This site was originally established to help fashion students learn the art of making ready to wear patterns for swimwear … as a pseudo textbook in the absence of a suitable college level text. Since then I’ve expanded it somewhat, but stretch fit pattern making for fashion students is still the main agenda. If you want to be a fashion designer you need to learn the appropriate skills right? Well many people think that simply because they have a good idea then they’ll be a good designer … afterall necessity is the mother of invention right? Well not really. All good inventors have some background and education in their relevant field. And really, would you visit a doctor who hadn’t been to medical school? Would you hire an architect to construct your house, or a handyman? I say all this for a good reason …
You don’t need a degree to be able to sew something. You don’t need a degree to be able to draw a picture of a pretty dress. You don’t really need a degree to be able to do anything in the fashion industry … you can pretty much learn all of it by picking up a book (where they exist) and having a go at it by trial and error. Of course you’ll learn it all much faster at college and you’ll actually get to find out if you’re really doing it right … but there aren’t any laws that say you must be a qualified designer to make a swimsuit for retail sale (at least not in Australia).
I’ve known many designers (some very successful ones too) who never went to college. They spent years learning how to do things the hard way and often lost a lot of money in the process … but they still got there. I’ve also known many design graduates who’ll never be successful or who’ve already given up trying to find work. College doesn’t guarantee anything … but the same person will do significantly better with, than without, a college degree.
Sure if you have a knack for business you might be able to hire an entire team of qualified people to do all the technical stuff for you, but how do you know they’re doing the job properly (or indeed if they’re even the right people for the job) if you don’t know what to look for? Very often I get emails from people who’ve simply had a really good idea they want to manufacture (and yes they’re great ideas!) or from people who feel that a particular figure type is missing from the market place (these people really just don’t know where to look) or from people who don’t like how the system works and they want to change it by offering something different (in competition to existing successful businesses). There was an article on Fashion Incubator last month called 3 stupid reasons to start a clothing line. The authour Kathleen Fasanella knows much about the business of fashion and is the authour of a book that anyone entering the fashion industry for the first time must read (that’s must read, not should read). If you’re simply looking to enter a glamorous career and you think you’re especially talented at being stylish then you’re probably doing it for the wrong reasons.
Swimwear is certainly glamorous and it can be an awful lot of fun. It’s really easy to promote (I mean who doesn’t like looking at beautiful women in swimsuits), the sampling process is fast and easy if you have a skilled machinist, you will need a very good pattern maker (who are few and far between), but it’s all really possible for a new graduate or someone with experience in the industry. The biggest problem most novice designers face is the massively huge competition for space in the market. Competition means you have to sell a better product for a better price if you want to survive … and that’s not always easy for a beginner. In most cases it is actually impossible to even produce swimwear in a first world country for less than they can get it to the first world retailer from China or India.
Now if you aren’t a qualified designer, with machining and pattern making experience and able to produce your own samples the first few times around, you’re going to be spending a lot of money for professional services … money you need to factor into the equation (see Kathleen’s book). What I’m trying to say here, is … don’t go into being a swimwear designer until you’ve studied the market, your potential buyers and done all the sums … don’t be blinded by a good idea or the glamour of calling yourself a “swimwear designer”.
OK so you’ve done your sums and checked out the market thoroughly and you’re even able to make up your own samples … what next? Well, what is your competition doing? Are you really objective about what you can offer that others don’t? For example, would you offer a wider range of sizes? What about mix and match tops and bottoms? Do you really think the public will like your styles or prints better than those of your opposition? How about a wider range of prints? Do you provide a better quality garment?? The list goes on … I’m trying to be very realistic here …
So let’s answer these questions. Everywhere I go on the net I see the words “high quality”. What exactly does that mean to the average shopper? Does it prove the garment has been made to comply with a minimum manufacturing standard like other goods? Does it prove a garment has been tested after manufacture to assert it’s performance? Not at all. The words “high quality” are bantered around without a second thought. But here’s the thing …. most designers use those words as their only point of difference in the market place!! There are standard testing methods and performance standards, but how many websites do you see publishing the actual quality standards they’ve met?? The answer is very, very few indeed … and for those that do, that is their point of difference.
