What About Product Development?

[kimberwyn]

I'm graduating from FIDM in about two months with a degree in Fashion Merchandise Product Development. The major is a pretty big deal here, and it's graduate have great options after school, but I never hear anyone talking about it here on tFS.

So does anyone here work in PD? Or know a little bit of something about it? Any info would be great!

 

[SamanthaBNYC]

I do technical design, which is considered part of production. Some companies consider it part of design, though. When I think of "product development", I usually think of "fabric research and development" and "spec techs". Are you pursuing these fields? Or are you looking more towards: merchandising, planning/allocation, product managers, sourcing, design?

 

[kimberwyn]

Im not sure what the job is titled, but I want to be the one who researches trends, designs new items/updates old items, does sales forecasting, etc. In one of my classes we're basically pretending to have that job and design a collection for Forever 21.

What exactly do technical designers do, btw?

 

[SamanthaBNYC]

I'm not sure, but I think the job title might change from place to place. Like, at the Limited, I think they have a position called "Trend Forecaster" where they travel and try to determine upcoming trends in textiles, prints, and silhouettes. But, at other companies, sometimes they call that Planning, Merchandising, or some other title. I also think it depends on the size of the company.
A technical designer determines the correct "fit" of the garment. I think it's easiest to explain by going through the "life cycle" of a garment: first the Designer hands us a sketch of the design and tells us what fabric/yarn they want it made in and then the tech prepares a "Spec Sheet". the "Spec Sheet" contains the finished measurements (for a sample, we use size "M" or "8" in the missy market), the construction details (i.e. if we want single-needle topstitching around the neckline or double-needle topstitching, et.al), a "how to measure" diagram when necessary (but, if it's a basic, common style those usually aren't necessary). the tech sends out the "Spec Sheet" to the vendor/factory for them to make a "1st Fit/Proto" sample (sometimes the company also asks for a "showroom sample" for the sales staff or a "photo sample" if it's to be photographed for advertisements). When the 1st fit sample arrives from the vendor/factory, we measure the garment and then fit the sample in a fitting on a live model (the design team, production team also attend, other people in that product category can attend too), and discuss what needs to change (do we like the neckline? are there "drag lines" on the garment? do we like the sleeve length? do we want a tighter/looser fit?, et. al). Then, the tech sends out fit comments to the vendor to make corrections on the garment, and request a 2nd fit sample. We keep fitting until the garment fits nicely (sometime the 1st fit is perfect and we can go into production on that fit, but sometimes it can go up to a lot more fittings), then we go to a "Pre Pro" sample, where the factory is ready to start knitting/cutting, but we want to see it to make sure it's perfect. We issue the "graded specs" (we take the size "M" or size "8" specs, and then use math formulas to make the finished measurements for the balance of the sizes that we're producing), usually after the fit sample is approved, and request the vendor/factory to send us a "size run" (a sample in each size), which we measure only (to see if they met our specs) but rarely fit. That's where the life cycle of the garment ends in the technical design area. After that, it's in production and quality assurances area. Sometimes, though if there are big "quality assurance" issues on garment, we're called in to help see if we can help (but if the vendor made the garment 5" too short, sometimes they have to send it back to the vendor and we've missed potential sales).

 

[kimberwyn]

Oh, that's right. We had to learn all about that, and how to do spec sheets (which I absolutely hate doing, no offense!). It sounds like a great career, though. I'm looking into the more of the design end or perhaps trend forecasting.

 

[greetings from]

wow, thanks for all the info guys, i'm a junior studying fashion merchandising and am struggling figuring out what area i want to pursue when i graduate, its nice to get as much info as possible.

 

[Diorling]

Product development is beyotch. Im soo glad I dont handle that (as I do NOT like being sent to friggin Turkey to play around in factories)

 

[SamanthaBNYC]

Oh, that's right. We had to learn all about that, and how to do spec sheets (which I absolutely hate doing, no offense!). It sounds like a great career, though. I'm looking into the more of the design end or perhaps trend forecasting.

no offense taken. If everyone wanted to do technical design, then there'd be more supply than demand, and I'd never be able to work, lol. It's usually to my benefit that technical designers are in short supply. design or trend forecasting would be fun, because you'd get to travel as part of the job.

 

[SamanthaBNYC]

wow, thanks for all the info guys, i'm a junior studying fashion merchandising and am struggling figuring out what area i want to pursue when i graduate, its nice to get as much info as possible.

I'm not sure if they still do it, but Liz Claiborne used to offer internships where the interns spent time in 4 different areas (design, production, and I can't remember the other two), so they could see what they liked the most. You might want to look at their website and maybe see if you could do the internship this summer.

 

[greetings from]

hey thanks for the heads up!

