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Behind the Scenes with an Assistant Designer
By admins | August 28, 2009
Here at 39thandBroadway.com we are thrilled to have so many readers who are professionals in the fashion industry. However, we are also well aware that many of our dear readers are still on the path to the fashion world. We’ve received many inquires regarding fashion school, interviewing for a job, and what it’s like starting at the bottom. Recently, we featured a great post on fashion school and thought it would be helpful to take it to the next level and examining the role of an assistant designer. We’re lucky enough that one of our readers, who had been recently laid-off from an assistant designer position at a mid-size apparel company, offered to share her day-to-day experience. Enjoy!
My first job out of college was an underpaid one. I use to draw flats all day and write details for construction; basically make the packages and send them overseas to the factory to get samples. When we got boxes we’d check all the garments in by their numbers and start specing. If they passed the spec, we’d have a final sample made and put in the showroom. The sales team would then have their meetings with the buyers and try to get orders in. I’d also make flats from pictures that the head designer pulled from the Internet and sometimes I’d get to play with the stitches, color combos, and bodies; slightly. It was a good experience if you separate the bad pay and the bad vibes from the owner.
The second job I had, I was a design assistant working on children’s sleepwear. I made patterns in Adobe Illustrator for art placement, submitted the art to the licensor for approval, made the changes they requested, and assisted the head designers of both the boys and girls teams with the art packs. Then I and brought them to the technical design team, where they’d make the tech packs and send the lot off to the factories in Hong Kong. I’d also assist the technical designer by checking in her packages, specing the fit samples, and weighing the fabrics. I also made color cards each season for the team and factory, plus I would organize all samples. Basically, anything the team needed done I’d do in regards to the actual work. I didn’t have to get anyone coffee or bagels; luckily. I really did enjoy working there and always had something to do, so I was never bored. Getting laid-off was rather unfortunate but I guess such is life.
When starting out in the fashion industry it can be hugely beneficial to start as an assistant for an apparel company. Whether it’s a large manufacturer or a design house, you are cutting your teeth at someone else’s expense. It also is a tremendous opportunity to learn from the experts and make contacts that will be helpful for long term networking. Whether your end goal is your own line or to run the back of the house for Ann Taylor, starting off as an assistant or intern is an excellent first step. Our reader’s description is a very common example of an assistant’s daily grind (at least the way most of us recalled it) but there are others, depending on the company. An assistant designer can be a glorified receptionist, clothing steamer, and errand runner; or an assistant could actually be responsible for designing a company’s smaller line under some supervision. Really it all depends on where and for whom you work, and like anything in life you get out of it what you put in.
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Topics: designers, jobs | 2 Comments » 
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August 30th, 2009 at 7:34 pm
Shit, I coulda written this, this is so my job right now! Underpaid, overworked, doing a little of everything for everybody. But I wouldn’t trade it for anything in the world!
September 1st, 2009 at 12:56 pm
Great point, sometimes these underpaid/overworked jobs are best for experience and future career goals.