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TheArtofFashionDesign

SamanthaGoad

EnglishIIIStandardPd.2/6
Mr.Piatak
February26,2015

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Whenoneconsidershistorythey,alsoconsiderfashionofthattimeperiodfashion
influencesallerasofhistoryfromtheRomanswearingtogastotheEgyptianswearinggold.
Fashionalteredmanythingsthroughouttimeand,developedintoamajoradditiontooursociety.
Manypeopleneverseehowmuchfashiondesignershaveinfluencetheeverchangingworld.
Theimportanceofafashiondesignercanexplaintheindustry,theexperiencesthatoneneedsto
getinvolved,andhowfashiondesignevolvedintothecareeroftoday.Fashiondesignersinspire
peoplewiththeirtalentsandcreativitymakingthejobveryrewarding.Inspirationfordesigns
cancomefromanywherejusttakealookintothecareerofafashiondesigner.
Thefashionindustrycanchangepeople'sperspectiveonlotsofthings,thesechanges
expandedthroughouthistory.Inthe1850s,EnglishmanCharlesFrederickWorthturnedFrench
dressmakingintotheartoftoday(Blaszczyk30).Placesaroundtheworldholdresponsibilityfor
manychangesinthefashionindustry.Theseplacesclaimedtitlesasfashioncapitals,but
growingintoafashioncapitaldidnotalwayscomeeasy.Britaingrewintothischangerather
slowlytheirfashiontalentscamewithtimeandpatience(Turner6364).Fashionandgeneration
changesappearwithoneanother,allowingdifferenttrendseverydecade.Throughouthistory,
primarilywomenfilledthecareersoffashiondesignbutinrecentyears,moremenhavestarted
tofillthesejobs(Mulac7475).Theindustrieschangesalsoincludeviewsonbeauty,asinrecent
years,thefashionindustriesstartedtoviewbeautyinadifferentperspective.Celebritystarslike
TyraBanksandhershowAmericasNextTopModel,showsfashioninmanydifferentforms.
Thefashionworldfearsnojudgmentandaddressesissuesthatmanyfearsuchasrace,religion,
andbodyimageissues.Fashionshowspeoplethatbeautycancomeinalldifferentforms.With

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thechangingperspective,morepeoplefelttheycouldbecomemoreinvolvedinfashion
(R.White6263).Theindustryoffashionwillcontinuetomakechangesthataffectsociety.
Thedesignerscontrolthefashionworldwithoutthemtheindustrywouldceasetoexist.
Withsomanydesignershowcouldonebecomemoreimportantthanthenext?Onecanonly
differentiatethemselvesthroughgroundbreakingdesigns.CalvinKleinaverywellknow
designerheholdscreditformakingbluejeanspopular.Backintheday,onlyfarmerswould
wearbluejeansforworking,untilKleinturnedthissimpledesignintoaveryessentialpartofa
personswardrobe(Whatisthe100).Throughouttimedesignersinventeddifferentwaysto
increasetheconfidenceofindividuals.Standingtallshowsapersonsconfidence,sodohigh
heels.Forcenturieshighheelsgavebothmenandwomenthatextraconfidenceboost(Whatis
the100).DesignersalsohelpinfluenceveryimportantmattersBonnieCashinadesigner
bestknownasthefirstdesignerforCoachHandbags,alsodesignedtheuniformsforsoldiers
duringWorldWarII(FashionDesigner22).OscardelaRentaknownforchangingthe
spectrumofcolors,butcolorforecastersknewaboutthesecolorsforalongtime.Designing
takesalotofdifferentfieldsandopinionstocreatemasterpieces(Blaszczyk30).Every
designersgoalconsistsofdifferentperspectivesonthings,buttheirachievementscanchange
othersperspectives.
Fashionconsistsofmorethandesigningitcanevolveintoculture.Inchangingtimes
fashionimpactsmanycareersespeciallythemovieandmodelingindustries.Designerscreate
costumesforbothplaysandmoviesBonnieCashincreatedover60filmcostumesinhercareer
(FashionDesigner22).Inthemodelingindustryadesignerdirectsthefashionshowmaking
surethattheircollectionachievesperfection,headtotoe.Designersincorporatealltalentsatthis

