Designing Your Own Fashion

The premise behind this handbook for fashion designers is that the art

and business of fashion is ultimately a body of symbols and systems—

a language. To communicate effectively within the industry and with

the consumer, the designer must have access to an array of relevant

information and resources. Since by definition fashion is ever changing,

the focus here is on developing strategies that provide a competitive

edge, no matter what the prevailing trends of the moment might be.

These formulas also afford the creative side of fashion a fertile environ-

ment for growth.

Importantly, The Fashion Design Reference + Specifi cation Book approaches

its subject through an entrepreneurial lens. Even within large corporate

fashion houses, designers often consider themselves independent enti-

ties—free agents. Their career arcs are frequently defi ned not only by the

positions they have held, but also by the strategies they have employed.

Whether their reputations have been meticulously planned or have devel-

oped organically, these histories are in the end a commodity, requiring

polished packaging and integrated delivery systems to have the greatest

impact. Contemporary fashion designers face the job of designing a career

path as well as a collection