The fashion industry is vast and complex and incorporates many parts of smaller, related industries. It deals not only with the making of clothing and accessories, but also with the fabrics, leather goods, furs, plastics, or other new synthetic materials used to make these finished products. As a result, within the fashion industry you'll find firms that develop and manufacture the fibers and yarns as well as the buttons and zippers that eventually become part of the clothing we wear or the accessories we buy. Of course the stores that sell apparel and accessories make up an essential part of the fashion world too, as do the mail-order houses from which a large portion of our country shops. The publications we read to learn the latest fashion news-newspapers, magazines, and trade journals-form yet another industry affiliated with the world of fashion. Considering all these various areas of the fashion business, it's not difficult to imagine the great wealth of career opportunities available to you.
The fashion industry deals with the design, production, marketing, and distribution of clothing and accessories for children, men, and women, and for areas of the home. This multibillion-dollar industry offers a dazzling array of products in every price range. It employs hundreds of thousands of workers and needs the talents of creative, fashion-minded men and women who have the necessary training. Entry positions and career opportunities are varied. There is room in the industry for workers with many levels of skills, interests, and educational training. Job requirements are varied enough to offer employment for the most gifted workers as well as for those who are happiest at more routine tasks. It is possible to enter some phases of the apparel industry with high school preparation and without further specialized training. However, more creative and challenging positions and those that may offer the potential for career advancement are all highly competitive. These positions tend to require a minimum of two years of specialized training at the college level, and in some areas four-year degrees are important. As in many other industries, the prospects of advancement in fashion depend upon the level of one's general and specialized education in addition to skills and personality.
Regardless of where you live, the apparel industry is important. It exists in just about every part of the country. Apparel production plants are located in every state, and of course clothing and accessories retailers are found in each major city, in every suburb, and in the smallest towns.
The apparel industry is one of the leading industries in the city and state of New York, and it is one of the most important industries in our country. Its influence is felt around the world, even on Wall Street. Some large clothing manufacturing firms have "gone public" and are listed on the stock market. Some firms are large enough to manufacture different items under several different labels. Companies whose design and sales headquarters are in New York City may oversee production of their goods as far away as Hong Kong or South America. However, the bulk of the industry is not made up of giant corporations. Rather, it is comprised of many thousands of smaller-sized firms, often family owned, that try their hand at surviving in the competitive and fast-moving garment business. It has been noted that in a typical year over a thousand of New York City's eight thousand garments manufacturing firms go out of business. They are quickly replaced with another group of ambitious men and women eager to try their luck.
Today's owners of apparel manufacturing firms are more aware of fashion than ever before. They also are more aware that they need to be knowledgeable businesspeople, because fashion is a business of high risks. But it also is a business that provides excitement and employment for over one million workers. Apparel design is creative, competitive, challenging, and oftentimes glamorous. How did it all begin?
A BRIEF HISTORY
A few hundred years ago, men as well as women in the English court were bedecked in elegant and elaborate dress. Skilled dressmakers were highly regarded and kept very busy. Wealthy customers were used to paying dearly for extravagant and fanciful clothing. Then, with the Industrial Revolution, the invention of amazing textile machines, and most importantly, the power loom, the apparel manufacturing business was born!
In America, the colonists were too busy with the more pressing business of taming a continent to be interested in such extravagance. Nonetheless, they did need to be clothed, and thus the most modest homes usually had a "clothing factory"-a loom or a spinning wheel. The whole family was likely to get involved in making garments for each member. And so in this humble fashion, the real beginnings of our garment industry were established.
After the invention of the cotton gin in 1793, small mills began weaving yards of fabric that were sold to housewives. Seamstresses were kept busy copying the latest European fashions for their wealthy American customers. A short time later, in the early 1800s, clothing itself was manufactured.
For pioneering Americans, clothing was needed above all for workers. It was all hand-sewn by local women. It was generally poorly made and not very fashionable. In fact, this early apparel would seem primitive compared with today's sophisticated styles.
At this time, most American women were sewing their own clothing. If they were lucky enough to afford it, they hired a seamstress to make garments from fabrics bought in a dry goods store. By 1863, Mr. Butterick offered the first paper patterns for sale and launched the home sewing industry. Then the sewing machine was invented. Think of what a wonderful development this must have been for our ancestors! A fast-growing middle class was eager to buy ready-made dresses, and the garment industry was on its way to becoming a full-fledged business.