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timehairstyling,makeupdesign,andabilitytoperfectanoutfitwithaccessories(Brown1516).
Theneedforfashionincreaseseveryyearduetocompaniessponsoringfashionshows,and
celebritieswantingdesignerclothing(Brown1516).Thetransformingfashionindustrycaused
thedemandtoincreasemakingitpartofourculture.Changesintheneedofthefashionalso
evolvedintotheneedfordesigners.Morepeoplewanttobecomeinvolvedinthecareer
thereforedecreasingthenumberofopportunitiesavailable(Bureauoflabor).Thehighdesire
forjobsbecomesthereasonforcompetitioninindustries.
Thehighestpriorityforsomeonewhowishestoreceiveajobinfashiondesignshould
surroundeducation.Becomingeducatedontextbookareasoffashiondesignbetterprepare
individualsfortheircareers.Thisalsogivesdesignerstimetocreateandpracticetheirfuture
designsprocesses(Bureauoflabor).Practicingwhileeducatinghelpsindividualsgointotheir
workingenvironments,alreadyknowinghowtoproperlydesigncollections.Aselfemployed
designercancreateupto100designsamonth(Devon).Moststudentsreceiveabachelors
degreeatacollegeoruniversity.Thedegreechoicescanvaryineitherfashiondesignorfashion
merchandisedependingontheeducationpathonechooses(Bureauoflabor).Theschoolone
receivestheireducationfromgreatlyaffectstheircareeroutlook.Thethreetopfashionschools
inAmericaare1.FashionInstituteofTechnology,NewYork,NewYork,2.ParsonNewSchool
ofDesign,NewYork,NewYork,3.SavannahCollegeofArtandDesign,Savannah,Georgia
(FSStaff).Thefirststepofafashioncareerconsistsofeducationandlearningaboutthatcareer
comesalongwithit.
Manystudentswillalsocompleteaninternshipbeforeenteringintotheircareer.This
givesstudentshandsonlearningexperiencewiththejob,sothattheycanbetterprepare

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themselvesfortheworkforce(Mosser18).Internshipscanalsohelpaspiringdesignersget
adviceandideasfrommoreexperienceddesigners(Bureauoflabor).Intheextremely
competitivedesignindustrythesethingscandeterminewhetheronereceivesajobornot.Some
mayalsochoosetoreceivefurthereducationbusinessmanagementcanhelpthosewishingto
selfemploy.Iwouldhavetakenacourseinbusinessmanagement.IfeellikeifIhadsome
schoolingontheinsandoutsofmanagingyourownbusinessIwouldbeastepahead.
(Devon).Fashiondesignbecomesartjustadifferentformofartthanpaintingorsculpting.
Fashiondesignersmustcompleteartclassesalongwithfashionclasses.Intheartclassesthe
designerslearnbasicstobetterpreparethemforsketching(Bureauoflabor).Iconsider
myselfmoreasanartistthenadesigner.Ireallycreatefrommyheart.Idonotfollowtrendsor
readfashionmagazines.Nottosaythatyoushouldntbutformeitiswiserjusttocreate.
(Devon).Throughoutschooldesignersstarttoformsomethingcalledaportfolio.Thisincludes
allofthedesignsandtalentsoftheartist.Allfashiondesignersmustcompleteaportfolioto
receiveajob.Thisgivesthecompaniesachancetoseeifthedesignershouldfillthejob
(Bureauoflabor).Theportfoliobenefitsthedesigners,butonlywhencompletedproperly.
Onecanstarttheirportfolioatanypointitshouldincludecompletedsketchesanddesigns.
Whenchoosingacareerpathonemustconsiderfittingintothecareer.Personalities
greatlydetermineifoneshouldpursueacareer.Fashiondesignersmustdrivethemselvesto
demonstrateagoodworkethic,selfsufficiency,friendliness,andbusinessorientedmindset
(Levin50).Someonewhofailstocollectthesequalitiesshouldrethinkpursuingfashiondesign.
Fashiondesignersmustcaptureselfsufficientqualities,inordertocreatedesigns(Bureauof
labor).Fashiondesignerscreativityandimaginationgreatlyhelpwiththecareer,butsodo

