Top 10 Aspects of Working In Fashion

image via modAgency

(Fashion Flashback – This post was originally posted on March 4th 2009. With spring in the air, we have just been reminiscing about all the reasons we love NYC fashion. Plus, we decided to re-post this article for some of our newer readers. Enjoy!)

We thought we’d put together a top ten list of all the reasons we love working in fashion. Considering how often we bitch and moan about all the “issues” in our industry, we thought we’d throw in some positive as well. For many of us, getting a job in fashion was a dream come true, but turning your dream into an actual profession can cause some of the shine to wear off. But what keeps us all here, day in and day out, is our love for all things fashion. So in no particular order here is our list.

1. Shopping, shopping, and more shopping. Who wouldn’t love to get paid to shop at all the best stores, all over NYC, the country, and the world. Not to mention, when you get done using all you sweet shopping goodies they can often end up in your closet!
2. Living in NYC! Arguably the best city in the world and fashion’s playground. Living here is a unique and inspiring experience. No matter how exhausting of a week you’ve had, the pulse of this great city will keep you going.
3. Getting to express your passion for fashion. No matter what department or category of the business you work in, if you work in the fashion industry you will live, eat, sleep and breathe fashion.
4. It just sounds cool! A random little perk to working in the business is the enjoyment you get whenever somebody asks, “So what do you do for a living?” Whether you are a pattern maker, graphic designer, buyer, designer, or whatever, saying that you work in fashion is just plain cool (unless you are a reality TV star, then not so much).
5. Seeing people wearing your product is always a thrill. It will often catch you off guard, like the person in front of you in the grocery store, wearing a jacket you produced. Or, as you’re window shopping downtown, a mannequin is sporting that adorable miniskirt you designed a year ago and have long forgotten about.
6. Getting to travel the world on the company’s dime! Whether it’s shop trips to Europe or factory trips to Asia, fashion offers once in a lifetime travel experiences.
7. Money, yes we said money. We often complain about being underpaid but, it is possible to make a decent living in the fashion industry. While you will most likely never get rich, you are getting paid to do what you love, and compared to the alternative (working in retail or fashion media) the pay can be very rewarding.
8. Working in a profession that values and caters your innate creativity is a rare treat. While the fashion industry is certainly a business, creativity is rewarded, and in a successful workplace it is fostered.
9. We are all affecting the consumer market. No matter how large or small your company, we all have a national if not global impact on the economy. In some way, what you are working on today will impact the manufacturing and retail marketplace tomorrow.
10. The people. Over the years we have all worked with many coworkers who share our passions and have also had the privilege to learn from many talented industry veterans (divas and crazy beotches aside). Not to mention, the entertainment value in meeting models and celebrities alike, it’s all the people who make this industry what it is, and that includes all of you, our lovely readers.

Inspired By – Spring 2010

Spring is in the air and we are in great anticipation of the upcoming warm months. We couldn’t be more excited to shed our winter woolies and break out our new spring/summer wardrobes. It seems we’ve had endless seasons ruled by shades of gray and drab fabrications; we are thrilled to say the doom and gloom (both fashionably and economically) are on their way out. This spring we are inspired by new shapes, innovative prints, bold and happy colors, and really anything that brings a smile to our face. Pictured below are some of the items that have inspired us this season. What are you looking forward to this spring? What’s on your wish-list for next season?

Fashion Perversion?

In the fashion world, boundaries are pushed and lines blurred. In an industry based on selling an image, reality often gets skewed. That is certainly the case when it comes to sex and fashion. In case you haven’t heard, famed fashion photographer Terry Richardson has recently come under fire for his inappropriate behavior and alleged sexual misconduct. Apparently the photographer has been taking advantage of underage models during nude photo shoots. Terry Richardson has long been regarded as, a top fashion photographer with clients like Bazaar, Vogue, Tom Ford, Prada, and even H&M. He has also long been regarded as, a man with deviant sexual appetites and a fondness for teen models.

What has really gotten to us about this whole story is not the revelation that yet another man in authority is taking sexual advantage of a young girl, but rather the fashion world’s reaction to it. We have seen and heard things like, “Oh well, that’s just how fashion works” or “That’s just him, he means no harm, he’s eccentric” or “Everyone knows he’s flirty but he does it openly and these girls take it, they get famous and he gets paid, so who cares?” It’s shocking to us that these sorts of “boys will be boys” excuses are still around in 2010. The notion that artists needs to be given free reign, so as not to inhibit their craft is ridiculous. Richardson’s photography would be no less beautiful if he were required to behave professionally on set. Really there is no reason at all, that this type of behavior should be tolerated and the fact that so many fashion insiders think he deserves a pass because it’s part of the “business” is disgusting. There is no reason for anybody to be treated this way and whether or not what he did was technically illegal, it is still wrong. Being talented is not an excuse for being an asshole.

We were happy to see some sanity in this mess thanks to the brilliant team at Jezebel. To read their articles click here, here, and here. They also shared some further Richardson stories from readers, like:

A woman who is friends with a stylist who used to work with Richardson. “She quit because of having to watch him sexually harassing/abusing two (naked) teenage Eastern European models who didn’t speak English — she didn’t speak up, and was so ashamed I don’t think she did anymore styling for quite a while afterwards.”

An anonymous ex-subject, who wrote from an anonymous e-mail address and did not reply to follow-up questions, said she posed for Richardson after she lost her job at a coffee shop and needed money. She claims she thought she would be shooting “artful nudes”:

He first asked me to play with myself, and just made really creepy demands.

