Fashion Profiles Archives

January 23, 2002, #4   ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ One of the neat things about doing a weekly ezine is the ability to quickly adapt and change the newsletter to meet the readers' needs. As we move into the fourth week of publishing "Fashion Profiles", it's become apparent that a little modification is necessary. So, beginning this week, I'm adding a section called "Fashion Biz" to address the many questions I receive about working in the fashion field. If you'd like to have a specific question answered, you can email it to me at [email protected] . Hope you like the new addition. Enjoy! Diana   ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ FASHION BIZ The ABC's Of Marketing Your Designs Over the last few weeks, I've received several emails from aspiring designers anxious to start their fashion careers. Many are in their teens, while others are middle-aged, thinking about a new direction for their lives. That's great! While I certainly enjoy the enthusiasm, I'm distressed to see so many misconceptions about the field, many of which I address in How To Get Started In Fashion Design, http://www.fashionjobreview.com From all the questions populating my inbox, here are the biggest three issues I've seen: 1. Underestimating What You Need To Know "I have tons of drawings that my friends and family rave about. Where can I send them to see if they will sell?" H-o-o-o-ld on there! Illustrating your ideas is just the first step in designing clothes. What fabrics and trimmings will you use? Have you made the pattern? What are the construction details? Could a seamstress with basic skills reproduce the garment from your instructions? How much does it cost to produce each garment? If you don't know the answers to these questions, you're not ready to approach anyone with your drawings. 2. Being Too Trusting With Your Designs "Can I send you copies of my drawings? I'd like to know your opinion." While copying others' designs has been a part of the industry since its inception, don't make it easier for someone than it is. While you can't copyright the cut of a garment, original textile prints, patterns, and graphics designs (even when incorporated into a garment) CAN be copyrighted by registering the work with the U.S. Copyright Office of the Library of Congress (check with the appropriate agency in your country if you don't live in the United States). So don't be so free and easy with your designs. Use them in your portfolio or to show prospective clients, but supervise who and for how long someone sees your materials until they buy them. Don't release them to some unknown entity and just expect them to do right by you, because they probably won't. Protect your intellectual property and get fair market value for all of your work. 3. Not Being Professional "I wont 2 dezine but my paronts laff at me." Honey, they aren't the only ones laughing. Did you cut English class, or did you just turn off the spell checker because it kept highlighting every other word? If you want to be taken seriously in this field or any other, you need to show some professionalism--which in this case means communicating effectively. If I were a prospective buyer, client, or employer, and you sent me something with this many spelling and grammatical errors, I'd chuckle and promptly throw it in the trash. You don't have to be Hemmingway, but a basic understanding of the written word IS required. In this business in particular, first impressions DO count-even if it's only written correspondence. Remember that. All in all, the biggest issues I keep encountering come from people "jumping the gun" to get started. While there's certainly nothing wrong with being excited about your future in fashion, you need to slow down a little and properly prepare for what's to come. You aren't ready to perform surgery a week after you get to medical school, you don't get to Carnegie Hall after three piano lessons, and you don't make it into the big leagues of fashion without learning what it takes to design and manufacture clothes. Slow down a little and learn your craft. You'll substantially increase your chances for success. Want a jumpstart? Pick up a copy of How To Get Started In Fashion Design, http://www.fashionjobreview.com Good luck! Diana  ************** FASHION TRIVIA QUESTION: Who were the fashion police? ANSWER: While the term is used tongue-in-cheek today to describe someone who critiques the way others dress, there were actual law enforcers who once policed what people wore. In the late Middle Ages, sumptuary laws (laws restricting or regulating extravagance in dress on religious or moral grounds) were passed to attempt to limit access to certain fabrics and styles of clothes. While the nobility and high-ranking religious personnel were allowed to wear them, everyone else was not. When social climbers dared to wear clothing higher than their class, the fashion police were established to patrol the streets, and fine or imprison dress code violators.  ************** ANNA SUI Anna Sui always enjoyed designing clothes, starting first with her dolls and the neighbor's toy soldiers, and eventually moving to herself. Her parents were always supportive of her efforts, and after graduating from high school, they sent her to Parson's School of Design in New York. She attended Parson's for two years, where she met and befriended Steven Meisel, today one of fashion's top photographers. She worked as a stylist on several of Meisel's early shoots, including the Italian magazine LEI. Anna eventually left Steven and Parson's to design for several junior sportswear companies. In 1980, working on the side, she presented six original designs at the Boutique Show in New York. Macy's placed an order, and eventually used one of her designs in a prominent New York Times advertisement. Her employer was incensed by her moonlighting and gave her an ultimatum: either quit your sideline design business, or lose your job. Anna opted for her own business, and started Anna Sui designs out of her apartment shortly thereafter. She remained home-based throughout the 1980's. In 1991, she showed her first runway collection, and moved her business to the garment district later that same year. Her head-to-toe looks include the popular pirate looks of the early 1990's, the "grunge baby doll" dress, handkerchief dresses, and other eclectic looks. She won the prestigious CFDA Perry Ellis Award For New Fashion in 1993, and hasn't looked back since. Anna, who always dresses head-to-toe in black, continued to expand her offerings through the 1990's. Besides opening several boutiques in Asia, she's also added shoes, fragrance, and beauty items to her lines. Her wit and original looks have drawn thousands of devotees, including celebrities like Patricia Arquette, Christina Ricci, Cher, Naomi Campbell, Sofia Coppola, Courtney Love and James Iha of Smashing Pumpkins. You can visit her online at: http://www.annasui.com and http://www.annasuibeauty.com ************** Until Next Time, Diana Pemberton-Sikes http://www.FashionJobReview.com http://www.FashionForRealWomen.com http://www.WardrobeMagic.com ----------------------------------------------------------- DID YOU LIKE THIS ISSUE? Why not send it to a friend or colleague? Thanks! MAILING LIST POLICY: I never rent, trade, or sell my list to anyone. Your privacy is completely protected. TO SUBSCRIBE go to: http://www.FashionJobReview.com and fill out the form. It only takes a few seconds. Copyright © 2001 Diana Pemberton-Sikes Donegal Direct LLC • 1502 Loving Road • Gordonsville, VA 22942 [email protected]