Handbag Design

[Fashiongirl1]

Hi everyone, I am new here. I was wondering if there was anyone who was interested in handbag design.

Also, I am having an issue, I am interested in so many different industries within the fashion and beauty industry, I was wondering if someone could help me figure out which industry would be best for me.

Thanks :-)

 

[helena]

hi fashiongirl1 - welcome to tFS. I have moved this into the handbags section. I am sure you will find lots of like minded people here!

 

[jun3machina]

only you can figure that our for yourself. since i dont know you, then i dont know what to tell you, but find your passion and center on it.

 

[Luna]

Are you planning on going to school to study one of these things?

 

[Fashiongirl1]

As of school, I am already in a school, but its not for design, its for business. I figure that I'd try to save up as much as I can and take some courses on the side in the deisgn field, while doing some self taught things as well. I just keep going back and forth.

I was in Parsons AAS degree program. I spent a semester there for fashion design, but I could not afford to stay so I had no choice but to leave.

However, I am trying to educate myself on the business side of the fashion industry, and all the other different types of industries I am interested in while trying to come down to a final decision.

thanks

 

[Luna]

I majored in Accessories Design at FIT... It's kinda hard to self-teach some of the things.. but I'm sure it can be done. But I reccommend taking some handbag design classes if you can.

 

[Fashiongirl1]

Are their classes quite hard? I know its challenging, but is it hard to learn?
Whenever I get the money (since I live in New York City) I was going to go down their to take a class, in accessories, just to see how it is. I took a sketching course there before. They send me their continuing education courses every semester, and I have their catalog. What do you think about making clothes by self-taught?

thanks

 

[Luna]

It all depends on your talent.. if you have a knack for putting patterns together, draping, or sewing things.. then why not?

 

[Fashiongirl1]

What about the accessories design major?
I dont mean to be repetititve.


thanks

 

[Luna]

I dunno.. I fyou're good at coming up with your own patterns.. then you can try doing it on your own.. but I found it very hard to execute one of my deisgns into a pattern so I could make it....


I really think if you want to go into accessories, taking a class wouldn't hurt.

 

[Fashiongirl1]

thank you very much

 

[jun3machina]

very few are ambitious enough to be able to do this on their own. many people claim to be designers, and can come up with a sketch, but i feel only real designers can make the patterns and sew it together, whether they are doing acessories or clothing. school can only teach you so much, and not be negative or anything, but the ones going to school are all paying to obtain the same knowledge, so you definately have to have something more than them already. otherwise, you all have the same skills and are at the same creative level, and with the focus on fashion design in the media and with reality shows, designers are becoming a dime a dozen. very few real talents...i know, i have designed for different companies, and make my own leather handbags, acessories, and clothing. i did a replica of one of tom fords jackets for YSL. the hand details took me weeks to complete, but its gorgeous!!

 

[Fashiongirl1]

I want to be able to make my own clothing and accessories as well. I just bought me a sewing machine, and it should be coming through next week. How did you learn how to do all that? I know you brought up some good points about school. Did you go to school to learn to make the patterns and develop sewing skills for accessories, and clothing, or did you learn it on your own?
Do you think that those who go to school to learn the designing process are different from those who have not gone to school to learn the design process, but learn through self taught, and other ways?
what companies did you work for, and how long you been in the designing business?
I went to amazon.com and I looked up some books about teaching how to
make handbags, and clothes, patterns etc... are their any books that you recommend?
Do you have any suggestions for me?

By the way, I think its cool that you make your own clothes and accessories.

thanks

 

[jun3machina]

i am totally self taught. my mom sewed, but not really clothes. when i was like a kid i used to make doll clothes and was really into replicating clothes from movies and victorian dresses for me dolls. i basically learned pattern making by trial and error, getting clothes i had already and really liked and seeing if i could duplicate them. it grew from there. i won a contest through vogue magazine to design for dooney and bourke, and as much as i didn't care for the result, i was part of the design team for the heart and charm bags last fall. i have done clothing design for other people, and done patterns for a baby clothing acessories line.
my real passion is vintage clothes, and i have quite a collection ive accumulated from thrift stores. you can real learn amazing tailoring techniques from vintage clothes that you dont find with modern clothes, unless they are couture.
you should really get the vogue sewing book, i think its one of the best out there, because it will teach you many methods of doing things and a lot of couture sewing methods that you'll come to appreciate. i went to italy and saw a YSL jacket, by tom ford, the one that christy turlington did the adds for. the whole jacket was done in french seams and hand quilted. it made me cry!!
if creating is your passion, you will find things about the design processs that really make you happy, and just try to inquire about everything as far as sewing techniques go. the more you ask, the more you will find out and widen your knowledge. thats the best advice i can give anyone. good luck!