Many swimwear retailers and websites are now offering considerably more than mix and match. Not only can you chose a different size top to bottom, but you can essentially “design your own swimsuit” by choosing sizing, features and prints and having the retailer assemble it for you. There is an extra cost for this kind of flexibility, but it was once considered a significant point of difference that was marketable … now that so many places are doing it, most don’t even charge an extra fee. Take a look at the website of Zena Swimwear as an example. Now I’m not endorsing them as I have no idea how good they are, but take a look at how you can choose different designs, features and sizing … not to mention a list of fabric and print choices that’s so large it takes forever to load the page!
The reason I hear most for people going into swimwear design is that “as a women I know how hard it is to find good fitting swimwear so I’ve decided to do my own range”. These people generally have no fashion qualifications or experience whatsoever but they think they can find a stretch fit pattern maker (the one who’s usually subcontracting to all those bad fitting designers) to make their patterns better than all the others. What most people don’t realise is that their are many different body shapes and they’re probably not getting a good fit on themselves and their friends because they aren’t the average shape … meaning they really need to try a few more designers. Making a range to fit “not the average” is of course really stupid. I’m not talking about plus sizes here, I’m talking about shape. Have you ever wondered why some women only perfectly fit a limited number of designers and complain about the other designers not knowing how to make clothes properly? They arrogantly assume their shape is normal and all shapes are the same. Most couture designers know the shape and size of their target market and they cater to it precisely and repeatedly in hope of catching the same customer next season. This is also sensible as it means a designer can keep using the same pattern blocks safely over and over again. Furthermore, trying to increase your market share by changing your fit can often alienate existing customers and lose you money! Something to think about. Let me assure everyone that every shape and size has been catered for already … it used to be hard to find plus sizes once, however the internet has well and truely fixed that problem.
The last point of difference is usually one of style. Now I’ll accept this one. If you can design something amazingly different and appealing that hasn’t been done before then you might be on to something. But can you do it consistently every year or just once? Please be objective. I’m not talking about different prints here, I’m talking about the actual cut of the garment and its style lines. There are billions of prints available and their desirability is purely subjective. When it comes to bikinis there’s really not much you can do differently … at least not significantly (hence my earlier admiration of Herve Leger for managing this). Ten years ago we saw a huge revival of the monokini and cutaway one pieces but even these are looking considerably recycled now.
Then there’s the flipside to the style difference argument. Women are generally very self conscious in swimwear and while they like to look good, very few like to stand out. Fitting in with the crowd is incredibly important for teenage girls … hence the success of surfwear – the boringly standard bikini brief and triangle top.
Lastly, do you really need a point of difference? Can you simply make swimwear because you like doing it and think of it as a way of providing an income and nothing more ? Absolutely … and this is the single best reason for becoming a swimwear designer … or any kind of fashion designer for that matter.
Here are two articles I found on becoming a swimwear designer ….
… not the most insightful articles, but another perspective never hurt anyone.
All of the above is simply trying to get people to objectively analyse why it is they want to be swimwear designers and to be sure they’ve got all the experience, facts and figures right when they make the decisions. Being a designer can be very rewarding, but it’s also hard work and not for the feint of heart … anyone who tells you otherwise is lying!
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Alana, you’ll need something ready to present to a company that’s looking to employ someone as part of the design team, be it pattern maker, sample maker, machinist or designer … whatever the position they’re going to want to see something, especially if you don’t have paper qualifications to show the. Put together a portfolio of your work that shows the progression from design insipartion in a step by step process through to completed garments. Then take that to the interview … or simply front up to wherever and tell them you’re looking for work and here’s your portfoilio … you never know what could happen.
I have been designing lingerie and swimwear for about a year and would like to take it to the next level. It really is about fit, and I make the samples myself. I would like to know how to take this personal knowledge and talent to a company to really show them I could be a part of the design team. Otherwise, I suppose I could do it on my own. I am one of those design students that actually knows what their doing, and didnt attend school because of a love of dressing myself. I’m actually quite terrible at dressing myself in the morning. BUT, get me in front of a light table or a sewing machine… thats magic. Now, what is my next step…..?
