Jobs in the fashion industry

I have been researching into jobs within the fashion industry and what is expected of the person in the job etc.

Ive been looking into the jobs that i personally am interested in doing when i leave uni i first looked into costume designer for film, television and theatre,


Costume designer: Job description and activities

A costume designer is responsible for the design, creation and purchase of costumes and accessories worn in television, film and theatre productions.
Typical work activities include:

liaising with the director and lighting and scenic/set designers about creative concepts,

establishing the look and feel of the production and its characters, deciding what each character wishes to convey through his/her clothing (time period, setting, status/social class, age, geographic region, etc.);

using the Internet and libraries to conduct in-depth research into the setting/period of the production to ensure costumes are authentic to the specific time;

utilising a good knowledge of costume/theatre/art/political/social history;

reading scripts;

sketching designs by hand and sometimes using computer programs such as Photo shop or computer-aided design (CAD);

working closely with the costume supervisor.

When working on a mid or large-scale production, the costume supervisor, wardrobe manager and other members of the team will be responsible for the actual physical realisation (buying or making) of costumes. However, when working on a small-scale, fringe or low-budget production, the costume designer may also be responsible for the following work activities:
managing the costume budget;
taking actors' measurements for garments and accessories, such as wigs, shoes and hats;
shopping at fabric, craft, charity and clothes shops;
drafting and cutting out patterns;
studying textiles, dyeing fabric, painting and sewing;
distressing costumes, using a range of materials;
arranging costume fittings, dressing actors, helping with difficult costumes, making alterations as necessary;
cleaning and repairing costumes.

A costume designer is something i am really interested in pursuing, for my work experience i have emailed a majority of theaters but no one has got back to me and this tells me this is a very hard business to get into especially if you don't really have any experience within a theatre department.

Wedding Dress Designer

I would also love to be a wedding dress designer/maker but then this is also a very competitive business and you need to build yourself a reputation to be known to people etc. this is something i am very passionate about i did my school work experience in a wedding dress shop and i loved it. this is a career path i am definitely considering.

After working in the 3rd years fashion show last year i really considered about been in event management for fashion shows. i thoroughly enjoyed working behind with the stress and adrenaline back stage.
i have looked into what it takes to be part of event management,

Event Management
Job description
Event organisers are responsible for the production of events from conception through to completion. Events can include:

■exhibitions and fairs;
■festivals;
■conferences;
■promotions and product launches;
■fundraising and social events.
They work in the public, private and not-for-profit sectors and can work for event management companies, in-house for an organisation or freelance.

The role of event organiser is hands-on and often involves working as part of a team. Event organisers must be able to complete a wide range of activities requiring clear communication, excellent organisational skills and attention to detail. They must work well under pressure, ensuring the smooth and efficient running of an event.

Typical work activities
The role of event organiser varies depending on the organisation and type of event involved. Typical activities include:

■researching markets to identify opportunities for events;
■liaising with clients to ascertain their precise event requirements;
■producing detailed proposals for events (e.g. time lines, venues, suppliers, legal obligations, staffing and budgets);
■agreeing to and managing a budget;
■securing and booking a suitable venue or location;
■ensuring insurance, legal, health and safety obligations are adhered to;
■coordinating venue management, caterers, stand designers, contractors and equipment hire;
■organising facilities for car parking, traffic control, security, first aid, hospitality and the media;
■identifying and securing speakers or special guests;
■planning room layouts and the entertainment programme, scheduling workshops and demonstrations;
■coordinating staffing requirements and staff briefings;
■selling sponsorship/stand/exhibition space to potential exhibitors/partners;
■preparing delegate packs and papers;
■liaising with marketing and PR colleagues to promote the event;
■liaising with clients and designers to create a brand for the event and organising the production of tickets, posters, catalogues and sales brochures;
■coordinating suppliers, handling client queries and troubleshooting on the day of the event to ensure that all runs smoothly;
■overseeing the dismantling and removal of the event and clearing the venue efficiently;
■post-event evaluation (including data entry and analysis and producing reports for event stakeholders).

I'm not entirely sure what i want to do when i leave uni. i don't really know what my strengths are yet so i don't know what ill be good at.
these jobs are what i am considering and have a Passion for so hopefully if i push myself i will end somewhere within one of these jobs.

Researching Work Placements

I have been constantly emailing, sending CV's and writing letters to people regarding work experience and it is so frustrating when no one gets back to you. i wish they would just tell me they don't want me and then i would know rather just not getting back at all.
I've wrote to bridal shops, fashion show event organisers, theatres and play houses and only about 2 people have wrote back.

I'm not entirely sure what i want to do when i leave uni except that i would definitely like to do something that involves making as i feel I'm not too bad at making. i also really enjoyed working on the fashion show last year so i would like to work within some thing like fashion show event planning but i really don't know.
its so frustrating that nearly everyone has work placements and i don't, its like I'm not as good as everyone else and maybe I've just been emailing the wrong people i don't know.

hopefully i will find something eventually if not then i don't know.

on a lighter note I've been asked to help out at graduate fashion week and that i cant wait for!

I'm really starting to enjoy research practices now i have just finished my half scale toile of a pair of military style trousers with four pockets on the front i need to sew the buttons down the side of the trousers though.

Ive used CAD a lot for this project as i feel i work a lot better on photo shop and my work looks a lot better i feel my skills are improving on photo shop and illustrator a lot more now.

This is my final line up for research practices.

We also have to a statement of intent for this project which is something completely new that we have done and is to do with our 3rd year and final collection as this project is to help us with extended research practises next year which is to do with our final collection.

I don't think i want to use this idea in my final collection i have enjoyed the military side of it with design and make but i think i would like to do something completely different.

As well as doing research practises we had to do our final business presentation for dolly mixture clothing i feel it went really well but I'm so glad its finally over.

business and enterprise as painful as it was taught me a lot about everything you have to take into account in setting up businesses and i don't think in the future i would like to set up my own business, i think i would prefer to work somebody else.

Ive been thinking about the future a lot lately and I'm not entirely sure which route i want to go down when i leave uni, its such a scary thought that we actually have to get a job when we leave. I'm not entirely sure what i want to do either. I'm not that great at anything really its like every ones either good at everything or is really good at one thing and I'm not really that great at anything. after working in the 3rd year fashion show last year i thought about doing some thing like that organising fashion shows and working in them or id really like to work within a theatre costume department i really don't know its such a confusing time right now.

hopefully soon ill figure out what i want to do.