Fashion Industry

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Sarah Lee started out from a small job with Mr Singh working on her own with her own space to work, from there she met Topshop buyers, this is extremely good for a first jib, as she lived in London she was able to network well. This shows that the location where you work is very important when it comes to networking. Sarah went to many clothes shows where she was influenced she showed other companies the work she could achieve. This shows that networking is everything Sarah got her name out there and showed other people what she could do. When it comes to networking it broadens your chances with jobs and opportunities. From there she moved on the Body best where she collaborated with a designer this shows with the fashion industry there is not just one aspect you can stick too you can learn and excel in other areas. She had to also endure harsh work placements, but that is what every has to go through to understand the ways of industry. She had to go for lower paying jobs e.g. getting teas and cof-

fees. Getting different samples for magazines which is also good for networking. She has shown me that even if the job is bad it is what you can get out of it, the best thing to do is make the best out of a bad job as you can. As Sarah lee went from job to job she was able to travel. It just shows how many differ- ent skills she gained from all her different jobs. She has really shown me how cruel but also rewarding the industry can be. You just have to be tough and try your hardest. There are go- ing to many jobs that may not work for myself but also many jobs I can excel in.

Through Sarah Lees talk I learnt how the industry has changed over the years, how it has become even tougher and you have to get yourself out there to be heard. Sarah also showed me how much inspiration there is around the world and fashion is never ending, there are millions of prints and embroidery that have not yet been found. By working with other people you can work off each other giving people differ- ent ideas and chances.

From this I have learnt how important networking is and how it will effect me in later life. I have also learnt that there are a vast majority of jobs in industry to get to ahead in life, they may not all be good but you have to take what you are given to make the best of what you can do. From these many jobs net- working is key. It is also important where you are living as you want to be somewhere where fashion is a very big influence.

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CHAPTER 4

Danielle Romerill

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Irish designer

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In this session we Danielle Romerill came is, she is a Irish de- signer focused in womens wear, she was just recently exhib- ited in Milan for Vouge Italia. The latest geneteration support her clothes a lot, she makes most of her money from collabora- tions he most recent collaboration was with Neutrogena. She has run her own business from Dublin for 2/3 years now, she studied in Limerick. She interned every summer some of them in London and Paris.

Danielle has shown me that you cannot rely on anyone else if you want things to happen you have to make them happen. By getting a internship she has gained invaluable experience. As she was talking about her styling she did after graduating for Amanda Wakely she said how important her portfolio was which I understand as it shows the best of your work, when it comes to your portfolio you must put in all you have to make it also reflect who you are as a person. The presentation of the photos is very important. You must always do more than you asked for which is something that I do need to excel in so peo- ple understand how willing you are to go for your dream.

It is very important to accept all opportunities just as she when she moved to Italy for a year, even though she says it was difficult at least she did it and took the leap. She worked very independently which meant she did not learn much. When she came back she did some freelance work which I think is always a good idea as you will meet many different cli- ents. As she started her freelance she decided to make a collec- tion that was more feminine.

From this talk I learnt that there are many different jobs you can get from being a designer, it is always good to take differ- ent types of work. It is also good to giver new things a try e.g. moving to Italy. Working for large companies gives you a lot of different experience and makes you more admirable for other companies.

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CHAPTER 5 Claire Burns

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In this session Claire Burns came in and talked about how she started off as an accountant and changed into fashion and ended up working in peacocks for 27 years. She spoke how she moved from finance into merchandising. This was very inter- esting at it was a such a drastic change in jobs.

She spoke how she worked well in a team and how she had to understand people’s different skills sets to get the best results. She said if you wanted to be a designer you would have to un- derstand how important the buy is. The buyer needs to get on with everyone. The fashion industry is not about going behind peoples backs its about working together to end up with the best end product. Claire Burns was very smart when it came to merchandising by buying products around the world and re-selling them. It is the same with fashion design to have to be very clever with your designs as you want them to meet your target audience.

Claire taught me that demands need to always be met on time and there is no excuse which is what I am learning at uni, al- ways prepare yourself. She spoke a lot about travel as her job as a merchandiser had many demands for her to travel so she could see new garments and mange different supply bases. She needed to have a very good attention to detail. As a de- signer I will also need to have good attention to detail. She spoke a lot about the demands of her work, looking at the qual- ity control and the sourcing.

From this talk I realize that I need to get better at my organiza- tion and my time control as it will be more demanding in in-

dustry. As this talk was more about merchandising it made me realize that this is a field I am not so keen about. I feel this field would