Just Because You Like Clothes, Doesn't Mean You Should be a Designer

Apr 23

Apr 23 Just Because You Like Clothes, Doesn't Mean You Should be a Designer

The concept of fashion is something that's become more and more accessible over the years due to mass production that came with the rise of modern day capitalism, as well as the digital age where one can find almost anything on the internet now. Runway photos are uploaded onto different online fashion publications almost instantaneously as the models walk/present the show; influencers and fashion bloggers post their “inspirational” outfits on Instagram and other forms of social media. With this abundance of instantly-accessible information, fashion & apparel brands all just copy one another now—looking at runway photos for inspiration, or finding a garment at Barney’s and sending it to their factory to replicate. Fast fashion brands imitate high-fashion to produce cheap, affordable replicas for the mass public. Plus, fashion ads appear on billboards everywhere, fashion magazines still prevail (although they say print is starting to “die”), media websites are telling you the latest “trends” to buy, and we are bombarded with imagery of influencers and celebrities wearing the “coolest” outfits.

With the increase of visibility and accessibility of fashion comes the increased interest in it. People become obsessed with their visual identity and self expression, especially through social media. More and more designers and brands are popping up every year, with some dying as well. With consumerism present as a modern day, core American value, we're constantly looking for the latest items and trends to catch on, purchasing at the expense of our own selfish sense of fulfillment and material value. People become preoccupied with the latest brands influencers, celebrities, and fashion bloggers are wearing—they are, essentially, selling you a product through the fabricated lens of necessity and desire. There’s also a subconscious desire that's fed to us through the thought pipeline of white supremacy that runway models (who are mostly tall, light skinned, and thin), celebrities, and now influencers (who are also often thin and light skinned) are who we should yearn to be and look like.

The fashion industry has also had many moments in media, creating & perpetuating a preconceived notion of what working in it is like. Shows like Ugly Betty and films such as The Devil Wears Prada may paint the industry as “ugly” yet “desirable,” because if you work in the industry you will be closer to hanging out with celebrities wearing expensive, overpriced clothes all day. Gossip Girl and Sex and the City are not necessarily centered around fashion but use it as a way to leverage one’s social status and socially constructed sense of popularity.

With this, comes the facade of fashion as “glamorous” and therefore “desirable.” I can’t speak for everyone, of course, but many people who I have worked with and spoken to in the industry have subconsciously decided to enter this industry because of the illusion of “glamour.” Maybe people subconsciously absorbed what they saw on these fictional TV shows & movies: constant imagery of industry people being surrounded by expensive, luxury clothes and hanging out with celebrities at fashion week parties. Maybe some people put their worth into how expensive their clothes are, or how well they dress. Regardless of each individual’s reason, there’s certainly been an increase in the past 20 years or so to become entangled within the industry.

As far as these folks wanting to start their own clothing line or fashion brand, I obviously don’t know their personal motives. But there’s definitely a correlation between the rise of physical & virtual accessibility, as well as media propaganda (selling you an image, look, or visual identity, and therefore becoming obsessed with visual identity), that creates this desire to become involved with creating a fashion brand or becoming a fashion designer.

Celebrity “fashion lines” have been around for as long as I’ve been alive for the most part, but now there’s also been a rise of influencers, content creators, and bloggers who have been creating their own clothing lines as well. Not to mention, even within the industry, there are merchandisers, buyers, stylists, etc who yearn to be a designer without actually doing any of the actual work. (I see this too with influencers and other media folks). There’s also this disconnect and idea that being a designer is great and exciting because you just create and design clothes you like to wear, or things you would want to put in your own wardrobe and sell it to the public. People often think that because they like clothes and have great style, then they can lead creative direction as well as execute the items to their vision.

I’ve learned the hard way through design school that being a designer does not just entail one designing clothes they “like", or things they would wear. This is obviously not the entire picture, because a lot of designers enjoy being visually engaged and emotionally connected to the garments they create. However, design should serve a purpose, and if you choose to sell your line for profit/monetary value, your customer base will be very limited if you only design things for yourself. Within the realms of capitalism, it is hard for a fashion brand to survive on the basis of financials (because that will dictate how your brand operates) if you don’t listen to your customer base. It’s also important to be inclusive: a lot of these influencers are petite, thin, light skinned, and able-bodied, but if you only design for these groups of people you will disappoint a lot of folks, especially if you have a relatively large following that definitely does all share the same body type as you. It’s important to think about what your values are as a designer, other than creating “cute clothes” for “confident bodies” (I’ve heard this statement….way too many times). What is your purpose as a designer? What problems, issues, or concerns do you want to help address?

