers and send them on Christian missions and if they become “born again” they will be promoted and financially rewarded.  Have you ever looked at your Forever 21 packaging or shopping bags?  Those numbers printed on them are bible verses.  Frankly, we don’t need our tube tops and leggings preaching religion to us.

We encourage all of our readers to forward this post on to any of your friends, relatives, and coworkers, who perhaps shop Forever 21 and are unaware of their business practices. We encourage all of you to think about how you spend your buying dollar and support businesses that are deserving. Please check out the clip below from the documentary Made in LA.

Many of you may no be aware, but recently Mayor Michael Bloomberg and fashion heavyweights from all genres gathered together at Macy’s to discuss the future of fashion. They recognized the importance of our industry to the national economy and with about 200k local employees as the second largest industry in the city; which is huge to the New York economy. The usual fashion big shots where there: Anna Wintour for Vogue, The President of Hearst Magazines, the CEO of Saks, the director of the CFDA, and of course political and government officials.  Interestingly, this meeting included a fewer lesser recognized perspectives. The founder of the Gilt Group was there to represent online shopping, apparel company presidents were in attendance including the large (as in taking over every other apparel company) Li & Fung.

Some topics discussed were: how to spread fashion throughout all five boroughs, using fashion to increase tourism, the 2nd annual Fashion’s Night Out project, making Fashion Week more accessible to the public, pop-up shops, and incorporating technology into the industry and more. For the most part the meeting was a success and we are thrilled to see fashion on the city’s agenda. However, there were a few areas of concern for us. First, we would have loved more attention to Saving the Garment Center and supporting domestic production and area small businesses. Second, one of the topics debated was how to shorten the buying cycle, so stores can sell more “wear-now” clothes to be on trend faster.

As consumers, sure it would be great to see an item on the runway or magazine and have it be in my local shop the next week. However, as designers we know that the fashion calendar is already so tight that working conditions suffer. It is so tight, that creativity gets burned out in favor of quicker turn around. It is so tight, that “fast fashion” is already common place. It is so tight, that many companies have resorted to simply knocking of existing styles and sending samples directly to overseas factories that work 24 days to get garments out to retailers asap. It is so tight, that consumers are already complaining that goods are less innovative and made of lesser quality then in the past, and part of the reason why is our designers being overworked for faster fashion. If you haven’t read any of our posts on how designers at many apparel companies work, please check out this post and this one. Now imagine the cycle becoming even shorter, what would happen to people making your clothing? What would happen to the already fading creativity in everyday clothing? Hopefully, these fashion industry veterans can find a way to make everyone happy, but until then we are skeptical that this will push an already overtaxed industry over the edge.

Last week local designers Nanette Lepore, Yeohlee Teng, and Stan Herman took their Save the Garment Center fight to Washington.  The director and producers for the HBO documentary “Schmatta: Rags to Riches to Rags” attended as well.  There was a special screening of the documentary by Representative Diane Watson and Representative Carolyn Maloney.  Following the screening there was a panel discussion open to all members of congress that included representatives from the apparel unions, designers, and Representative Tim Ryan of the Congressional Manufacturing Caucus.

We are thrilled to see the Save the Garment Center efforts moving forward.  Finally seeing political attention being paid to support the fashion industry and specifically domestic production is wonderful. Nanette Lepore has done an enormous job in increasing Garment Center awareness.  To show your support and stay on top on of all of the latest Garment Center happenings join their Facebook page by clicking here.