THE DESIGNER FASHION INDUSTRY AND THE YEARLY CYCLE

CRITICAL PATH

What it looks like, how it works. Understanding of the seasonal cycle. Understanding of a product journey: conception, design, sample, sales, delivery, in store, marketing, PR. Understanding of the basic business cycle: cashflow, buying, producing, shipping, budgeting. How the different departments are involved in the creation and selling of a collection.

Understanding of how a collection is brought together, how a Critical Path is created and followed.

STUDIO WORK PLACE

TIME MANAGEMENT

Working as part of a wide team. Understanding of health and safety issues.

Awareness of how different departments contribute to a company’s goals.

Able to work to a strict deadline, and to deal with simple project management.

COMMUNICATION

Communication skills both written and verbal. Professional emails, diary management. Working as part of a team. Communicating with people internal and external to the organisation. Representing the organisation.

OFFICE ADMIN

Basic invoicing or ordering, diary management, planning and preparation for meetings, admin and data entry.

STUDIO MANAGEMENT

MATERIALS

PATTERN KNOWLEDGE

GARMENT CONSTRUCTION

Working in a studio team, dealing with designers, manufacturers, technical staff, suppliers, production team, freelancers and clients.

Basic understanding of different fabrics, yarns and trims, how they work, how they are priced, where they may be sourced from. Learning about ways to handle, cut and store materials. Potential to learn about designer specific techniques, such as print, embroidery, knit, jacquard and leather work.

A basic understanding of pattern cutting and grading and the importance of fit. How to take measurements and cost a garment. Awareness of how CAD/CAM may be part of the process.

Good basic knowledge of garment construction. Knowledge of the proto development stage, and the sealing of samples. Be able to cut and sew a toile.

BUYING AND SOURCING

PRODUCT MANAGEMENT

QUALITY CONTROL

Researching or sourcing of fabric/components. Placing orders and assistance with controlling inventory. Awareness of leadtimes and minimums for bulk ordering. Consideration of ethical and environmental factors when working with suppliers and factories.

How to cost garments, ability to create a layplan and a bill of materials, how to enter information onto a product management system for use in sales and production.

Understanding of the importance of an accurate technical sheet for manufacturers.

Able to quality control garments, fabrics or accessories. Good eye for detail, awareness of what to look for, how to report and communicate issues. How to prepare garments ready for sale or presentation: steaming, labelling, packing, storing. 

SALES STRATEGY

Awareness of the different selling channels open to designers: wholesale, retail, online, via a franchisor, licensor, with agents and distributers.

Understanding of how a strategy will be created and followed for targeting a market. Understanding in more detail of how either wholesale, ecommerce or retail works.

MARKET AWARENESS

Develop knowledge of a specific market, either domestic or international. Gain the ability to describe who a brand’s customer is and to be able to undertake basic market and competitor research.

MERCHANDISING

Understanding of the importance of range planning, price architecture and sales analysis. Involvement in sales analysis, gathering sell through information, assistance in report creation.

LOGISTICS

Packaging, dispatch and shipping, including an awareness of basic international regulations. Dealing with couriers and deliveries, to and from suppliers and customers.

SHOWROOM

How to present a collection, look after a space, greet clients, maintain a required standard of visual merchandising. Involvement in preparing documents for sales such as linesheets.

CUSTOMER RELATIONSHIP MANAGEMENT

Ability to manage customer data in a responsible way. Awareness of how it is used, and how it should be protected. Knowledge of the importance of customer service and an ability to deal with certain customer service issues.

Assistance with clienteling or chasing sales leads.

PR STRATEGY

Understanding of how and why a brand is promoted in different channels and markets. Awareness of how a strategy is created for a brand or product and what the marketing calendar will be.

ONLINE BRAND COMMUNICATION

Involvement in digital marketing: social media, mailers, websites. Understanding of how the channels work, how they contribute to brand awareness and how to effectively use them for communication. Ability to create basic reports on traffic and growth in brand following.

OFFLINE BRAND COMMUNICATION

Understanding of the role played by print media, and events. May include fashion shows, VIP dressing, collaborations with other brands and partnerships with retailers.

EVENTS

Involvement with events preparation and coordination. This could be fashion shows, sales showrooms, tradeshows, photoshoots or press days. Helping to set up and run a showroom space, manage an appointment diary, and coordinate samples.

MEDIA AND INFLUENCER

RELATIONSHIP MANAGEMENT

CONTENT CREATION

Developing relationships with clients, press or fashion organisations. Understanding of the role of influencers from different spheres and how to engage them with the brand.

Assistance in writing copy and creating presentations. Involvement in preparing professional documents such as press releases or event invitations. Potential involvement in social media uploading, and manipulation of images and graphics for on or offline marketing.

Able to work to strict deadlines and to cope with a work pace varying considerably throughout the year. Ability to think on feet, be resourceful, and have a flexible attitude toward changes in work plans.

Hardworking, able to work independently without supervision, hands on attitude and drive to succeed in a competitive environment. Interested in self-development.

Shows maturity in coping with a fast paced, pressured environment. Professional approach to job, and in dealings with other members of staff and external company contacts.