 

[jun3machina]

oh and about your motivation question, yes i do think it makes a difference. i think that those that are self taught are naturally moremotivated than someone placed in school to learn the trade. a lot of the time, teachers you have will have personal hang ups and stuff. i think the purest form of education is educating yourself, because only you know you learning style and through the process of try and fail you learn much more than someone telling you what and how to do something.

 

[Fashiongirl1]

Atleast I know there is hope for me to learn through self taught. I really do not have the money to pay for more than one class that cost $300.00 to $500.00. I know that I am going to make mistakes and I am going to get frustrated, but this is something that I am really passionate about. I have been passionate about doing this since I was a little girl. The only thing I used to do, and do not even think I still know how to do is Crochet. I never made anything about of it though, I just did regular crocheting. Also, my grandmother is going to help me with the sewing process as well, because she used to make her own clothing. I am going to start by learning the sewing techniques then I am going to learn patternmaking.
Where can I learn about vintage clothing? SHould I buy a vintage magazine, and that will teach me about vintage clothing? Are there any vintage magazines or books? I also heard of the vogue sewing book, and I plan on getting it once I learn the basic techniques of sewing. I bought a sewing book, and a crocheting book, so I can learn the basic sewing techniques, and how to make things from crocheting. I am also planning on buying some books on how to make different leather handbags, and other types of handbags. In addition, I am still working on my sketching, I could be a better sketcher, but I am confident with my sketches. I know that the more you do something the better you get at it. My problem is fear. I am afraid to try something because it will mess up or something like that, but that is the only way that I can learn is through messing up. Atleast thats what I think. I am still working on the fear issue. I am really excited about my new sewing machine. I can't wait to get it. I also can't wait until my books come through the mail. My sewing book is for the absolute beginner, because I know nothing about sewing. I do think that this can be done, and I am quite confident that I will be sewing things together in no time. Do you have any recommended places where I can buy my patterns from the net. Some that have different collars, and stuff like that? Or should I just rely on a fabric store? Okay let me stop blabbering on.


thanks on the insight, you also gave me ideas with the clothes you bought and trying to copy them.

 

[jun3machina]

i actually work at a fabric store. the best patterns out of all of them are vogue. simplicity, macalls, butterick (although butterick is owned by vogue) are very slopily put together and dont fit good. vogue has basic couture patterns that specifically show you how to make jackets, dresses, pants, etc...and how to alter them according to size. look under designer sportsware in the vogue catalogue at your local fabric store and it should be in that section. those are fantastic, because they show you couture details and how and where to add darts/seams/hems to alter a pattern to fit. as far as vintage patterns go, vogue has some, but since i love 1890-1940s fashions, i buy vintage at thrift shops, vintage boutiques, and ebay and either make patterns from them or sometimes you can get really sad, decreped vintage thats falling apart and just buy it cheap to take apart and learn how they did it.

as far as fear goes, what have you got to lose? each thing is only going to be better than the next because you learn so much with sewing, so just think of each project as like a spelling test or something. your not going to get every one, but you'll do better next time because you learn from you mistakes.

i knit too, (not crochet because it takes more yardage of yarn.) vogue knitting magazine is really good for knitwear, and they have crochet stuff in it too. the best book for knitting and crocheting is "the reader digest book of knit and crochet". they sell it at barnes and noble, and its only like $20 or $30 bucks, but is THE best book out on the market. it covers all the basics, with visuals,shows you multiple methods to cast on, bind off, read knit/crochet patterns, and has hundreds of different stitches...it might be called "the readers digest encyclopedia of knit and crochet"...i'll have to double check...but it is definately by R.D. enjoy!! hope all that info. is helpful

 

[taz]

i have designed for different companies, and make my own leather handbags, acessories, and clothing. i did a replica of one of tom fords jackets for YSL. the hand details took me weeks to complete, but its gorgeous!!

wow this is intresting, can u post some pics jun3machina, please.

 

[jun3machina]

ill see what i can do

 

[jun3machina]

my YSL jacket

.........looks better when its on, i'll try to take one of those too.