Of course, this is just an example and one asset of being a designer that people don’t necessarily see or realize. I think that people often fail to realize that designing is not just choosing clothes to replicate with doodles in our sketchbooks—there’s a lot of strenuous labor involved. Design school was stressful, time consuming, hard, and soul-cringing at times. There were a lot of nights spent pouring blood, sweat, and tears trying to finish projects to the best of my ability—on time— ensuring they were original, creative, conceptual, and relatively well made. Especially because I enjoyed creating unconventional, deconstructed, oversized silhouettes, I did a lot of problem solving in terms of figuring out the best construction methods and finishes depending on the fabrication and look of the garment. Even deciding which trims to use—what type of zipper, what color, what type of binding, what type of button—takes thought and intention that can't be developed overnight.

While my work from my my forward-thinking, concept-pushing school/program doesn’t all directly translate into industry (but nowadays, most schools/design programs are like that), there’s still a lot of valuable information you learn from school that applies to being a designer in the industry. Understanding fit, construction, finishes, fabrications (and qualities of different fabrics), and trims are essential to being a fashion designer. Not to mention, in the industry, mass production (if that is the route you decide to go) creates a lot of problems within itself. More times than you think, the garment you designed will come out completely different from the factory or sample room/seamstress than you envision it to be. Or, sometimes, there will be small differences (such as thread color, button, color difference, clothing label) that the factory will not execute correctly.

This disconnect between liking clothes/style and having the ability to be a designer is also something I saw while I was a student in school. More often than not, a lot of students’ parents pushed them to go into fashion design, because it appears to offer the most “job stability” out of other arts majors (or their families were already connected into the apparel/textile business). Design school is extremely brutal, attempting to set students up in preparation for what they will face when they begin to work in the industry. Not only can professors be extremely critical, but the workload is intense. Aside from that, being a fashion designer requires being able to think creatively three-dimensionally, specifically around the body.

A lot of people also do not realize that the fashion industry is cut-throat, faced paced, and requires a lot of discipline. Being able to communicate to multiple people at a time, while still creating new/creative ideas and pieces, and adhering to deadlines while making sure the factory executes your garments correctly while also being able to think quickly on your toes if something goes wrong (because chances are something probably will) are parts of the job—you’re always juggling a million things at once. That being said, while TV/movie depictions aren’t always accurate (I’ve luckily never had a boss that bitchy, and have always had relatively lax dress codes at work), it’s still important to note that being a fashion designer requires a certain level of passion and work ethic.

This post is not meant to gate keep, either. I have met people who were genuinely interested and passionate about fashion and thought about becoming a designer. I’m always encouraging (at least I try to be), but warn people how intense the workload can be and how difficult it can be to “survive” in the industry (as I’ve heard from my mentors in the past). These are just some things that people often are not aware of when going into a field like this, and a lot of people end up becoming disappointed because it’s not as “glamorous” as they thought (it’s really not. Even if you work for a high end brand you admire, you get sick of the clothes after 2 seasons). I’m also not saying that any of this is the way it “should be” either—capitalism has a tendency to make us feel like our self worth is based on our productivity and material value. It forces people to work long hours, either for the sake of survival or because it’s become the norm, even if you are not getting paid overtime for it (which is illegal, by the way). Capitalism also encourages hierarchy—even though we do the most amount of labor, our labor is not valued because we’re “at the bottom” of the pyramid structure of power. We do the most amount of work yet are the least paid.

I’m also not stating this as a way to applaud myself for “surviving” the industry or design school—I’ve only been actually working for about 2 years. There's also nothing wrong with changing career paths, or not working in the same field you majored in (newsflash: most college students don’t). I crave a fast-paced, challenging, environment (I’m an Aries) and it lends itself within the current confines of being a fashion designer. But, it’s important to keep in mind that there are so many layers and facets in being a designer, and my job would be a lot easier if it was just to design pretty clothes that I like all day.