You Better Work: the Grueling Glamour of Fashion Design

Do you spend every Wednesday night glued to the TV in anticipation of the next Project Runway episode, enamored by the unique designs and confident that you could produce garments of equal quality? Do you believe that clothes are not merely functional, but should also serve as beautiful means of self-expression? Do you long for the fast-paced glitz of cities like New York and Los Angeles? If you answered yes to these questions, you may want to consider a career in fashion design.

Keep in mind, though, that this profession is not all bright lights and glitter. Beyond the glamour lies an intensely competitive work environment that demands not only great creativity, but also knowledge of current trends, proficiency in sewing and patternmaking, and a flair for self-promotion. Ready to climb the rhinestone ladder?

Fashion Design Job OverviewEvery year, fashion designers create billions of clothes, shoes, and accessories for a discerning and fickle body of consumers. They stay up-to-date with fashion trends by conducting research and attending trade and fashion shows. Over a period of 18-24 months--the standard block of time between a design's conceptual stages and its completion; not quite the mad dash depicted on Project Runway--a designer incorporates his/her findings into hand sketches, sometimes translated into computer-aided design (CAD), and then begins the process of either delegating technical tasks, such as sewing, to others (typical of large design firms) or completing this work themselves (more common in small firms or with those just starting out

While the public image places fashion designers in some posh Manhattan penthouse, following their own aesthetic whims in order to please the very rich and socially elite, only a few of the most successful designers score haute couture gigs. Many others create mass market deigns, open their own stores, or sell their designs to other retailers. Some even work for the entertainment industry, researching period pieces and creating costumes for films and television shows. Whether self-employed or part of a large design team, all fashion designers must be prepared for frequent travel and the occasional all-nighter.Fashion Design Education and Other QualificationsThe Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) notes that most employers seek designers with 2- or 4-year degrees. Basic coursework for a bachelor's degree typically includes textiles, sewing, CAD training, and fashion history. Fashion design students may also want to supplement their core curriculum with classes in business, human anatomy, and psychology. Aspiring designers can also gain valuable experience from internships or retail jobs, and should always maintain an impressive portfolio. Job Outlook & Salary InformationPredictably, many are attracted to the glamour and artiness of fashion design, and this makes for a competitive job market. The BLS notes that the best job prospects will be found in firms that create mass-market designs. Advancement is possible for those who are talented, tenacious, and willing to start from the very bottom. The average annual salary for fashion designers hovered around $62,810 in 2007.

Career Haute Couture: When You Absolutely Must Become a Fashion Designer

There's just something about the fabrics, the colors and the fashionista spirit that drives you to this field. Becoming a fashion designer means so much more than understanding clothes. It's knowing how to identify the trends that drive the consumer to buy. Learn that, and your career potential may very well be unlimited

The Fashion Design 411 The fashion design industry is comprised of a wide variety of professional positions that range from the creative to the systematic. The population of true designers is a select group, with new positions and annual turnover remarkably low.

The median annual wage of fashion designers in May 2007 was $62,810, with the top 10 percent earning $121,640 and the bottom 10 percent earning $31,340. Potential salary and employment opportunities should be best with design firms that create mass market clothing. Also, because about 25 percent of professional in this field work temporary or contract positions, the environment can be right for entrepreneurs and business self-starters.

Becoming a Fashion Designer: What It Takes to Get There The road to becom fashion designer is similar to most trade or artisan fields. Two paths exist: a traditional academic route and a career training alternative. Approximately 250 postsecondary institutions accredited by the National Association of Schools of Art and Design offer 2- or 4-year degrees in fine arts. Community colleges and trade schools also provide career training without the breadth of a liberal arts-based degree.During or after training, potential candidates typically intern with manufacturers, buyers, or retail outlets in preparation for the day-to-day demands of the job. Opportunities for interdisciplinary and international study should be available to promising students.
Program and Course Requirements The changing landscape of the fashion design industry is taking students through an unusually contemporary readiness strategy. The emergence of Auto CAD as a design tool is placing a premium on candidates with advanced technical skills. Also, communications remains an integral part of the job and encourages students to consider the academic development option.Common courses may include textiles, color, pattern making, sewing, tailoring, fashion history, and more. You may also develop a working portfolio during your studies that can be used both to gauge your progress and market yourself to potential employers.

