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PREFACE
FOR STUDENTS AND OTHERS INTERESTED IN FASHION
by Maurice J. Johnson HERE'S WHAT THIS BOOK IS NOT It is not a fashion history book, from Louis XIV to Madonna. It is not "How to Design a Pleated and Matched Plaid Skirt." It is not an examination of the rise and fall of the U.S. department store. It is not a technician's guide to patternmaking, grading, and cutting.
There are several really excellent textbooks that cover the above in great detail. We will give you just enough information on these subjects to interest, not confuse, you. HERE'S WHAT THIS BOOK IS An attempt to give you the real flavor of the garment making industry. Hopefully a "reality check" about what a job feels like, especially in wholesale, manufacturing, designing, and private label product development. More jobs of the future, including buying, will require a working knowledge of the technicalities of apparel product development. A general but practical "how to" when it comes to developing and producing a line of clothing.
Unit 1 explores the fashion industry today. Potential job seekers must have creativity and talent, and they must also be able to recognize and respond to the wants and needs of customers. How does the industry identify and address different customers?
Unit 2 examines the development of garments by following the process of private label product development, step by step. Our attempt is not just to show you the steps but to show how to do these steps, from the first concept through the retail marketplace. We have beefed up the section on research so that students can easily pursue areas of specific interest. We also let you in on a few of the dark little secrets that exist in the wholesale-retail relationship.
Unit 3 focuses on the scale and fixture of manufacturing. It is one thing to make one blouse for one season. It is another to do it on the mass scale that is required today. Incredible new developments in computerized designing, patternmaking, and production have already changed the industry radically. What's coming next? What's all this talk about offshore sourcing, and where will goods be manufactured in the 21st century? Will there still be an industry in the United States?
Unit 4 includes some inside tips for your fixture career. From decades of experience in the industry, we're going to predict where some new opportunities might lie—for your new career or maybe even for your own new business. So that you will also sound like a pro, we have given you a brief glossary of terms that you're going to want to keep. Fashion jobs don't come with interpreters. Finally, we asked some veterans to share their sage advice with you.
This book will give you the big picture with sufficient detail to be able to
Decide if this field is right for you, with an up-close look at apparel product development Put subsequent specialized fashion and garment construction courses into perspective Serve as a commonsense (rather than glamorized) foundation for a fashion career Help students with the transition from the world of school (known) to the world of business (unknown).
Best of all, this book has not been written by just two people. You'll hear many different voices. We have been honored by support and input from all corners of the industry. Each chapter includes messages from members of the country's largest stores, leading manufacturers, and design teams. These are firms you'll recognize, such as Liz Claiborne, Donna Karan, Tommy Hilfiger, Polo, Pamela Dennis, Saks, and Marshall Field's.
Above all, this book should help all readers (students, industry members, and those simply curious) sense where the intense, creative, and often funny garment business is going in the 21st century, rather than where it has been.
Personal note. My career has taken an interesting turn since the first edition of this textbook, So You Want to Work in the Fashion Business? I now teach full-time at New York's Fashion Institute of Technology (FIT), a division of the State University of New York. And I'm loving it! Students come to class with such energy and enthusiasm about the future. Their perspective, fashion and otherwise, is eye-opening. Luckily I have been able to teach a range of courses already, and one trend in interest is becoming clear among the merchandising/business students. FIT took a leadership role about ten years ago by creating a course in product development for retailers. This area is enormously popular with the students because it combines the needed math and business skills with the more creative parts of garment styling and development. They love this course, and they love the careers to which it has led!
Based on the fact that many students are expressing interest in this specialty within the merchandising field, and based on the fact that almost all retailers today are involved in private label product development, we have reinforced this perspective in the second edition. This does not mean that it has replaced anything else. On the contrary, we hope we have successfully "back filled" with some of the more basic, fundamental points that will help put product development and all fashion jobs into a clearer perspective.
From the Back Cover
- NEW—Why are department stores and discounters increasing their private label lines—I.N.C., Charter Club, Alfani at Macy's, Arizona at J.C. Penney, Real Clothes at Saks Fifth Avenue, Merona at Target?
- NEW—Why are the private-label-only stores among today's most successful—Gap, Old Navy, Banana Republic, Abercrombie & Fitch, Ann Taylor, Talbot's Club Monaco, Zara?
- NEW—Where can students find new research sources including dozens of new sites on the Internet?
- NEW—How are the new, computerized, product development programs such as Gerber's PDM affecting product development careers?
The text outlines the skills that students will need for careers in fashion, provides step-by-step instructions, and structures exercises to help them start to develop these skills.
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