Flickr image via Christiaan’s view
Remember the old adage our mothers and grandmothers used when we wanted a later curfew, “Nothing good happens after midnight. What do you need to be doing after midnight that can’t be done before?” Well, we believe this pearl of wisdom should also apply to working hours. And ideally midnight should be changed to 6pm. The fact of the matter is, in the fashion industry ridiculously late nights and unbearable working hours are par for the course. We’d like to call bullshit on that practice and see an end to it immediately. What fashion industry executives don’t seem to get is, overworking your design staff does not make your company more profitable. Unlike many jobs, when a designer is overworked and burned out, their creativity is compromised and in turn their exhaustion DIRECTLY effects the product. Creativity on demand after extended hours, leads to forced unoriginal designs, which leads to a fall in profit. It is absurd to work designers the way many companies do; and it’s not surprising that so many brands see their reputations and sales plummeting as a result.
So where does this current rant come from? Well, one of our contributors was recently on an interview at a major apparel company for a design position. The first question she was asked was not, “Can I see your portfolio?” or, “What is your design aesthetic?” but rather, “Can you start tomorrow and work straight through the holidays?” Straight through the holidays; what did that mean exactly? Well exactly that, straight through the holidays including the weekends with only Christmas day and New Years day off. Meaning, yes, she would be working 7 days a week, including Christmas Eve and New Years Eve. Before she could even respond the Head Designer asked, “And you don’t mind working late hours do you?” Well, what did he mean by late? With a straight face and a completely unsympathetic the Head Designer answered, “Any where from 10pm to 2 am.” WTF, seriously, is that what this industry has come to? Is that what we all went to college for? Do we all want to spend the holidays with our families, or in a rundown office working on techpacks?
Sadly, this situation is not unique. And it is not simply the 16 hour days that make it so miserable. The working conditions a designer would be immersed in for this 80+ hour work week are completely unacceptable. This particular company, due to recession cutbacks, was not buying any new office furniture, so all new hires were subjected to working these hours while sitting in folding chairs! Not to mention, during this frigid time of the year most of these high-rise Garment Center office buildings shut off their heat at 6pm. Thus forcing designers to be hunched over their computers typing away in scarves and gloves until the wee hours of the morning. Companies are so beholden to the notion that fashion design is such a desirable and competitive field, that execs don’t think twice forcing people to work unreasonable hours in poor conditions.
We tried to think of a job that requires a college education, expects these long hours, and horrible conditions, but couldn’t think of one. Careers in law, finance, or business, require long hours, but they’re provided excellent working conditions i.e. ergonomically correct chairs, stocked kitchens, car service home for late night, and umm heat! Also, they are paid decimal points more to make up for the long hours and loss of a personal life. The only profession that comes close is perhaps a young doctor or resident, they endure long hours, a rough work environment, and low pay. However, at least when they are deliriously exhausted, burned out, and broke, they can justify these conditions at the end of the day because they are saving lives, not just producing another striped polo shirt. And of course they have job security, benefits, and the knowledge that one day they will be paid appropriately!
This rant on the excessive hours in the fashion industry got us thinking about previous post. This article by the lovely Gilda discusses the crazy schedule of a Parson’s student. We received a very interesting comment from an outside observer with a unique perspective on the industry that we’d like to share;
Our daughter is currently in Foundation Year 1 at Parsons and in my opinion the workload is ridiculous. The social time is almost nil and the purpose of going to such a neat school in such a great city is the experience that the combination will give you as you pursue your goals.
You can not have free thought and generate ideas without proper sleep, time to reflect and to relate to your fellow students.
I have two degrees, an HBA (’80) and an MBA (’02)and although I remember some very tough times with workload, I do not remember periods such as what my daughter is going through.
RS
The irony is, as much as we sympathize with these students, if the intent of an education is to prepare you for the reality of the industry, it seems Parson’s has hit the mark. But as we, and this lovely commenter, have pointed out, the results of these fashion industry working condition are of no service to anyone. There is an inherent flaw in the system, which results in the merchandise suffering. So for all you shoppers, next time you walk through the mall and shake your head at all the uninspiring, generic items, ask yourself this: what designs would you come up with, on no sleep, little money, at 1am in the freezing cold? Exactly!