One Fashion Merchandising School is Better: Why and How to Find It

With over 250 accredited art and design institutions, choosing the right fashion design or fashion merchandising school can be a bit overwhelming. However, taking the time to match your needs with a complimentary program might just improve your chances of getting in. Here's why.Knowing What to Look For The road to the right college always begins and ends with you. What is your ideal college environment? How close to or far from home do you want to be? Which is a bigger draw for you--the academic potential or the social environment? These are questions that need to be answered well before you pack your bags for school.There are several points to consider when you sift through fashion design and merchandising schools. Perhaps the most important is concerned with the prestige of your dream institution. You might want to go to that glitzy school in New York, Paris, or Milan--and that's ok. But you need to keep in mind that a brand-name school does not guarantee your success.
What Schools are Looking For Stop fretting over the fact that you don't have straight A's. According to U.S. News & World Reports, colleges are typically more interested in the contributions you can make to their programs rather than accepting the cookie cutter application. Of course, academic performance is important. But so is being well-rounded.When applying to fashion design school, use your application to paint a complete picture of your talents and abilities. Also, avoid the tendency to eliminate potential schools too early in the application process. They may eventually be your landing point if your first choices don't work out as planned.
Program and Course Requirements Program specificity typically dictates coursework and requirements. That means the opportunity for you to personalize your studies, better preparing you for career longevity. For example, a fashion design school may offer more generalized classes in the field--textiles, colors, sewing, and fashion history. On the other hand, fashion merchandising schools may be grounded in retail operations--so mathematics and economics may come into play.
Short-Cuts and Time Savers Some things to do to keep yourself ahead of the curve:• Save Application Materials. Chances are that your admissions essay can be used at whichever school you apply to. Save this and other app materials, such as transcripts to cut down on the time it takes to apply to each school.• Get Those RSS Feeds. Some fashion design schools offer RSS feed updates of new services and programs. Subscribe to be kept in the loop automatically.• Apply Early and Often. Your chances of acceptance increase greatly when you keep your mind, and options, open.The right fashion design school or fashion merchandising schoo is out there. With some research and persistence, you can find it.

Spring/Summer 2009 Fashion Trend: Depression Chic

Do you know that fashion trends this season highlight “depression chic”? How to describe it exactly? As far as I concerned, it is the fashion world’s straight stab at bringing back the glamorous dresses. Yes, in Spring/Summer 2009, great depression has suddenly become one of the hottest topic in fashion industry. Then, how to create such a depression chic? Finishing a broken in replica handbag, ripped jeans or wrinkled suits? In fact, the recent economic downturn equaled an unexpected turn for the better for fashion design this season. The economy has had obvious negative effects on the fashion industry, but an unpredicted positive result comes in the form of one of the most popular trends, cleverly referred to as “depression chic.” Here fashion is devided into two group, the one is practical wear, the other is the comparatively high-sounding vintage style. I cannot compare much more toward them since both of them are determined by special sense of worth. While, from the point of fashion’s encouragement, we need wear more beautiful and gorgeous in the econimic downturn period. See the practical wear first. Of course, in the special period, we have to keep more cash in hand, thus we control our shopping desire towards luxury designer items, and begin to select the approachable warm texture, like textile, cotton, stretch-fabrics even the hard-wearing jean. You could consider it as a common civilian fashion, just taste fashion in affordable prices. Then take a good look at the super realism group. It gives high praise to a brand new idea – the more depressive, the more stylish. Seems a little bolshy. I guess that people should shift their disappointment from the great economic downturn, therefore they mustn’t stop going for fashion. Maybe that will help us to forget annoyance for the moment. Nevertheless, no matter what the fashion changes, you should remember one big fashion, that’s you need always keep the style of yourselves.

Pakistan Textile Machinery Industry

Textile Industry: Backbone of CountryThe textile and clothing industry is the backbone of Pakistan’s economy. Pakistan’s role as one of the world’s leading cotton producers has provided the basis for the textile and clothing industry’s development.