At the beginning of this century, the finer clothing Americans wore was still styled from original designs created in Paris. But our own apparel industry was growing. Factories were getting larger in size, and immigrant labor was hired to work in the plants of New York and New England. Eventually, New York City's Lower East Side became the hub of apparel manufacturing activity.
It did not take long for New York's styles to become the standard for the rest of the country. Buyers from large out-of-town clothing stores came to New York City to see the newest designs and to place their orders for the latest fashions for each season. People began reading about fashion. Fashion magazines were becoming part of the American scene, advising men and women on current styles in clothing. Newspapers carried fashion advertising. But the best publicity came from members of high society. Fashionable dances and balls were showcases in which designers could display their most elegant creations. And anyone interested in the fashion world knew what gown was worn by which society leader. More women began to read the fashion magazines that started to promote clothing of American design. In addition to original garments created by American designers, knockoffs, or copies of someone else's original designs, started to be produced on a large scale. In fact, many large fashion-minded stores began to advertise "line-for-line" copies of both Parisian and American designs. This is still a part of today's garment industry.
By this time, there were several good-sized apparel manufacturing firms in the country, and they employed thousands of workers. As the American garment industry grew larger, some designers traveled to Paris to view and copy the latest fashions. With a great supply of newly arrived immigrants looking for work, apparel manufacturers had an inexpensive labor source to help them produce clothing for the American public. Large quantities of clothing were produced by manufacturers at prices lower than the cost of custom-made garments. It was also fairly common for people to buy clothing from a catalog. The manufacture of ready-made clothes greatly helped the mail-order houses that began to develop.
Dressmakers continued to go into the homes of the wealthy to measure the entire family for the new clothing they had been commissioned to make. Soon many dressmakers were able to open their own small shops. Customers could go directly to the shops to see a variety of the latest styles and be fitted for the clothing. However, large numbers of American women continued to sew clothing for themselves and their families.
When, as a result of World War II, Paris was no longer available as a source of inspiration, American designers had to rely more on their own creativity. A particular style of fashion developed that was truly American in its look, with special emphasis on sportswear. Our designers are still noted for that splendid contribution to the world of fashion. In fact, sportswear and casual wear have been the fastest growing part of the women's segment of today's garment industry. Although European designers still hold great influence on the apparel industry, American designers have gained international reputations for their achievements.
Today, New York City thrives as a very important apparel center. Other major apparel centers are in Los Angeles, Dallas, Chicago, and Atlanta. Smaller centers have developed in other areas of the country as well. The apparel industry remains the employer of more than 200,000 workers in New York City and New York state. In New York City, most apparel manufacturers occupy showrooms along Broadway and Seventh Avenue between 34th and 41st streets. In other cities there are large apparel marts where most manufacturers are concentrated.
Many people have shared in the growth of our nation's apparel industry: the engineers who developed machines and systems to mass produce huge quantities of garments, the technicians who researched the fibers and fabrics we all enjoy wearing, the investors who supplied the money and the facilities, the thousands of workers who cut and sewed and pressed and shipped the millions of garments sold, and all the imaginative promoters of fashion, including the fashion writers, photographers, models, artists, illustrators, and display workers who make fashion available to us. These and scores of other men and women have made the apparel industry what it is today.
You too may want to become a part of this fascinating and fast-moving world of apparel. Your choice of a career in the apparel industry should be based on your performance as a worker and your ability to work well with other people. The apparel industry seeks men and women with specialized skills to meet its growing needs. Most manufacturers work closely with well-known and accredited fashion schools and hire their graduates. Be prepared for a good deal of excitement and challenge, along with the many pressures of fast-paced activity. The apparel industry is a very hard-working one. Stamina and the ability to work quickly, often under pressure, are necessary. Good grooming and a personal fashion sense are equally important. Few jobs offer a typical nine-to-five workday, particularly when production schedules or other deadlines must be met. Overtime and irregular hours are typical in many areas of this industry.
Those employed in the apparel industry tend to change jobs frequently. This reflects the changeability and seasonal nature of much of the industry. But with less occupational security than that offered by many other businesses, what accounts for the thousands of people who seek employment in this field? Many workers will say it is the excitement and thrill of being part of a dynamic and fast-moving world. With new and interesting ideas and good skills, hard-working employees can move ahead and gain recognition.
