February: A Look Back at the Daily Blog Posts in February

Global fashions started in January, but February was the first month of daily blog posts. Although there were a few days missed during February (my deepest apologies), almost every day had its own post. So now, I would like to know if there are any changes you would like to see. Did you have any favorite or least favorite blog postings? There will be some basic changes made during the month of March in an ongoing effort to constantly improve the quality of the blog. You can expect to see permanent pages with additional information about the blog, the author (me), and some minor changes to the content. As always, I will endeavor to bring you relevant, interesting, and educational information about the fashion industry.

Yours truly,
 Miss Lori.

Fashion Companies: M.H.Alshaya Co W.L.L

In 1890, M.H.Alshaya Co. was founded in Kuwait, originally operating as a trading company. It currently does business in 15 countries within the Middle East, Europe, and Africa. M.H.Alshaya Co's retail division started in 1983 and has expanded to include over 55 retail concepts. Within the fashion sector, these include brands such as Topshop, H&M, Express, Claire's, Next, American Eagle, Payless, and Debenhams. It is also responsible for MAC, The Body Shop, Clinique, and Estee Lauder products within the region. For those wanting to work in fashion merchandising &/or retailing, this company offers much job opportunity across the region.

Fashion Design: It's Not Just Coming Up With an Idea

Nowadays, it seems like so many people are wanting to be a fashion designer. There are even television shows devoted to fashion design. However, it's not simply about being able to sketch fashionable clothes. Coming up with fashionable ideas is the easy part. The harder part is understanding how to choose the right fabrics with the right dyes & print techniques (and patterns) so the garment will lay how you want it to. It's knowing how to cut the fabric so it drapes around the body in a manner that perfectly mimics the original sketch or idea. It's choosing the right edge finishes and at least being aware of how they are sewn. It's knowing what you like, knowing what the public likes, and being aware of any conflict of interests because at the end of the day you have to make something that will sell (unless, of course, you want your time as a fashion designer to be short-lived). Furthermore, you have to do all this within the budget and cohesive style and colors set by the head of the design teams. Just because you are able to come up with really cool fashion sketches does NOT make you a designer. Coming up with the designs is the easy part; it's knowing how to turn them into a reality your target market will adore that's the hard part. 

Interesting Links...

People derive inspiration from many different places. Sometimes, as a designer, ideas for future work can be derived from seemingly unrelated areas. Although fashionable clothes are designed with current and future clothing trends in mind, sometimes it helps to look at other resources for artistic inspiration. This week, I'd like to present the following links that may provide inspiration for designers:
Louvre Museum in Paris
World Architecture Community
Microbiology Pictures
National Geographic's Photo of the Day
Japanese Anime

These are a few links to get you started with design inspiration. Think in terms of texture, round curves vs. straight lines, drape, color, contrast, and size. I hope this helps those of you wanting to design. For everyone else, I hope it provides a welcome distraction from everyday life!

Fashion Universities: Universitat Politécnica de Catalunya- BarcelonaTech

The Terassa School of Engineering at Universitat Politécnica de Catalunya offers a Diploma in Textiles and a Master's in Textile, Paper, and Graphics Engineering. The Master's programme is two years long and is taught in both Catalan and Spanish. Why study here? For one, it's located near Barcelona, Spain. Barcelona, Spain is a popular tourist destination just off the coast of northern Spain. The university has a good reputation world-wide. The program itself appears to be good, to say the least. Furthermore, being offered fully in Spanish and Catalan offers the advantage of non-native speakers learning these languages on an academic level.

Fashion Careers: Information Systems & Technology

Even during the economic downturn, what amazed me was the availability of IT jobs within apparel companies. Although it may seem counter-intuitive to search job postings at a fashion company when searching for an IT position, in actuality there are lots of opportunities. There are jobs related to e-commerce, logistics, programming, business analysts, marketing, and mobile technologies to name a few. Although this is one type of fashion career I am not as familiar with, it is one that always seems to have job availability. Perhaps the best way to determine which companies to apply for is to decide where you want to work. With many department stores and athleticwear companies -such as Nike, Adidas, Kohl's, Wal*Mart, Target- being headquartered outside major fashion capitals (e.g. New York, London, Los Angeles) perhaps the best way to determine which one to apply to is to determine what kind of city is best to reside in.

London Fashion Week

It's simply that time of year again when major fashion captials around the world are hosting their respective fashion weeks. With London's fashion week almost through, highlights of the first four days are now available online. Fashion weeks are nothing more than a publicity stunt to gain attention and brand prestige. They are meant to be talked about, meant to spark controversy and interest, passion and debate. London's fashion week may not be quite as controversial as some, but it still has its moments, too. Twiggy, the well-known English model best known for her elongated boyish figure, has been interviewed on her opinion of London Fashion Week. Stay tuned for more information on more upcoming fashion weeks and of course, the weekly regular blog topics. Cheers!