Pakistan's textile sector is the principal industry, contributing more than 67% to the country's total export earnings, and accounting for about 46% of total manufacturing. The sector employs over 38% of the manufacturing labor force. More than US$4 billion of textile and garment machinery has been imported in Pakistan in the last few years. The textile industry is today based almost entirely in the private sector.

Textile Machinery Industry:Overview:The Spinning Sector had grown with export demand & growth in cotton production. Weaving & Processing Sector followed. The major concentration of industry is in Karachi, Hyderabad, Multan, Lahore and Faisalabad. Unlike Spinning Sector the Weaving Sector comprises of large number of small units of power looms mainly clustering in Faisalabad – Hafizabad – Kasur and Multan. Recent trend is to set up Air-Jet loom units either as independent units are integrating it with spinning or processing units. Given economic stability as well as the importance of the industry to Pakistan's economy, the spinning sector is expected to grow by 8-10 percent over the next three years.

Though textile industry maintains its ranking of the single largest manufacturing sector in Pakistan, unfortunately indigenous manufacturing of its machinery could not develop along with the growth of textile industry. Resultantly, demand for textile machinery still is almost entirely met through global imports.The usual and most effective channel for sale of machinery, equipment and spares is through a reliable agent. Foreign firms appoint local agents for the Pakistan market to provide them with market intelligence and to follow-up on sales. The most popular and possibly the most effective distributorship arrangement in Pakistan is the exclusive agency agreement. The exclusive agent receives commission on all sales of the product within the country, regardless of the channels through which they were ordered. The agent often imports and stocks spare, that are regularly required by end-users. He may also provide after-sales service.Import- Export scenario:Pakistan textile industry is facing problem of Low productivity due to its obsolete textile machineries. To overcome this problem and to stand in competition, Pakistan Textile Industry will require high investments. Pakistan is on the road to invest in processing sector, but traditional sector are also demanding high amount of investments. There is a continuous trend of investing in spinning since many years. Although, trend towards investment in Air Jet weaving segment is increasing day by day.“Pakistan's textile industry estimates that around Rs1, 400 billion (US$32 billion) of investment was required till 2010 in order to achieve the government's export target.” - Former federal secretary and chairman of the National Tariffs Commission Masud Daher (Pakistan)

Indian Power Loom Industry: an Overview

History of weaving looms can be traced back to 17th century. The first power loom was invented by Edmund Cartwright in 1785. Originally Power looms were with shuttle, and they were very slow. But as the industrial demands for faster production accelerate, faster looms without shuttle came in use in early part of 20th century. As developments and innovations take place, various types of looms were developed for faster production. Today, Air-jet, Water-jet, Rapier and other computer operated looms are used to maximize production of special materials.

Though weaving is one of the important sector for Indian textile industry, it has not been given due attention like spinning sector. Moreover structure of the industry plays a major role in making it competitive. Nature of this sector is mainly unorganized. The sector consists of fragmented, small and often, un-registered units that invest low amount in technology and practices especially in the power loom, processing, handloom and knits.

India has world’s largest installed base for looms. There are approximately 5mn looms in the country. India has 1.8mn Shuttle looms which is 45% of world capacity, and 3.90mn handlooms which is 85% of world capacity.

The power loom sector produces more than 60% of cloth in India and textile ministry’s estimation says that more than 60% of the country’s cloth exports originated from that sector. With its employment of 4.86mn workers, the power looms sector comprised approximately 60% of total textile industry employment.As per textile ministry of India up till March 31, 2006, the power looms sector — which produces various cloth products, including greige and processed fabrics — consisted of 430,000 units with 1.94mn power looms. The ministry projected the number of power looms to rise to 1.95mn in 2006-07. But modernization in looms is less and Indian industry still lags significantly behind US, China, Europe, Taiwan etc. (Texmin, 2005). Most of the looms we have currently in country are shuttle-less. There are less than 15,000 modern looms, whereas traditional looms are in large numbers. Value addition and the manufacturing of fabrics according to customer’s compliances, is not possible due to obsolete technology of looms.

