Lauren Moriarty

Lauren Moriarty is a textile and product designer with a focus on producing visually stimulating and tactile
products for interiors. Her experimental work with materials, pattern & light creates unique & magical concepts.

Read more: Lauren Moriarty on Dexigner http://www.dexigner.com/directory/detail/9844.html#ixzz2K1TiUJFc

Fashion and Textiles

The fashion and textiles sector is very diverse, and is constantly changing in response to the
demands of the global marketplace.

The sector splits into three broad areas: design, manufacturing and servicing. The common
theme running throughout these areas is an understanding of the properties of fabric and
yarn.

Find out more about the make-up of the sector and the training and careers opportunities for
you by clicking on the links below

Careers in Fashion and Textiles

There's an amazing range of career options in the Fashion and Textiles sector - everything from
designing aerospace textiles to making, altering and repairing saddles

Fashion and Textiles Job Profiles

The Fashion and Textiles sector has a diverse job spectrum which require a variety skills and
attributes. Find out more about each sub sector by looking through the selection of job profiles
to help uncover the right career path for you.

Each profile has been written and developed by industry experts to help you get a true picture of
what it's like and what you need to know in order to succeed

Apparel

From Pattern Cutters to Knitting Machinists, Garment Technologists to Buyers the diverse range
or roles that underpin the Apparel (clothing) industry can be exciting and require a variety of
skills. Explore this fascinating industry with the help of the Job Profiles provided.

The Apparel (clothing) sector includes the manufacture of:

Apparel; including workwear, underwear, and outerwear

Knitwear
Hosiery
The wholesale of clothing

Buyer
Buyers are required throughout the fashion, footwear, textile and apparel industries to purchase the raw materials or
equipment required for the manufacturing process, or to find products for sale and trade to retailers.
Contents

Introduction
What is the job?
Typical Career Routes
Essential Knowledge & Skills
Training and qualifications
Where to go for more information
Websites
Publications
Books
Download this job profile

Introduction

Buyers are required throughout the fashion, footwear, textile and apparel industries to purchase
the raw materials or equipment required for the manufacturing process, or to find products for
sale and trade to retailers.

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What is the job?

A buyer may be involved in the following activities:

Forecasting trends
Planning ranges
Sourcing fabrics and trims
Sourcing suppliers and factories
Negotiating prices and deliveries
Following and facilitating the full production process of garments
Managing the fit and quality control processes to ensure they meet company guidelines/
standards
Presenting and justifying ranges to senior management
Analysing sales and planning mark downs to maximise profit

Buyers frequently work alongside senior management staff to determine buying requirements
and budgets. Fashion buyers will also work closely with design teams to research and inform
new trends.

They will also work alongside a merchandising team who hold responsibility for reviewing
historical sales and other data. This team controls the financial budgets and works with the
buyers to plan the introduction of new ranges, control mark downs of stock and conduct sales
forecasting.

The working hours of a buyer can vary from company to company but mostly they will be
expected to work normal office hours of between 37 and 40 hours a week. Longer hours and
overtime may be required to meet deadlines and when travelling..

A Buyers Administration Assistant can expect to start on a salary of £12,000 to £18,000,

£18,000 to £23,000 for an Assistant Buyer, £23,000 to £28,000 for a Junior Buyer, £26,000 to
£46,000 for a Buyer and finally a Buying Manager could earn from £45,000 to £80,000
depending on experience, the size of the company and its profitability.

A buyer is usually office-based but will be required to travel both within the UK and overseas to
meet with suppliers and attend trade shows.

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Typical Career Routes

The typical career route, regardless of the size of company, the candidate's qualifications, age
or previous experience in other jobs, is to enter a business as a BAA (Buyers Administration
Assistant). Normally you will need to work as a BAA for two years, however faster progression is
possible.

You could then expect to move into the role of Assistant Buyer, again this role will normally last
two years. At both of these stages you will have no responsibility for managing finances or
budgets but you will be assisting the department in varying functions.

Following this is progression into the roles of Junior Buyer, Buyer then finally Buying Manager.
Advancement through these stages is related to the amount of money you control within your
budget and your commercial success.

