Before we even left school, our teachers used to tell us that the choice of our first job was important, and that it would likely determine your future career trajectory. The first time I saw it, I thought it was a good idea. Although you always have the possibility to go back to the beginning and choose again, but the road to take much more twisted. For example, if you go straight into a large company after graduation, it will be quite difficult to work for a small private company in the future; the other way around may be better, but there will still be varying degrees of “awkwardness”. It is not that there is no possibility of being hired, but even if hired, it is most likely difficult to adapt. A friend of mine took this route and ended up in a small company, resigned after only a few days, and had to go back to the big company. Why is this? It’s not hard to understand why. In this industry, every different business model has a direct impact on the work environment and the way employees work; when a way becomes habitual, it’s not easy to change and be accepted.
When we were graduates of the lingerie design program, we had several options in terms of the types of companies we could work for:
One of them was the nationally known cooperative system, such as May Department Store, Federated Department Store “
One, the nation’s leading cooperative companies, such as May Department Store and Federated Department Store, which own several large and medium-sized department stores across the United States, such as Macy’s and Rod & Taylor, design and produce “private label” brands that are owned by the company and sold only in its affiliated department stores.
Second, large private companies, mostly family-owned, such as Komar, CaroleHockman, etc., generally have their own brands, but more importantly, they have licenses to carry premium brands, and can design, produce and sell brands like Ralph Lauren, VeraWang, OscardelaRenta, DKNY, etc. The company also provides design and production for the first type of co-op “private label” described above.
Thirdly, brand-name franchises like Maidenform and Victoria’s Secret, which primarily carry that brand, do their own design, but also order design and production from other companies and sell it to different department stores or their own stores across the US.
Finally, there are a lot of small, privately owned companies that basically don’t have their own brands and only supply design and production to the first and third companies above.
I’ve had the pleasure of working for all of these types of companies, so I have some experience with them. For someone who wants to be a designer for the rest of his life, each of these four options has its own benefits, and not everything is better with the big companies. AnnaSui, DonnaKaren, TomFord and other designer designers have taken such a path. And if you don’t have big ambitions and aspirations, and just want to enjoy all the details and opportunities of the fashion industry, then private small businesses are perfect for you.