Role of Hrd in Textile Sector

The advent of technological advancement in industrial set-ups has altered the working conditions and requirements on the part of employees and employers. Also the changes in government policies have also been taken place since the last decade. Different work patterns like night shift, part time work, overtime, etc is being experienced. The situation is same in textile sector also. Now-a-days the recruitment of the workforce has become a specialized field. The main motive is skill development as technical jobs are becoming more complex and demand more professional skill. As at managerial and marketing level, skills and knowledge demand have increased in importance. So before imparting training with respect to textile or garment industry the training program should be so designed that it covers the skills that will be required in long term and short term basis. Many countries of the world have understood the importance of human resource development, thus encourages the business organizations to take active part in designing and execution. The changing face of business organizations in national and international markets demands a new breed of skills that are non-technical in nature.Generally, when some new skills are to be taught to upgrade the ongoing work profile, on the job training and special course classes could be arranged to upgrade the employee's skills and knowledge. But after a certain level, the recruitment of higher posts requiring specialized skills are done through direct recruitment method. If the employers wish to extent the contribution of laborers in growth in textile industry, then the laborers should be given technical as well as non-technical training to enhance their skills and knowledge base. HR inferenceIntroduction of new technologies and processes in the textile industry have increased productivity on the one hand, but had been the cause of redundancy and eventual retrenchment for a lot of workers who used to work in repetitive, boring but labor intensive job in this particular sector. This condition is happening not only in developing countries like India, Pakistan, Bangladesh etc. but in industrialized countries as well, which were able to increase productivity through developments in technology.With the technological advancement in the textile industry the overall production with higher quality is been seen, due to usage of high end machineries and technologies it has been a witnessed that the number of workers employed in the textile sector are facing job-loses. This scenario is same in developed as well as developing nations where there is increased productivity due to advanced technology, but cut in the number of laborers. There are four elements of production namely manpower, time, materials and machines. Due to globalization seen in the textile industry out of these four elements of production, the two viz. manpower and time are to be cut down, i.e. sacrificed as the invent of improved machines and the cost of materials.Due to the modern HR practices are affected by terms such as multiskilled, production measures, advantages of competition, casual labor, social security, subcontracting, etc. Now-a-days a lot depends on the bargaining power of the labor, legal policies and the scenario of the labor market. This has started since the foundation of WTO (World trade organization).Human resource development Textile industry gives employment to millions of people. In order to recruit skilled workforce in textile sector, proper training programmes would thus facilitate in supply of well qualified workforce. Thus the role of HRD has gained momentum in terms of employing manpower that satisfies the professional requirements of this sector and that is well skilled. Thus many collaboration among many multinational companies and educational institutions is been observed.The HRD department of any company is responsible recruiting skilled labors and executives, allocation and planning of work, monitoring of workforce and performance appraisal. It is also responsible to timely upgradation of skills of the workforce by organizing educative professional workshops or seminars. If HRD activities are carried out in proper professional manner it could result into minimization of cost and wastage, right recruitment of workforce, increased stability of the company, flexible enough to cope up with futuristic developments and most important maximizes production.Human Resource in textile sectorThe advent of HR practices in textile sector was rather slow in comparison to other industrial sectors. But due to globalization there is increase in competition as a result development of human resource has become essential. However organized HR practices are being adopted mostly by the mill sector. In last decade we have seen not so good performance by textile sector, this was because of lack of HRD department in many mills. But the scenario has changed as HRD departments have taken up their role in textile sectors. Various training programmes pertaining to training of workforce, textile related topics have helped in enhancing the overall performance of the textile companies.In order to get increased productivity from workforce it is essential to have a well framed HRD system in the organization. If the principles of HRD are adopted it could result in decrease in non-attendance by 20% and increase in productivity by 30%. So to cope up with the market competition HRD is very essential element for the textile industry.HRD department is responsible for developing the feeling of motivation in the employees, this motivation in other words is the commitment of the employees towards the job and the organization. When the work of HRD is done effectively it would result into co-operation among team members, demolition of centralized system of decision making, creates homely environment, feeling of ownership and positive working atmosphere.