Many accessory designers are self-employed and design for individual customers, or sell their wares to boutiques and large apparel stores. Among the items considered accessories are jewelry, handbags and cases, scarves, gloves, hats, ties, shoes, eyewear and sunglasses, belts, hair accessories and buttons. Although many of these items can be mass produced, there still exists a need for special, handmade things.
In the popular field of jewelry, for instance, you may be employed at a large firm that utilizes your innovative design talents through sketching and even building a ring, bracelet, or necklace. If you choose to focus on a particular ethnic or modern geometric style, you will find that your pieces can be sold as if they were miniature works of art.
If you have acquired expertise in fashioning leather for belts and purses, or making hats, there are endless opportunities for you to work from your home, at a specialty store, or for a major design company. Incidentally, many clothing designers cross over into the accessory realm.
Like a fashion designer, you can't expect to work regular hours, unless you work on-site at an accessory firm. Because accessory design is not as competitive as the clothing arena, you will not be participating in such a grueling fashion show schedule, accompanied by intense self-promotion. You will, however, still be engaged in major networking activity, primarily through industry trade shows, art fairs, and one-on-one meetings with store owners. On the job, you will be involved in tedious sketching, metalworking, and fabric styling, depending upon which specific area you choose.
Women's and Children's Accessories
Women accessorize more than men. So it is not surprising that women's accessory design is a popular field. A small niche market for children's accessories, such as belts and hair clips, exists, but it is usually a side career individuals choose to complement, say, their clothing designs for the youth set.
One of the reasons accessory designers are regarded as artists is because they create items that often last longer than one's clothing. A diamond ring, for example, could be a cherished heirloom that might be passed from generation to generation. While adapting your designs to current market demands, you are working with a wealth of high-quality materials that tend to outlast trends.
If you are going to succeed in the consumer marketplace, you must know what's hot in clothing styles so that you can create embellishments that will sell.
Both costume and precious jewelry design are among the most popular accessory design careers. Jewelers use gold, diamonds, silver, bronze, and other metals to make, repair, and adjust rings, necklaces, bracelets, earrings, and other jewelry. Along with chemicals and polishing compounds, they use a variety of tools and materials, such as drills, pliers, soldering torches, saws, and other implements to mold metal and set gemstones.
The precise nature of this work naturally demands finger and hand dexterity, good hand-eye coordination, patience, and concentration. Not only will you design a piece, but you will most likely make the piece as well.
Other areas, such as hat design (millinery), require special technical skills in hat blocking, pattern cutting, and trims. Tie-making involves extensive knowledge of fabrics (mainly silks), thread dyeing, and pattern-color matching. Shoemaking is a craft unto itself, in which up-and-coming designers do intense 10-hour training sessions with a master craftsperson. Here, familiarity with the foot's anatomy is crucial.
Many opportunities are available in both mainstream and alternative accessory design because many outlets exist for accessory distribution. Accessories can also be worn again and again, mixed and matched to one's heart's content.
Men's Accessories
Men's accessories are not as varied as women's, but they are in consistent demand. Take ties, for instance. They often represent a man's personality, and some professionals will customize orders from specialty designers. Belts are another popular area, in which skills in leather treatment and cutting are necessary. Leather working is also used for daily items such as wallets and briefcases.
Sunglasses and eyewear are other important categories, where large firms employ their own frame designers to keep up with this constantly busy market. Jewelry is as highly regarded among men as it is among women, only on a more streamlined scale (rings, chains, and bracelets). When men buy jewelry, it is meant to last a very long time.
The skills required are the same across the board, with attention to men's clothing fashions, in this case, and an understanding of the male physique and psyche to help you break into this specialized business.
Where to Begin
A sensible way to determine where you fit in the accessory spectrum is to take basic art courses in high school that will give you a good foundation for the field. Because very few educational institutions offer specific degrees in leather crafting or jewelry making, you will probably find yourself majoring in art, fine arts, metalworking, or even fashion design. Textiles are also used in this area, so familiarize your-self with fabrics at stores or at your local textile museum (many cities have them). These same places occasionally offer workshops in design, and arts and crafts.
Become an avid fashion watcher to get a feel for the popular clothes that would match your accessory designs. Hook up with a local boutique that has a market for unusual accessories-items that will help you hone your own individual style. At a specialty store, you can share your sketches with the owner and ask questions to show your keen interest in the field. By doing this, you will most likely come in contact with a master craftsperson who may invite you to become an apprentice.
At home, see how creative you can be by rummaging through odds and ends to use in an accessory-making project. You might make your own earrings or purse with raw materials at hand. Because many accessories are ethnically based, do library research on different cultures to learn about unusual materials and techniques for creating garment embellishments.
By using these strategies, you will narrow the field considerably and determine where you excel in the eclectic accessory arena.
Educational and Apprenticeship Requirements for Accessory Designers
As in clothing design, no formal education is required, but it is highly recommended. According to the National Association of Schools of Art and Design, there are close to 200 post-secondary institutions with programs in art and design. Most of these schools award a degree in art as opposed to a specific accessory field. Courses, however, are available in specific disciplines, such as hat design or leather working.
Some people are naturally talented and hone their craft through one-on-one lessons with a mentor. They can advance through the ranks by consistently producing unique, high-quality items that attract the discerning eyes of store owners and individual clients. Most accessory specialists will agree that repetitious practice of their craft is the best way to learn.
