Handmade

An independent fashion designer's path isn't as straightforward as portrayed by popular media, such as Bravo's television show Project Runway. After students graduate from design school, they are faced with challenges such as financial burdens, finding outlets for their work and developing a recognizable brand. ❧ A 2011 study by the Los Angeles Economic Development Corporation titled ""The Los Angeles Area Fashion Industry Profile"" reported that the Los Angeles apparel industry sells approximately $40 billion of locally made clothing and fashion accessories. Buyers range from mass-market companies like Forever 21, Wet Seal and H&M to independent boutiques and individual customers. Of this $40 billion current revenue stream, independents glean more than $6 billion, despite their avoidance of selling to the mass-market companies. These vendors brand themselves under the umbrella of locally made, locally produced and locally sold fashion. Before 2011, these independent revenue streams were not significant enough to be tracked by the Los Angeles Economic Development Corporation. The report cites the 2008 economic downturn as a potential catalyst for this shift. ❧ Across the United States today, approximately one-third of all apparel manufacturing jobs are located in Southern California. Of these jobs, 86 percent of California's apparel manufacturing and fashion wholesale activities exist within the Greater Los Angeles Area. These include independent designers who employ their own sewers, patternmakers and sales representatives to manufacture and distribute their designs on a local level. This emerging atmosphere greatly differs from the traditional fashion economic model, which dictated that designers would outsource most manufacturing and distribution to global companies. Leading fashion economics authority, the California Fashion Association, launched a public relations campaign in 2011 with the slogan ""Driving the Demand for 'LA-Style' Brand"" in an effort to highlight the growing desire for local fashion. ❧ The 2010-11 Occupational Outlook Handbook published by the U.S. Department of Labor, Bureau of Labor Statistics, noted that the mass-market retail fashion industry timeline is between 18 and 24 months from initial concept to final production for mass market. Small designers have a vastly different experience. The overhead costs required for an independent company to sustain this turnaround are difficult due to the lack of access to wholesale prices and a smaller market of buyers, some of whom are individuals who request custom-tailored garments. The 2010-11 Bureau also notes that while the median annual wage for salaried fashion designers working for mass market companies is $61,160, they do not have any income data for self-employed designers. ❧ However, the California Fashion Association noted in a November 14, 2011 press release that ""L.A's apparel industry success is driven by design talent,"" skills which are culled from recent design school graduates, some of whom attempt to launch their career independently. With global cotton and other textile prices raising up to 70 percent, as reported by market research company IBISWorld in 2011, independent designers face greater financial burdens than ever, especially when the scope of their work does not allow them the luxury of wholesale prices. ❧ This story profiles Michelle Rose, an independent clothing designer in Los Angeles. After receiving a bachelor of fine arts in fashion design and working full time for four years in the commercial garment industry, Rose quit her job so that she could focus solely on her own designs. Rose struggles with the balance of artistic vision and financial feasibility on a daily basis, living off of savings and a slow-but-steady flow of online jewelry sales. ❧ Rose's story portrays some of the challenges that accompanied her decision, such as the sacrifice of comfort and financial stability of full-time employment. To provide context for Rose's journey, her story is supplemented by expert interviews, including the president of the California Fashion Association, a boutique shop owner who only carries local designers' work, and a Los Angeles independent designer who has been living off of financial gains from his designs since 2007.