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othersubjects.Indesigningonemustuseothersubjectstohelpcreatedesigns.Fabricscost
designersalotofmoney,duetothepriceycostofthem.Tohelpensuredesignersusetheproper
amountoffabricandnotwasteittheymustusecalculatetheamountneeded(Palis67).This
showsthatothersubjectslikemathcanaffectthedesignersdecisionmakingduringthejob.
Alongwiththemoderndaysociety,fashiondesignersalsomustacquireolderskillssuchas
sewinganddyeingfabrics.Colorsinfashionprovidedesignswithanappealdesignersmust
understandsimpleartrulesusethisappeal(Blaszczyk30).Artskillscanhelpprovidedesigners
withanextraadvantagegivingamixedvarietyintalents.
Whenreceivingadegreeineitherfashiondesignorfashionmerchandisingonecanthen
picktheareaofworktheywishtopursueacareerin.Thesecareerchoicescanrangefromfoot
weardesigntoaccessorydesign.Thedecisionmakingdependsupontheproductthatoneexcels
in.Thosewhodonotexcelwithfabricsmaychoosetogointoacareerlikeaccessorydesigning
(Bureauoflabor).Somepeopleevenmakethedecisiontogointoamorebusinessoriented
career,suchascolorforecasting.Fashionforecastersviewmoreofthetechnicalsidesofthe
career.Thecareeraroseinthelate1800sforecasterswouldshowdesignersandcompanies
popularcolors.Forecastersacquiredtheabilitytoaltertheperspectiveofthepublic'sviewson
colorsinfashion(Blaszczyk30).Fashiondesignersusuallytravelafewtimesayearfortrading,
fashionshows,andtoseeproducingfactories.Designersinspecificjobsmaytraveloverseasto
producersoftheirproducts.Travelingoverseasusuallyrelatestolargerfashioncompany
smallerselfemployeddesignersusuallyproduceallproductssold(Bureauoflabor).When
consideringfashiondesignasacareeroneshouldalsoconsiderwheretolive.Mostfashion
designjobscongregatearoundlargecities.NewYorkCityandCaliforniaembracethefashion

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world,andaretwoofthetopfashioncitiesinAmerica.Thesecitiesemploymorefashion
designersthananyothercitiesinAmerica.Mostfashionjobswantemployeestoliveinoneof
thetwocities.NewYorkandCaliforniaallowonetotravelalmostanywhereintheworldmost
largefashioncompaniesconductbusinessesinothercounties.Allowingemployeestolivenear
fashioncanbenefitthecompanies(Bureauoflabor).Fashiondesigningconsistofafast
movinglifestyleNewYorkandCaliforniasupportthiswayoflife.
Fashiondesignerssalariesdependupontheamountofeducation,andexperiencethe
designersacquiredthroughouttime.Thewagethecompanychoosestopay,alsodeterminesa
designer'scareerchoice.Thelowestpaiddesignersearnedunder$34,110,andhighestpaid
designersearnedover$126,290(Bureauoflabor).Thehigherpaidusuallyconsistofthe
moreexperienceddesigners.Thisalsodependsonthetalentanddesireforthedesigner.Some
independentdesignersmaketheirprofitdependingofthesalesacquired.Thismeansthatpeople
mustcreatedemandfortheirdesigns.Designershiredbyacompanyseekexperienceandjob
opportunitiesforhigherpay.Workingone'swayintoacompanytakesmanyyearsmany
designerswillstartoutwithalowwage.Afterthatmanyfashiondesignerswouldprobablyfall
underthemediumsalaryof$48,530(Bureauoflabor).Thefashionindustryalongwithother
companiesacquirescompetitionandhardworkforahigherpay.
Careersinthefashionindustryincreaseddramaticallyinrecentyearsduetofashion
beingmoreprominentonsocialmedia,andpopculture.Manypeoplewishtoengage
themselvesintheindustry.In2012,22,300peoplethatclaimedjobsinthefashionindustry
(Bureauoflabor).Withsomanywantingjobsinthefashionindustry,andnotalotofjobs
availableacquiringajobbecomeextremelydifficult.Inthefashionindustrymanypeoplefind