Buyers within the fashion and textile industry may be able to move into related areas, such as
distribution, logistics, merchandising, sales, marketing or management.

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Essential Knowledge & Skills

It may be useful for a person considering a career in buying to have some of the following skills
and interests:

planning, budgeting and negotiation skills

the ability to work under pressure and to deadlines
strong literacy, numeracy and IT skills
a creative mind to develop ideas and be ahead of the market

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Training and qualifications

It is possible to gain entry to a career as a buyer in a variety of different ways, but employers
usually expect a candidate to be educated to A-level, HND or degree standard. Many larger
companies run training schemes and experience of the industry is also valued highly.

Many universities now offer degrees in buying, specifically for the fashion or textile markets:

For more information on degree courses, visit the UCAS website.

Professional qualifications are available from the Chartered Institute of Purchasing and Supply
(CIPS) to enable buyers to progress their career, these include:

Level 3 Certificates in Purchasing and Supply

Level 4 Foundation Diploma in Purchasing and Supply
Level 5 Advanced Diploma in Purchasing and Supply
Level 6 Graduate Diploma, a degree-level qualification.

For more information on the CIPS, visit their website: Chartered Institute of Purchasing and Supply
It is also possible for buyers to work towards NVQ Level 2, 3, 4 or 5 qualifications in supply
chain management.

There are also CPD and vocational courses which may be worked towards such as:
ABC Level 4 Awards,Certificate and Diplomas in Business for Creative Practitioners.
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Where to go for more information

Skillset Careers is a specialist creative careers information service delivering individual career
solutions when and how you need them. We also work with partner organisations to deliver a
free careers helpline service.

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Websites

UKFT
Association of Suppliers to the British Clothing Industry
The Textile Institute
UCAS website
Chartered Institute of Purchasing and Supply

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Publications

Childrenswear Buyer (CWB)

Womenswear Buyer (WWB)
Menswear Buyer (MWB)
Company Clothing
Drapers
Textiles

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Books

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Download this job profile

You can download a PDF of this job profile below

Structure

Fashion designers can work in a number of many ways. Fashion designers may work
full-time for one fashion as 'in-house designers'[1] which owns the designs. They may
work alone or as part of a team. Freelance designers work for themselves,[2] selling their
designs to fashion houses, directly to shops, or to clothing manufacturers. The garments
bear the buyer's label. Some fashion designers set up their own labels, under which their
designs are marketed. Some fashion designers are self-employed and design for
individual clients. Other high-fashion designers cater to specialty stores or high-fashion
department stores. These designers create original garments, as well as those that follow
established fashion trends. Most fashion designers, however, work for apparel
manufacturers, creating designs of men’s, women’s, and children’s fashions for the
mass market. Large designer brands which have a 'name' as their brand such as
Abercrombie & Fitch, Justice, or Juicy are likely to be designed by a team of individual
designers under the direction of a designer director.
[edit] Designing a garment

Fashion designers work in different ways. Some sketch their ideas on paper, while
others drape fabric on a dress form. When a designer is completely satisfied with the fit
of the toile (or muslin), he or she will consult a professional pattern maker who then
makes the finished, working version of the pattern out of card or via a computerized
system. The pattern maker's job is very precise and painstaking. The fit of the finished
garment depends on their accuracy. Finally, a sample garment is made up and tested on
a model to make sure it is an operational outfit. Myriam Chalek, owner and founder of
Creative Business House explains that most of the time fashion designers only have a
fashion concept; the technicality and construction is not thought through during the
visual conception and sketching process. Hence, the fashion designer needs to meet
with a pattern maker and sample maker to figure out if the sketch on paper can be
brought to life according its vision

Textile design is the process of creating designs and structures for knitted, woven, non-
woven or embellishments of fabrics.

