Setting the Course

o you want to be a fashion designer, right? You might be applying to different fashion schools, already in school, about to graduate, or maybe you already have your first job in the industry. No matter which stage you’re at, it’s important to have an idea of where you ultimately want to end up. If you’ve read our “Break it Down” article, then you’re aware of the different categories and specializations within the fashion industry. Have you thought about which fashion market you want to end up in? What specialization? With so many different options, how do you know which one to choose? In this segment, we’ll walk you through the process of weighing your options, setting career goals, and developing a plan of action to increase your chances of reaching them. … read more »

Well Put Together

hat’s the most common faux pas when it comes to fashion design portfolios? Many fashion design students and entry-level apparel designers make the mistake of filling their fashion portfolios with all of their favorite fashion illustrations, or photos of garments they’ve made. The trouble with this is that apparel industry companies don’t need to see tons of imaginative avant-garde fashion sketches – who’s really going to wear that stuff? They just don’t sell! Don’t get me wrong, you should still show off some fashion figure illustrations and your ability to develop an apparel design collection, but following an organized presentation format is a much better approach to showing off your fashion design talents and skills. … read more »

How to Spec a Garment

n a few of our articles, we’ve mentioned that specs are measurements and details of a garment when laid flat. If you don’t know how to spec, and even if you think you do – you should become very comfortable with the process because chances are, you’ll find yourself specing garments – a lot!

Here we’ll cover some of the basic points of measure used when specing different garments. Measurements can be taken “on the half”, or total. In this article, spec examples are given on the half. … read more »

Fulfilling Your Vision

know some of you may have been disappointed by the realities we exposed in our “How to Become Fashion Designer” article. Our apologies, but we had to destroy the bliss of naivety to spare you from many rude awakenings when you start your fashion career! That being said, I’m sure there are also some of you who are determined to become that ideal vision of a fashion designer: create your own label, design your own fashion lines, runway fashion show and the whole nine. We commend your ambitiousness and of course, we are here to help! Here’s our suggested approach to become your own fashion designer. … read more »