Donna Karan on studying fashion

[birdofparadise]

Schools still need to be balenced, I feel. Parsons is not the industry, it is a school tied to a pretty radical university in its own right and I believe it should make and perserve its loyalties with academia, not with whichever way the industry decides to kneel. Thus far, the graduate program seems as if it will have a social slant and incorporate international concerns over its two year curriculum...

[Lena]

gius, i'm sad to say so, but evn though i've studied hard, i learned the hard way..
when we go down to 'real business' work experience is so much more useful than academics

the Academy in Antwerp, yes, very based on crft and experimenting but somehow they've been slightly 'losing it' lately.
fashion is an ever changing environment, what could be perfect can lose its 'magic' pretty quick, due to socio-economic-political reasons it seems that we are entering an essentially new fashion industry era..

[JohnPaulMiller]

Originally Posted by gius

I've heard of people selling clothes they made through Ebay or their personal websites, and they finished their clothing with only a french seam or zigzag stitch for the seam--they didn't use any sergers, which is the work done I see for clothing sold at regular shops. Will the market accept clothes like these? I can't say the quality is worse. It seems the same...?

Those garments "merely" finished with french seams and bound seams are actually a better quality, more expensive finish, because they are made by hand and require more labor.

Sergers (traditionally the Merrow finish) are actually used because they are cheap, fast, and easy. While a factory (heavy duty, single purpose) serger may run a $1500, a basic serger capable of finishing seams can be picked up dirt cheap (well under $400 at WalMart).

So when you see those french seams, try to remember that you are seeing a labor intensive product.

[Lena]

^ just what Jean Paul said

[*Happiness*]

very interesting article and discussion. thanks lena for the article and jpm for your input. very valuable!

[gius]

Thank you very much, Lena and JeanPaul, for the helpful replies

I guess now I can try to get more work experience by working at a shop (to help with sewing, etc.), although I'm only a textiles student right now. (I can't take a fashion&textiles program, so I have to study fashion design separately, out of school and in my spare time.)


I'll keep everything in mind. And, I'll try to learn bound seams too! Thanks for mentioning it

[gius]

By the way,
if work experience is better,
then what important things can a person learn in academics?

I can understand it's necessary to go to school to learn how to sew, to make patterns, etc. if you don't know how to do these already.

I was thinking the important thing might be to "learn how to think conceptually," like at my friend's art school.

[Lena]

^ academics will help you mainly with techniques, draping, history of fashion, marketing a collection, and yes, conceptualism too

[JohnPaulMiller]

Originally Posted by gius

By the way,
if work experience is better,
then what important things can a person learn in academics?

I can understand it's necessary to go to school to learn how to sew, to make patterns, etc. if you don't know how to do these already.

I was thinking the important thing might be to "learn how to think conceptually," like at my friend's art school.

In another venue, there was a discussion about the merits of an AA versus BA degree.... I'll repost my message below:

I just came across an old saying... one of my favorites in fact:

"If the only tool you have is a hammer, you tend to see every problem as a nail."
-Abraham Maslow

Now to me, that summarizes the difference between an AA and a BA perfectly. With a BA, you should come out of school with "More tools".

Is a BA the only way to acquire "tools"? Of course not.

Does a BA give you all the "tools" you will need in life? Of course not.

Can you aquire tools without any degree? Of course you can.

The real goal in life should be "tool acquisition", Where tools are not physical things... rather they are the skills that you acquire. Skills are the tools you use to implement your creative talents.

And it's a lifelong pursuit, not something you do once and then it's done. A degree is just one good way start the process.

And a part of college is... learning how to learn. I know its a cliche and we all hate to hear it, but it's still true all the same. Gain the skill of gaining skills. And use it constantly.

[gius]

^This is really great. It puts things into a realistic perspective. Education should be continuous...

I was just thinking a few weeks ago to choose a school that will teach me a lot of things, and then I had a meeting with some textile art teachers yesterday, and they told me if they didn't know the answers to some of my questions (for example, "textile coatings," which Lena told me about), they would know someone who knows about it, since they all work in the textile industry, and that I could contact them.

[gius]

But people are always telling me that a person needs a degree to work overseas (like Europe)? Perhaps then, it's not exactly true...

[Lena]

you sure need a kind of degree if you want to go into textile engineering, its too 'industrial' and 'chemical' to get a good job just by experience

[happyguy]

wish i was there when Donna Karan gave the talk. would be really interesting. Loved what she said. love the article. Absolutely brilliant!!! cheers!