Imagine the delight of seeing someone wear a garment you had a hand in designing! Think of the satisfaction in knowing you were part of a team of employees that launched a new look or trend that really caught on! Enthusiasm and stamina seem to be the keys here. Most employees are aware of the pitfalls and risks of this seasonal and ever-changing business. And yet, for some people, those are the very reasons that they are willing to take up the challenge and enter the competition with the drive and the determination to succeed. The lives of top-notch fashion designers are filled with hard work, glamour, and excitement. But there are really few such highly successful men and women in the field. Most employees are satisfied with the fun and excitement of being part of a lively industry that may provide recognition of their talents, a chance to express some of their creative thinking, and an opportunity to be part of the fashion scene.
IT ALL BEGAN A YEAR AGO
Let's imagine that you've just purchased a new winter coat. It's just what you hoped you would see on the rack when you went shopping. The style of the garment and its particular shade of red seem most fashionable and appealing to you. But how did the manufacturer of that garment know you would be ready to buy a bright red coat for this coming winter season?
It probably all began a year or so before the coat was even shipped to your local clothing store. A fabric stylist, whose job it is to take charge of the fabric company's colors and patterns for each season began to research the latest textile trends. Based on years of experience and excellent fashion sense, the stylist selected a group of colors that would be presented to the firm's customers-the coat manufacturers. Of course, a swatch of bright red fabric was among the stylist's choices. Several seasons had passed since red was last fashionable, so, it seemed likely that the public might be interested in buying this color again. When fashion designers start to think about the fabrics they may want to use in their new lines, they are shown the newest color choices-in this case, red.
The designer and textile stylist may discuss other possible color choices, or the designer may select and order a variety of shades of red fabric along with other colors. With an idea of the available fabrics in mind, the designer starts to create a group of forty to seventy-five sketches for the future season. Many of these design sketches are inspired by the exciting and colorful fabrics presented to the designer. A good many of the sketches will be discarded because they are too expensive to produce. Others will not be used because the owner of the firm just doesn't think they will sell. After much discussion and decision making and with the help of a skilled group of workers-assistant designers, patternmakers, sample hands, and other members of the design room team-a line, or collection, of coats is agreed on. This is the result of months of consulting, fitting, and revising.
Next, a skilled sample hand carefully sews a sample coat for each design sketch that is to be part of the line. These samples are shown to merchants who may want to buy the coats for their department stores, small shops, or mail-order customers. In addition to being good looking and stylish, the coats must be well constructed and sturdy. They also must be kept within the price range that the designer originally had in mind so that the finished product is affordable to its intended market.
During this time, the stylist at the fabric company has promoted the new group of red fabrics to many other designers in the industry. These designers also will use red for their garments as part of their winter collections.
Next, fashion reporters and fashion editors are invited to the showings of each designer's new line. They may be favorably impressed and decide to feature the new red look in their newspapers or magazines. Illustrators may sketch some of the new coat styles at the collection openings. Fashion photographers may be invited to take pictures. But buyers and merchandisers are the most important guests at each showing. If they feel the coats on display are what their customers want, they will place their orders before they leave the showroom. As orders are taken, the coats are scheduled for production so that stores will have deliveries in two or three months. Very precise instructions are rushed to the coat manufacturing plant, which is usually many miles from the design room and the showroom. Coats are cut, sewn, finished, inspected, and packed for delivery to the stores that ordered them all across the country.
Fashion writers, by this time, have already started informing the public that the newest and most exciting clothes for the coming winter season will be designed in bold shades of red. And in anticipation of the new season, cosmetic and accessory companies have begun to produce a line of items that will complement the new look.
Department stores and other large retail operations have meetings with salespeople and those involved in the merchandising and advertising areas of the business. They inform their staffs of the new look and arrange for newspaper and magazine ads. The red coat may even be selected to be part of a window display promoting the bold red look for winter.
You, as the fashion-minded customer, have already been alerted to this latest trend, and you want to be a part of it. When you walk into your local store and spot that coat, it seems just right. But it took a year's labor and the talents and skills of many workers for you to have your coat. Can you imagine yourself becoming part of this picture? If so, where do you fit? Where will your talents, abilities, and personal strengths be put to use?
