I’ve finally decided to just say it. I’m not a fashion designer. I might be someday, but I’m not right now, barring the occasional freelance project.

The more research I do, the more work I do, the less I envy fashion designers. I can hear anonymous commenters doubting me already. Surely everyone wants to be a fashion designer, right? If you want to do anything different, it’s probably a cop-out, fear of failure, etc. The alternative route I’ve selected is just as challenging as becoming a fashion designer. Even scarier, I’m throwing it out there for the world to see on the blog. It’s lonely to want something different from what everyone else wants! I wish it was easier to invent a career.

Yes, I could start my own line too, like all the other dissatisfied consumers or desperately unemployed designers out there. The costs are high, the market is crowded, and the attrition rate is, well, brutal.

As they say, 1% of a designer’s job is actually designing. The rest is wading through peanut butter. If you’re a designer employed by a label it’s equally disheartening. Most design is nothing more than copying. Labels are afraid of being leaders, so they expect their designers to follow. Also, because the market is so crowded with wannabe designers, they expect their designers to be cheap. After all, what do they need you for when they can just copy someone else?

Sure it’s funky to say to the general public “I’m a fashion designer”, but if you’re talking to people in the industry they’re less than impressed. Everyone and their dog is a fashion designer these days. The success of these designers generally has more to do with the quality of their businesses and employees. I’m impressed with people who are great at business, or have remarkable physical skill, regardless of the prestige of their job titles.

So when I started my own business, I kiboshed the idea of creating my own label – I can’t afford it, period. That’s why the idea of becoming a small service provider really appeals. I already have the table, the computer, and the space. Overhead and setup costs were therefore pretty low. As a service provider I get to do the fun bits (to me), that is pattern drafting and illustration, etcetera. I can charge a decent wage, work from home, develop my skills, and so far it is picking up slowly but steadily.

I hope someday to have a steady day job so I can be even more selective of the kind of freelance work I do. And no, I’m not fussy about what my job title is – as long as it’s in the apparel industry for a company I respect.

I’ve been thinking a lot about ways to be successful – not only for myself. What makes a fashion business successful, and what makes a city a fashion capital?. In the end it’s all about making money, but what’s the secret sauce for doing that? I’ve got some ideas – I’m going to be posting on all this soon.

From my research it seems like it’s never been a worse time to enter the industry. Compared do even a few years ago, sales are down, businesses are closing, job opportunities are rarer. The game is changing very quickly.

Paradoxically, it might be the best time to enter the industry. The old ways are giving out, and businesses must elect to take smart risks and embrace change or take the greater risk of going under. Now is the time for established businesses to take a chance, and for young professionals to make themselves indispensible by thinking differently. The old ways of doing things are going extinct – it’s not a good idea to follow the dinosaurs.

That’s why I’m not positioning myself as a designer. I’m bringing together different categories of skills – for instance the pile of books I got from the library this week were evenly split between pattern grading, sewing skills and fresh thoughts on postmodern marketing and media. The glamour of the “designer” is no longer as critical to financial success as the quality of the product, the efficiency of the business model, and the level of communication between the different layers of the commodity chain – hence my eclectic lines of research.

I’m a vertically integrated human being. I’m not just a designer – I’m technical, I’m creative, I’m dedicated, and if you take a chance on me I will do everything in my power to help your business make more money.

So I’ll just put it out there – why not, I’ve got nothing to lose. If you know of a small-to-medium sized apparel business in Toronto who needs a versatile, passionate individual to do a lot of, well, everything, let me know.

finalfashion@gmail.com

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