He said it wasn’t pornish because he was shooting still shots, and when I said that I felt like he was seeing if I was just dumb, he handed me the camera and said, “Fine you should [shoot] me playing with myself.”

I mean his assistants were like, “Do you think all these celebrities would take pictures with him if it was porn?”

This kind of thing is just reprehensible and it is time to stop making up excuses for illegal and predatory behavior on the basis of talent. And yes, Dov Charney and Roman Polanski we’re looking at you too!

Fashion Director Contest

We got the scoop about a design contest courtesy of Macy’s and the prize is a $500 gift card! Just in time for spring shopping, this contest is awarding prizes everyday for the whole month. This will be a no-brainer contest for all our design professionals and our dear fashion blogger friends will excel in getting the voting numbers needed. So we encourage you all to check it out. Here’s more details from Macy’s:

Macy’s called *FASHION DIRECTOR DAILY FASHION CHALLENGE*; a 30-day contest

that lets fashionistas put it all together. By mixing and matching the

right pieces around a daily theme, participants get the chance to win a $500

gift card every day. The interactive outfit maker at

www.macys.com/fashiondirector lets you combine the season’s hottest fashions

and accessories to style, shop, and share the perfect look. From putting

together an outfit for a blind date to selecting the perfect look for a big

work presentation, the challenges will mirror everyday situations, as well

as special occasions.

Using the mix and match tool, participants can virtually select pieces to

create unique outfits ideal for the challenge of the day. Suggested pieces

from Macy’s Spring 2010 collections will help those in need of guidance.

Are you up for the fashion challenge? Here is how it works –

· Build the perfect outfit by dragging pieces to the virtual canvas

until you are satisfied with the look

· Once completed, click submit to enter your outfit into the voting

gallery

· Share your look on Facebook and Twitter and invite your friends

and family to vote for your outfit

· The outfit that gets the most votes each day will win that day’s

challenge and a $500 Macy’s gift card

Macy’s FASHION DIRECTOR DAILY FASHION CHALLENGE is a 30-day contest that lets fashionistas put it all together. By mixing and matching the right pieces around a daily theme, participants get the chance to win a $500 gift card every day. The interactive outfit maker at lets you combine the season’s hottest fashions and accessories to style, shop, and share the perfect look. From putting together an outfit for a blind date to selecting the perfect look for a big work presentation, the challenges will mirror everyday situations, as well as special occasions.

Using the mix and match tool, participants can virtually select pieces to create unique outfits ideal for the challenge of the day. Suggested pieces from Macy’s Spring 2010 collections will help those in need of guidance.

Are you up for the fashion challenge? Here is how it works –

• Build the perfect outfit by dragging pieces to the virtual canvas until you are satisfied with the look
• Once completed, click submit to enter your outfit into the voting gallery
• Share your look on Facebook and Twitter and invite your friends and family to vote for your outfit
• The outfit that gets the most votes each day will win that day’s challenge and a $500 Macy’s gift card

Fashion Flashback – The Copycat

Diane Von Furstenberg dress knocked off by Forever 21

(Fashion Flashback – Originally posted on 2/19/09 – It was just over a year ago when this article was originally posted, and we thought in honor of the recent Oscars and our popular new post on the fashion calendar, it would be a good time to revisit a trend that is unfortunately thriving in the fashion industry. The below post should shed some facts on the issue of knocking off and you may want to click here for more details on the topic. It is certainly a fine line, between knocking-off somebody’s work, versus using high-end fashion as inspiration for affordable , trendy items for the masses.)

Being in the midst of award season and fashion week, we all are coveting the exquisite yet ridiculously expensive fashions on display. While many of us cannot afford couture, we turn to more affordable brands to give us our fashion fix. Although there is a grave difference between making style affordable to the masses, and straight up copying another designer’s product. Many designers and brands have made a name for themselves by knocking off high-end designers. Chief among them is the brand ABS, who quickly parades their red carpet Oscar knockoffs on morning shows across the country following the Academy Awards. Recently, ABS and fashion label Faviana, débuted gowns inspired by Michelle Obama’s inaugural fashions on the Today Show. Couture evening wear is not the only garment class being copied; actually every category is subject to copycats. Stores like Forever 21 and H&M have made multimillion dollar businesses out of knocking off designer looks for less.

Many would argue, as we did here, that all fashion is in some sense copying from elsewhere. Designers, high-end and low, all get inspiration from somewhere and are influenced by what they see in their daily lives, including from fashion rivals. Next time you wander through a mall or department store, see if you can find a garment that is not in some way similar to an existing design; be it in color, fabric, silhouette, or overall aesthetic. But back to the original issue, what about those brands whose true intention is to knock off a particular item as close to the original as possible. The most common question we get is, “is that even legal?” In short, yes unfortunately, it is legal.

Unlike most products in the United States, fashion design is not protected by intellectual property law. While your trademark is protected, like the Levi’s V embroidery, Lacoste’s alligator, or Louis Vuitton’s interlocking LV, the actual garment design is not. Copyright law which protects most artistic works, has an exception for functional creations. So, if your garment is wearable, which of course it is, then it is not protected by law. There is some good news for you graphic designers, graphics like screen prints or original patterns do seem to be covered as artwork. People will often remark, if you have a great design idea you should get a patent for it. Unfortunately, patents only apply to completely new inventions, which as we mentioned above, fashion design is never completely original. This is the reason for the Victoria’s Secret patent “pending” bra campaign. Additionally, in the fast paced world of fashion, by the time the US patent office approved you, your design would no longer be on trend.