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jobsindifferentareastheseareasinclude:Apparel,piecegoods,andnotionsmerchant
wholesalers,Apparelmanufacturing,Managementofcompaniesandenterprises,Specialized
designservices,andWholesaleelectronicmarketsandagents(Bureauoflabor).Theseareas
ofworkconsistofcareersthatthoseinthefashionindustryacquiredandheldthemost
significantareasin2012.Alongwiththefollowingeveryareaholdsadifferentjobandpurpose
intheindustry.Althoughonescareerareamaynotbethemostpopularlyworkedinthe
importanceofitdoesnotdecrease.
Whenadesignerdetermineswhethertoworkforapersonalbusinessorlargecompany
somethingstoconsiderwouldincludetheamountofexperienceandabilityoneobtainedin
theirstudiesandcareers.Somedesignersdonotpossesstheresourcesneededtostartapersonal
business.Owningabusinessrequiresalotofworkandmoneyonereasonthatmanypeople
decidetoworkinacompany.Designerwhochoosingtostarttheirownbusinessshouldfirst
gainexperienceincreatinganddesigning.Somedesignersmayenterintohighfashionifone
obtainsenoughexperienceandskillsfordesigning(Bureauoflabor).Althoughmost
designersdonotchoosetoworkinselfemployedfashionitcanbecomeagreatoptionforsome.
Selfemployeddesignersworkonamorepersonalandindependentlevel,thanthoseinlarger
companies.In2012,25percentoffashiondesignerschoosetoworkinselfemployedareas
(Bureauoflabor).Thisshowsthatmanydesignerschoosenottoworkselfemployed.
Inthefashionindustrydifferenttimesoftheyearcancausedesignerstoworklonger
hours.Suchasduringfashionweekmostdesignersworklonghourstogetreadytoeither
presentortogowatch.Designersthatselltothepublicmustdeterminewhatpeoplewishto
wearthatseason.Thiscancauselongworkhoursoverlongperiodsoftimeuptotwoweeksof

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longwork(Mosser18).Althoughmostselfemployeddesignerdonotholdsetworkhourssome
maychooseto.Mostdesignersthatworkforcompaniesacquiresethoursthesehoursusually
rangefrom9amto5pm(Levin50).Thesehourscanincreaseduringseasonalchanges.Self
employedfashiondesigners,sometimesworkaroundtheirhomelivessometimesworking
longerhours,thansomeoneinanoffice.Creatingdesignsathomecanbecomeachallengeat
times(Devon).Consideringhowlongittakesfordesignerstocreatedesigns,alsocandetermine
howlongtheworktakes.
Eachfashiondesignersabstainsthereownpersonalcreationprocess.Thisprocess
dependsonthedesignerspersonalpreference.Manydesignprocesswillstartwithan
inspiration.Inspirationcanstartthethoughtprocessforthedesignsomedesignersmaythinkof
aloveonewhentheycreate,orastyleofart.Thensketchingusuallywillsoonfollowthis
allowsdesignerstogetalltheirideasoutonpaper.Materialwillsoonfollowdesignerslookfor
materialsandfabricsthattheywishtocreatetheirdesignsoutof.Designersthencut,making,
andsewthematerials.Afterthedesignersfinishtheirproducttheymustlabelandpreparefor
selling(Devon).Althoughthedesigningprocessescanvarygreatlythefinishproductconsist
andreflectthedesignersvision.
Achievingajobinfashionconsistofgreatwork,drivenbycreativityanddetermination.
Thejobprovidesarewardingoutlookthatkeepschangesinfashionmovingthroughouttime.
TheimportanceofafashiondesignercanexplaintheIndustry,theexperiencesthatoneneedsto
getthere,andhowfashiondesignersevolvedintothecareeroftoday.Althoughthecareerof
fashiondesigningwillcontinuetochangetheloveforfashionwillnot.Artformsfashion,
thereforeonecanfindfashioneverywherejustlookaround.

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