 

[Fashiongirl1]

Product Development

Hello everyone, I have a few questions, but I first need to know what product development is? I am quite confused, and I never really get a clear definition. I am still trying to find a career in fashion, but I am not really sure what it is exactly what I would like to do at this point. I want to have my own business but right now I just want some experience in the industry. All this time, I have been completing my BA Degree in Business Management. Now I would like to get a AAS or a Certificate in something in the fashion industry combine the two and apply it. I was thinking about Fashion Merchandise and Product Development based on what I have heard about product development. I have gotten different definitions so at the same time, I am questioning this. I am very confident that someone on this site would know and could explain it to me.

P.S. I did a few searches to find Product Development, and I did not find anything. If I am repeating a thread, I do apologize.

 

[Fashiongirl1]

Thank you for guiding me to a thread that explains it to me. I take it that product development can mean many things. I am more interested in the topic of researching trends, designing new items and updating old ones. I read somewhere else that you can create collections. Evenutally, I want to have my own clothing company. Whether it be something like having my own clothing line or my own chain of retail stores such as Express for example. But I honestly don't want to draw anything. I would rather give my vision to someone and go from there.

I plan to attend FIT in New York City (where I live) to major in Fashion Merchandising. How do I know which companies do the type of product development that I am interested in since it means many different things depending on the company? Also, I need a full time job now so how can one balance an internship in the future with a full time job?
How much do they get paid btw? I am working part time right now so even with doing this job I have now full time isn't going to pay me enough to live, and pay for my education out of pocket, because I have enough loans to pay back.

Is it true that you have to go to factories when you do product development?

Can someone help me with this please?

Thanks

 

[BetteT]

I know almost nothing about Product Development so I hope that someone else can help here.



It sounds like you are researching other areas of interest too. So ... I did an advanced search with some of the words you mentioned and found these threads, that might be of interest to you:

• Fashion Merchandising
• A Career in Fashion Forecasting
• Starting a Design Business
• Internships
• Searching for the Perfect Career. A place for asking for advice specific to your situation ... lot's of ideas here.
• Fashion Industry Careers ... even more ideas about what is out there.
• Business Grads in Fashion

There are possilby dozens of other threads about career paths, school options, etc. ...and if you use the Advanced Search feature you should find them. Here's a thread in Member Support forum about how to get the most out of your searches ... and the weird way it works here. If you don't do it this way, we are soooo large that you probably will get way too many results to be helpful.

 

[Fashiongirl1]

Hello there BetteT. Thanks for responding to me. You couldn't be anymore right than what you are... I am interested in many aspects of the industry. However, I really do not know exactly what I want to do. I do know that I am not interested in sitting in an office all day doing paper work. That I know. I want to do something live, creative and fun in the industry, but still make a good amount of money. I thought about doing Advertising and Communications, because I have always been interested in the communications part and I recently just became interested in Advertising for some reason lol. My main goal is just to have my own extremely successful business, but I believe working for somone else in the field of my interest is important before going at it on my own.

thanks a bunch

 

[educo]

I worked in product development at a Nike subsidiary. And it goes like this:

PD basically handles:

Fabrics
Allocations
samples and tracking
cost and costing (which include negotiation)
Anything that basically is on the production side that doesn't get done in a factory, is part of product development

Tags,
labels
customs and all the issues related to customs

testing of fabric (CTL, water proof, etc)
finding legal factories
sourcing all supplies (buttons, zippers, etc and negotiating prices for them)

Spec sheets, etc

It is ALOT of tracking, and ALOT of excel. You need to be on top of your S**T to be in product development.

I was in charge of sourcing and negotiating all the fabrics for each season ( sometimes up to 40 fabrics). We would have agents in Asia who would have a database of factories and we would send samples of what we want, and over the course of a couple of months, they would send us their versions of it within our price points. we would then inspect the fabric and go over with the design team to see if they liked it. This is non stop. I would get like 10 packages a day and I had to go through so many samples and pick which one is the closest. I would then advise the factories on how to correct the fabric to get it the way we want within our budget. With my company, our main client was Walmart and we had to negotiate fabrics for under $1.00 per yard, mostly in the 60 cents area! Trust me, it's nearly impossible, I swear I was some miracle worker at my job.

If they liked it, we would approve it and begin negotiations. Now of course, this all depends on whether the style stay in rotation and has a place to go. If the style is dropped, it is up to the PD team to make sure the factories don't take it further and continue making samples, etc.

When we finally get all the fabrics we want ( and TRUST me it is NEVER a smooth process), we figure out costing for the entire garment with the factories, and that's a NIGHTMARE, thankfully my sole job was to focus on fabrics. Figure our sample schedule, fit them and organize them and also send corrections comments back to the factories.