Now we will look at one particular field that receives a lot of attention in the accessory arena. Jewelers, who hold about 30,000 jobs in the United States, learn their skills in technical schools, through correspondence courses, or informally on the job. Some begin working as clerks in department stores and transfer to jobs in jewelry shops or manufacturing firms after gaining experience. Formal training in the basic skills of the trade enhances employment and advancement opportunities. Many employers prefer well-rounded jewelers with design, repair, and sales skills.
To enter most technical school or college programs, a high school diploma or its equivalent is required. Courses in art, math, mechanical drawing, and chemistry are useful. Because computer-aided design is increasingly used in the jewelry field, computer studies are highly recommended.
In jewelry manufacturing plants, workers have traditionally developed their skills through on-the-job training programs, which may last three to four years. Training usually focuses on casting, stone setting, model-making, or engraving.
Another steady occupation is that of shoe and leather workers, who hold about 22,000 jobs nationwide. Self-employed individuals, who own and operate small shoe shops, or specialty leather manufacturing firms, hold about 4,000 of these jobs. Of the remaining workers, over half are employed in the manufacture of footwear products, and an additional one-fifth is employed in the production of leather goods, such as luggage, handbags, and apparel.
Once again, most precision shoe and leather workers learn their craft on the job, either through in-house training programs or working as helpers to experienced employees. Helpers begin by performing simple tasks and then progress to more difficult projects, such as cutting or stitching leather. Trainees can become fully skilled in six months to two years.
A limited number of schools offer vocational training in shoe repair and leather work. These programs, which may last from six months to one year, focus on leather cutting, stitching, and dyeing. Students learn shoe construction, practice shoe repair, and study the fundamentals of running a small business.
Besides being attuned to the individual style needs of women, children, and men, accessory students overall are not required to narrow their work to a specific gender or age group. Once they have attained their basic, specialized skills, they can concentrate on designing for any group or market niche.
Where Are the Jobs?
One of the best sources for job opportunities in accessory design is your local apparel center or others throughout the country. Design schools can also point you in the right direction, recommending manufacturing firms and specialty stores. Most of your job hunting will, however, depend on your exceptional skills and ability to market your products. Starting out in a small jewelry store, for example, would provide much-needed experience before branching out to the larger arena.
By applying to specialty stores or accessory departments of large shopping centers, you will gain a firm footing in the business. From this point, the possibilities are endless, because you now have access to industry professionals who may like your work and recommend other employment opportunities.
Self-Marketing Opportunities
Despite the number of options available in this burgeoning field, you should not let your guard down and think that finding a job is easy. In fact, if you choose to be your own boss, you will have to work doubly hard at promoting yourself-perhaps not as intensely as a fashion designer would, but with drive and determination nonetheless.
Touting your products to boutiques and larger department stores is a challenge that involves stamina, innovativeness, and a firm grip on handling rejection and/or criticism. If you have been in business for a while, you still must produce a consistently original, high-quality accessory, whether it's a tie, hat, handbag, or piece of jewelry.
Attending industry trade shows and art fairs will put you in touch with accessory professionals on all levels. If you can afford a booth or stand at these events, your chances of being noticed will be even greater. By seeing other designers' work exhibited in one large area, you will get a quick overview of what some of the top-selling items are.
In addition, you should speak with fashion show organizers who may be interested in pairing and featuring your accessories with clothes. They probably won't pay you initially, but your product will get some terrific free advertising. Such fashion show contacts can lead to other more rewarding employment opportunities in this variety-filled design profession.
Salary and Success Outlook for Accessory Designers
The personal satisfaction a talented accessory designer receives from creating precious articles often outweighs the limited financial rewards for novices. The potential to earn upward in the millions for unique, sought-after creations is also an incentive to pursue this eclectic career field. About one-third of the approximately 300,000 accessory designers in the United States are self-employed, so salaries fluctuate greatly. On a general scale, based on recent government-compiled figures, average weekly earnings of experienced full-time designers are nearly $600. The field is projected to grow into the 21st century.
Once again zeroing in on jewelry designers, median salaries for jewelers in retail stores is about $30,000 annually. For those in manufacturing, earnings of experienced, unionized jewelry workers average $ 10 per hour. Beginners generally start at considerably less than experienced workers. As they become more proficient, they receive periodic raises. Most jewelers receive a variety of fringe benefits, including reimbursement from their employers for work-related courses and discounts on jewelry purchases.
Employment of jewelers is expected to increase about as fast as the average for all occupations through the year 2005.
Job opportunities for jewelers depend largely on jewelry sales, which are affected by the amount of disposable income people have. But jewelry sales are expected to remain strong, and are currently being fueled by increases in the number of affluent individuals, working women, and double-income families, as well as the growing number of fashion-conscious men.
Earnings for shoe and leather workers vary greatly depending upon place of employment. To date, the job outlook for this occupation is expected to decline through the year 2005. Inexpensive imports have made the cost of replacing shoes and leather goods cheaper or more convenient than repairing them.
Prospects for workers employed in the manufacture and modification of custom-made molded or orthopedic shoes are better than those for most other leather workers. This is a result of substantial expected growth in the elderly population and an increasing emphasis on preventive foot care.
Nevertheless, accessory designers in all areas have ample opportunity for self-employment. For example, about four out of ten jewelers are self-employed. Many operate their own store or repair shop, and some specialize in designing custom jewelry.