Textile designing involves producing patterns for cloth used in clothing, household
textiles (such as towels) and decorative textiles such as carpets. The field encompasses
the actual pattern making as well as supervising part or all of the production process.[1]
In other words, textile design is a process from the raw material into finished product.
Fiber, yarn and finishes are the key elements to be considered during the textile design
procedure

Textile designing is a creative field that bridges fashion design, carpet manufacturing
and any other cloth-related field.[1] Textile design fulfills so many purposes in our
lives.[2] For example:

 People climb out from under sheets and blankets and step into slippers and a robe.
 People wash our faces with washcloths, dry them with towels, and put on clothing for
the day.
 People sit on upholstered seats; the vehicle moves on tires reinforces with strong
textile cord.[2]

The above examples illustrate the importance of textile in our daily lives. Also, these
examples give the idea to the textile designer to consider the contribution of the
performance to the finished fabric, because the design from the designer gives a direct
influence on the performance, durability and attractiveness of a final product. It
embodies not only drawing skill but also business savvy of the global textile industry
and consumer relations as well.

Textile designers marry a creative vision of what a finished textile will look like with a
deep understanding of the technical aspects of production and the properties of fiber,
yarn, and dyes.[3]

Designs for both woven and printed textiles often begin with a drawing or watercolor
sketch of the finished design. Traditionally, drawings of woven textile patterns were
translated onto special forms of graph paper called point papers which were used by the
weavers in setting up their looms.[4]
In nowadays, designers might use software, hand paint, or grab a pencil and paper to
record their design. Once a pattern is agreed upon, the design process shifts to choosing
the proper fabrics and then to getting the design printed on or woven into the fabric.[1]
Designer might want to use the method of dyeing or printing to create their design.
There are many printing method.

Reading Comprehension Questions: (click here for printout)

1. What changes have been noted in clothing displays recently?

Clothing retailers have begun to display their wares on shapelier

mannequins and pants forms. Tight, low-rise jeans hug the 38-inch
hips of the voluptuous pants forms. Plus-sized mannequins now
appear in sizes up to 20, well above those of the traditional sizes 2 to
6.

2. Why have these changes been made?

Shops that sell clothing will do whatever they can to boost sales, and
shapely mannequins appear to be doing the trick for many retailers.
Women apparently like seeing clothes on more voluptuous frames,
since the displayed clothes are hot sellers.

"Anything we put on the mannequin, people buy it," clothing retailer

Fredy Shabani told The New York Times. "The women love them.
They see the pants look good."

3. Briefly explain how the "ideal" image of women's beauty has

evolved over history.

Starting with the extreme hourglass frame of the Victorian era,

women began to embrace the skinny, boyish "flapper" look of the
1920s. In the 1940s and '50s the size 14 Marilyn Monroe Hollywood
"bombshell" ideal was the rage, followed by the slender, leggy
"Twiggy" look in the 1960s. In the 1980s, women climbing the
corporate ladder influenced a period of more masculine, big-
shouldered styles.

The "ideal" female shape in the 1990s reached perhaps its most
emaciated incarnation, with what was sometimes called "heroine
chic," supposedly influenced by the skeletal quality of a drug addict's
body. To achieve this, women and girls seeking "perfect" bodies often
developed eating disorders, emulating fashion models who typically
were 5 inches taller and yet weighed about 25 pounds less than the
average woman.
4. According to fashion trend watchers, where are these new ideas in
fashion coming from?

Fashion trend watchers credit American pop and urban cultures for
the rise of the bigger mannequins.

Rap artist Sir Mix-a-Lot declared that he appreciated large posteriors

in the 1992 hit song "Baby Got Back." Actress/singer Jennifer Lopez
drew raised eyebrows for flaunting her well-proportioned derriere,
and R&B group Destiny's Child produced the song "Bootylicious" in
tribute to feminine curves and sexuality. Rap artists Queen Latifah
and Missy Elliot showed the world that stars can be big and beautiful
… and sexy.

5. What have some critics said about the new fashion trends?

However, some people see the emphasis on a rounder rump as

another step toward cultural degradation.

Michael Steward, executive vice president of mannequin design

company Adel Rootstein USA told The New York Times, "It's not
creating an image of a woman as an elegant creature. It's a little bit
down and dirty, a little crass."