Friday, June 03, 2005
Reality Check for New Fashion Grads
By Sharon Edelson
NEW YORK — Ashleigh Verrier, Parsons School of Design, Class of 2004, was one of the lucky few.
Verrier sold about 30 designs that constituted her senior thesis to Saks Fifth Avenue after she was named co-designer of the year at the annual Parsons student fashion show in 2004.
For fall her clothes hung near Marc Jacobs, Balenciaga and Chloe, and Saks ordered more for spring and fall 2005. She's now working on spring 2006 and lining up funding for production costs for future seasons. Verrier is also selling to Nordstrom in San Francisco and Seattle, taking small deliberate steps forward.
"All of us imagine that the goal is to be a designer," Verrier said. "I don't know if I'm part of a trend of students starting their own labels or not wanting an entry-level position. I was raised by parents of the Baby Boom generation. The rearing I received encouraged independence."
As new fashion school graduates hunt for jobs, the goal of becoming a designer is elusive. Some, out of school for a year or more, still search to find a dream job or an "angel" to back their collection.
Students at top institutions such as Parsons and the Fashion Institute of Technology in New York, Otis College of Art and Design in Los Angeles and, to a lesser degree, the Rhode Island School of Design in Providence, often have unrealistic expectations and are dismissive of the vast moderate sector of fashion populated by the Gap, J. Crew, Liz Claiborne and Kellwood Corp., college administrators said.
Their desire to be creative stars like FIT graduates Calvin Klein and Carolina Herrera and Parsons alums Donna Karan and Marc Jacobs has some of them rejecting entry-level jobs that could improve their pattern-making, draping and fit techniques. After an education that costs as much as $130,000, as is the case at Parsons, industry professionals said graduates have little idea of what a real design job entails and some still need to master basic skills such as sewing.
Parsons alumna Anna Sui is among those who lament the loss of dedication to training and paying dues.
"What strikes me is that they have a lessened appreciation for the craft behind design," she said. "Everyone wants to be a designer but they don't always understand that they have to also be a pattern-maker, a seamstress, a tailor, etc., to really build a successful business."
Fashion educators like Timothy Gunn, chairman of the fashion design department at Parsons, said some students feel entitled to a design job.
"The pervasive attitude ... is the desire to design right away," he said. "I don't support that idea. It's a commonly held view and it's not realistic. I say, 'You guys should humble yourselves.'"
There are exceptions, of course. Young designers such as Zac Posen, Behnaz Sarafpour and Proenza Schouler's Jack McCollough and Lazaro Hernandez have great talent and succeeded quickly.
Others, like Dave Tillet, decide to put off their dreams rather than settle.
Tillet, who won awards at FIT and was considered a rising star by his professors and peers, works in visual display at Saks Fifth Avenue in Palm Beach, Fla., and designs floral arrangements.
"This is better right now than working at J. Crew or Liz Claiborne," he said. "I relate to high-end merchandise. If I worked in fashion I'd want to design for a high-end company. My real interest is in expensive eveningwear."
Tillet in 2002 designed a mini collection that got some positive feedback from Joan Kaner, fashion director of Neiman Marcus, he said. "They wanted to see more. I ran out of money. I wanted to go out there on my own. It was going to be all or nothing. I even knew what the shopping bag for my collection was going to look like."
Francesca Sterlacci, former chair of FIT's fashion design department and now an associate professor, said 25 percent of students aspire to design under their own name and 50 percent want to work for a directional or cutting-edge company or one with designer price points.
Reality Check for New Fashion Grads
By Sharon Edelson
NEW YORK — Ashleigh Verrier, Parsons School of Design, Class of 2004, was one of the lucky few.
Verrier sold about 30 designs that constituted her senior thesis to Saks Fifth Avenue after she was named co-designer of the year at the annual Parsons student fashion show in 2004.
For fall her clothes hung near Marc Jacobs, Balenciaga and Chloe, and Saks ordered more for spring and fall 2005. She's now working on spring 2006 and lining up funding for production costs for future seasons. Verrier is also selling to Nordstrom in San Francisco and Seattle, taking small deliberate steps forward.
"All of us imagine that the goal is to be a designer," Verrier said. "I don't know if I'm part of a trend of students starting their own labels or not wanting an entry-level position. I was raised by parents of the Baby Boom generation. The rearing I received encouraged independence."
As new fashion school graduates hunt for jobs, the goal of becoming a designer is elusive. Some, out of school for a year or more, still search to find a dream job or an "angel" to back their collection.
Students at top institutions such as Parsons and the Fashion Institute of Technology in New York, Otis College of Art and Design in Los Angeles and, to a lesser degree, the Rhode Island School of Design in Providence, often have unrealistic expectations and are dismissive of the vast moderate sector of fashion populated by the Gap, J. Crew, Liz Claiborne and Kellwood Corp., college administrators said.
Their desire to be creative stars like FIT graduates Calvin Klein and Carolina Herrera and Parsons alums Donna Karan and Marc Jacobs has some of them rejecting entry-level jobs that could improve their pattern-making, draping and fit techniques. After an education that costs as much as $130,000, as is the case at Parsons, industry professionals said graduates have little idea of what a real design job entails and some still need to master basic skills such as sewing.
Parsons alumna Anna Sui is among those who lament the loss of dedication to training and paying dues.
"What strikes me is that they have a lessened appreciation for the craft behind design," she said. "Everyone wants to be a designer but they don't always understand that they have to also be a pattern-maker, a seamstress, a tailor, etc., to really build a successful business."
Fashion educators like Timothy Gunn, chairman of the fashion design department at Parsons, said some students feel entitled to a design job.
"The pervasive attitude ... is the desire to design right away," he said. "I don't support that idea. It's a commonly held view and it's not realistic. I say, 'You guys should humble yourselves.'"
There are exceptions, of course. Young designers such as Zac Posen, Behnaz Sarafpour and Proenza Schouler's Jack McCollough and Lazaro Hernandez have great talent and succeeded quickly.
Others, like Dave Tillet, decide to put off their dreams rather than settle.
Tillet, who won awards at FIT and was considered a rising star by his professors and peers, works in visual display at Saks Fifth Avenue in Palm Beach, Fla., and designs floral arrangements.
"This is better right now than working at J. Crew or Liz Claiborne," he said. "I relate to high-end merchandise. If I worked in fashion I'd want to design for a high-end company. My real interest is in expensive eveningwear."
Tillet in 2002 designed a mini collection that got some positive feedback from Joan Kaner, fashion director of Neiman Marcus, he said. "They wanted to see more. I ran out of money. I wanted to go out there on my own. It was going to be all or nothing. I even knew what the shopping bag for my collection was going to look like."
Francesca Sterlacci, former chair of FIT's fashion design department and now an associate professor, said 25 percent of students aspire to design under their own name and 50 percent want to work for a directional or cutting-edge company or one with designer price points.
you need to start somewhere and liz claiborne is a large company and would pay the bills while he can build up his collection. It sounds like a large number of these students need a harsh reality check.
