World of Fashion Design Has New Challenges

Los Angeles fashion school graduates are facing a new set of challenges thanks to growing global competition and the bright spotlight currently on the city’s fashion scene.

A group of industry professionals outlined these challenges during “The New Fashion Industry: A Design and Retail Perspective,” a seminar held Sept. 10 at Los Angeles Trade- Technical College in downtown Los Angeles and sponsored by the California Fashion Association.

Panelists were eveningwear designer Tadashi Shoji of Tadashi Inc.; Alicia Estrada, designer of Stop Staring! Inc.; Darren Gold, co-founder of Mhope and president of the Coalition of Los Angeles Designers; Brian Kastner of Gerber Technology Inc.; Geri Morales, executive recruiter of Scott-Thaler Associates Agency Inc.; and John Montgomery of the Media Arts Group. CFA Executive Director Ilse Metchek moderated the discussion.

The goal of the seminar was to give students a perspective on the employment scenario in the industry and offer guidance on taking the right path to employment.

The good news is there are jobs available. The sewn-products industry, with a volume of $24.3 billion in Los Angeles County and $32.5 billion statewide, is the largest manufacturing sector in Los Angeles and the second-largest manufacturing sector in the state, reported Metchek, citing data from the Los Angeles County Economic Development Corp.

But the panelists did not sugarcoat the current scenario for new designers trying to stake ground.

“It’s getting harder to differentiate yourself now,” Gold said. “The bar has been raised with Fashion Week and more concentration on Los Angeles fashion.”

Gold added that the elimination of apparel quotas among members of the World Trade Organization next year could heighten competition in the apparel industry. With more offshore production, jobs are changing in the United States. There is more demand for pre-production jobs involving computerized pattern-making and product data management for larger companies.

Still, designers Estrada and Gold have been able to start businesses from scratch using Los Angeles’ vast apparel industry resources, including the city’s fabric shops, contractors and manufacturing base.

Estrada launched Stop Staring! about seven years ago from her home, producing the entire vintageinspired line on her own. The business eventually took off, especially after Estrada began marketing the collection over the Internet. Stop Staring! is now a growing force on the West Coast. But the designer conceded that starting a business this way takes its toll.

“When I started, I started from scratch with no money,” Estrada said. “I physically had to sew everything myself. I didn’t have great computer skills, so it was a slow start. But that experience, the hard work, is what drove me.”

The panelists advised students to get plenty of educational and job experience to avoid pitfalls. Knowing basic English and math skills is important, as is learning production software programs, including Adobe Illustrator and Photoshop, according to panelists. Kastner said it has also become critical to learn CAD (computer-aided design) and product data management applications.

The need for more and better education is getting stronger even at the basic levels, panelists said. “The writing skills I see are atrocious. It seems to get worse every year,” Montgomery said.

Students were urged to take advantage of resources such as Fashion Business Inc., the Los Angeles–based agency that offers seminars, consultations and other programs to new apparel companies.

Gold stressed that such organizations can help designers balance their businesses. “You can have the hottest next thing, but if you don’t know how to present it, it doesn’t matter,” he said.

“Make money. I hear many clients say that they shipped a ton of shirts or whatever but didn’t see any profit,” Montgomery observed. “You have to cost the product right.”

So what does the future hold?

“It’s all about design and technology,” Estrada said. “Half of my business comes from the Internet. It’s the cheapest form of advertising. You reach stores around the clock.”

Metchek said new designers should also broaden their horizons beyond California.

“You should look at the world around you,” she said. “Do and see different things. Visit a retail store that you never would have dreamed of entering.”