I never went overseas because I was freelancing, but you do go overseas and look at factories and have meetings. But it's not a piece of cake, you need to be on track all the time.

The PD team makes sure everything is running on schedule and BELOW cost, not on, BELOW.

If you have anymore questions, let me know. Our PD team was really tight and we were all involved in each others stuff.

 

[kimberwyn]

Thank you for guiding me to a thread that explains it to me. I take it that product development can mean many things. I am more interested in the topic of researching trends, designing new items and updating old ones. I read somewhere else that you can create collections. Evenutally, I want to have my own clothing company. Whether it be something like having my own clothing line or my own chain of retail stores such as Express for example. But I honestly don't want to draw anything. I would rather give my vision to someone and go from there.

I plan to attend FIT in New York City (where I live) to major in Fashion Merchandising. How do I know which companies do the type of product development that I am interested in since it means many different things depending on the company? Also, I need a full time job now so how can one balance an internship in the future with a full time job?
How much do they get paid btw? I am working part time right now so even with doing this job I have now full time isn't going to pay me enough to live, and pay for my education out of pocket, because I have enough loans to pay back.

Is it true that you have to go to factories when you do product development?

Can someone help me with this please?

Thanks

You'll have to learn how to draw or at least do flat sketches on Illustrator. It's a huge part of product development and designing in general. You don't have to know how to sew, especially in prod dev, but flat sketching, yup.

The idea I got from most of the product development alumni I spoke with at FIDM was that they basically expand on an idea for a company. So they do tons of designing and flat sketching and "re-engineering" (or updating is probably a better word) of the same styles the line has produced before.

Even after graduating from PD, the term is pretty confusing because as you said it can mean anything, and a lot of times the line between product developer and designer seems blurred. But most people major in product dev because they want to do a variety of things (like design and run their own store...or design but not do fashion sketches or sewing/patternmaking).

Pay - Entry level can make $35k to $40k last I heard. I don't know about the factories. It probably depends on the company/job description.

Btw, did your counselor recommend majoring in merchandising to go into prod dev? I'm not sure how that would work. It sounds like you should be majoring in prod dev or maybe even manufacturing.

 

[Fashiongirl1]

kimberwyn, I have no clue. I have not spoken with any counselors yet, that is coming sometime around the 18th of this month. I will go there to speak with someone. I need to get information because I don't want to pay for some classes at a school where I don't know what to expect next, then all of a sudden its not what I want to do lol. I like 40k for an entry level position. Plus, I did learn how to sketch.

educo, no offense but it sounds like a nightmare lol. You made it seem like its just sooo... like technical or something like that. Now I am starting to rethink this product development thing. However, I am getting many different view points and I guess the best thing to do is to ask the company what exactly does the job entails as far as product development goes.

This seems quite broad. But interesting depending on which way you want to take your career when it comes to that.

Thanks for all of the information. It gave me a lot of clarity.

 

[kimberwyn]

I didnt even see edco's post there! We had to learn everything that he/she posted when i was in school (along w/ everything else, lol, the major is pretty all encompassing) and those are all the things I hated doing :/

Anyways, Fashiongirl1, maybe you'd rather start out as an assistant designer? Or perhaps a buyer?

 

[educo]

You made it seem like its just sooo... like technical or something like that. [/b]Now I am starting to rethink this product development thing. However, I am getting many different view points and I guess the best thing to do is to ask the company what exactly does the job entails as far as product development goes.

This seems quite broad. But interesting depending on which way you want to take your career when it comes to that.

Thanks for all of the information. It gave me a lot of clarity.

Well, it IS technical. I'm not going to sugar coat it for you. There is no creativity here. It's all information and that's it. You're not involved in the design process per se as in changing sketches or whatever. I have never seen anyone sketch in the PD department, unless it was some quick sketch by the technical manager as to how to change the shape of the sleeve, neckline or whatever and that was done on paper and scanned to the factory. The sketches are done by the designers ( I am including flats). You will advise designers as to how to change details or whatever to fit into production schedules or to make the cost go down, but you're not in the design process because you're not in the design department.

It's not a nightmare if you like this sort of analytical stuff. I welcome the challenge and while it was boring at times, it was nice to talk to the factories and team up to see what we can create out of nothing in terms of processes.

Each place is different, but I don't think it will be drastically different than what I'm telling you. I'm very happy to get this experience because you do get to see a very important component of the industry. My first job ever when I was a teenager was working at a factory during the summer because I wanted to see how clothes were made (and also my aunt was managing the factory so it was an easy hook up).

 

[Fashiongirl1]

kimberwyn, how would I become an assistant designer with a fashion merchandising degree? If that is possible what would their role be, with a fashion merchandising degree?