I was lucky to have spent my childhood learning music to a high standard, so I supported my fashion dreams through teaching my instruments at about 4 times the hourly rate of what I earnt in my day job. 5 hours on Saturday paid the bills and the rest of my working week bought the Manolos… well, copies from KMart. And it was never a full time working week, either. Every time I got a good job, the company would hit a crisis and cut me down to part time. For a long time I blamed my poor career management skills, then I thought it was because I’m in the wrong city, now I realise that it was just the way it is, and I was lucky to have had a fallback that allowed me to keep doing what I loved.
My brother, a photographer, did much the same. He worked as a fishmonger on Sundays, on excellent penalty rates, for 10 years as he established his business. He is very level headed, and has never felt that what he does is artistic, or creative. For him it’s a case of answering a need in the marketplace better than the next guy. Subsequently, he’s doing very well. If anyone even suggests he is artistic, the look he throws them could wither a fossil. He is, though. Extremely.
I wish fashion schools taught students that approach more than they encourage “creative vision”. When it comes down to it, few kids have enough in their heads yet to have a creative vision worth sharing. I’m only getting there now, and it’s grown out of my technical knowledge.
hahahaha I love your reassessment of the quote.
I think actually that fashion is one of the worst offenders of the relearning false information epidemic. The problem is that it a flashy industry and so there are people (like fashion magazines) providing information who are not only extremely non-knowledgeable but also who’s sole purpose is to sell things through image and sensationalism. Perhaps the only other trade I can think of that would rival the false image (but still not even close) is that of being a pilot. I know a lot of pilots because I trained in Air Traffic Control and they usually start as single engine pilots where they are the pilot, flight attendant, and baggage carrier for customers going to remote areas. If they make it to corporate level they do long distance flights where the computer does everything and all they get to do is take off and land (and in the US actually they are allowed to use the automated landing system at some airports).
With fashion, even someone who is clear headed and realistic will still have a lot of unlearning and relearning to do because the information that is presented to them, to even the most diligent researchers, are at the very least glamourized. I get so tired of books that are supposedly about the industry and they have “industry interviews” where they interview designers only. There are so many types of jobs available that I was totally ignorant of until I was more than a year into my studies and only learned of because of my non-student-like research.
But hey sites like yours and Fashion-Incubator, hopefully mine, and others that pop up in the future will help change that! I am sure of it
It’s all about making the information available to as many people as possible so that they have the opportunity to re-educate themselves 
You’re not off topic at all AJ … you’re perfectly correct. Most of these careers guidance people seem to write quite positive articles and that’s fine and supportive. I find that most trades (I still think of fashion as a trade rather than a professional degree) have a period where you need to unlearn false assumptions about the industry before you can learn the truth …fashion is no exception. Much of my email time is spent correcting such assumptions which leaves me depressed (or maybe frustrated is a better word) as I know eventually the people who had such great joyous dreams will more than likely end up disappointed or disillusioned. I don’t see this changing either.
“An entry-level designer can expect to earn $40,000+ in select cities” should read “An entry-level designer should expect to live off social security payments for a few years or until they accept a much lower paying job on the cutting room floor” …. assuming they’re willing to lower their expectations and get some practical experience.
There are millions of arty designer wannabe type types out there. Once upon a time if you were creative you called yourself creative or crafty or artistic … nowadays you’re an aspiring designer the second you finish pencilling your first drawing. Truth be told it’s the crafty types that probably have more sewing and construction experience than fashion graduates!! Scary huh?
“An entry-level designer can expect to earn $40,000+ in select cities. As a self-employed designer, of course, this figure would multiple by tens or even hundreds.”
That’s from the stylecareer article. That kind of stuff always cracks me up. Apparently if I start my own swimwear label I can earn $4M a year. Why didn’t anyone say so before?? Golly Gee! Did you notice they are selling a PDF book on being a lingerie and swimwear designer for $50? (but it’s a steal because the regular price is $75).
Anyway sorry, that was off topic. I can’t even imagine how difficult it must be to produce a successful swimwear company that continues for more than a couple years with all that competition and sizing has to be much better than a lot of RTW categories. I don’t know how you guys do it!