this is the industry, uncut

This post is for those who think fashion is glamorous. This post is for those who are thinking they may want to pursue fashion as a career choice. If you know any of the either category, please forward this to them.

Basically, I work as part of both the design and production teams for a small/medium sized apparel manufacturer based in San Francisco. We do leather, suede, wool, cashmere jackets and coats for men and women. We sell to Nordstrom, Neiman Marcus, Saks, and the sort. We’re expensive. We’re classy and classic. We are yummy buttery leathers with understated detailing.

We’re also understaffed.

I have never worked for a company that wasn’t understaffed. Word of advice: get used to it.

I am not a big believer in the words “this is not my job”. If you like saying that, go look elsewhere for work. Like at a dull soul-sucking corporation that employs you to do one thing and one thing only, day in and day out. If that’s you, more power to you. If you say “that’s not my job” in circumstances that have nothing to do with picking up your boss’s dry cleaning, you’re out. I think I hear Heidi Klum whispering “auf weidershen” somewhere in your general vicinity. But, there are times where I just want to shout it from the rooftops.

When my coworker is sitting at her desk balancing her checkbook, and I’m asked to do something that is her realm of duties, that’s when I want to say it. If my coworker is hustling to get her shit done and needs a favor, I have no problem with that.
When every other sentence out of my coworker’s mouth is “I didn’t know” or “this is before my time” or “That’s not my fault”, I want to backhand her. Basically, you have 2 choices. You either let the mistake happen and screw up the order, or you cover her ass, get the order done and let me tell you, both are rather thankless jobs. The latter being the obvious choice, you gotta find another way to get your coworker fired. You think I’m being bitchy and horrible for trying to get someone fired? I wouldn’t have to resort to it if she carried her load.

Our head designer quit in late November and ever since my coworker and I were the ones left to pick up the slack, along with our creative director. Since I have my eyes on the head designer position, I don’t mind doing double duty her job and mine. But fuck you if you think I’m gonna do my coworker’s job on top of it all while she’s making arrangements with her mother’s caterer on her cell phone.

Enough about her, let’s get back to what my job entails. You think designing is easy and fun? Honey, designing is only 1/10 of a designer’s job, if you’re lucky. Ordering samples, picking swatches, making samples, overseeing fittings, schmoozing over the phone, meeting with vendors, research research research, trying to get everything to cost out to your pricepoint, edit edit edit, hyperventilate, hyperventilate, hyperventilate, lather rinse repeat but make it snappy–I want it all done yesterday.
Don’t get me wrong–I love all that stuff. And I love love love my job. There’s nothing else that I want to do. When I see the end result of my work, I’m so proud and happy.

My point is that’s HARD WORK. If you’re lazy, don’t get into fashion. If you imagine yourself with your sketch pad all day, get over yourself and find yourself a sugar daddy. If you’re stupid, you will get screwed over many many times, by your vendors, by your contractors, by your very own employees, employers and coworkers.

But that’s enough for today. Thanks for reading all that.