CV

This is a Jpeg of my up to date CV. It is still at an early stage, there are things i want to update. I can't wait to be able to add in 3 month internship, and Peclers. (its quite small! If you click on it, it should open into a new window, but as an attachment it will be A4 size.) When it comes to applying for jobs/internships I will look to add images of my work with a finished CV into a PDF file to sent to potential employees.

Dream Jobs.

Fashion predictor: Job description and activities

Fashion predictors have to accurately assess the styles, colours, shapes, textures and trends that customers will want to wear or can be persuaded to wear. Prediction is a very important part of the retail process, particularly in fashion, where buyers work two seasons ahead.

Typical work activities include:

• researching and presenting information relating to changes and developments in fashion that will impact on the retail environment;
• data collection, using two dimensional imagery to present predictions;
• visiting trade fairs, fashion shows, exhibitions, shops and clubs all over the world;
• sketching and taking photographs, which are fed back to the main office;
• compiling ideas into a catalogue that is sent to subscribers, who may be designers, manufacturers and buyers in retailing organisations, as well as agents' representatives worldwide;
• preparing bulletins for clients to keep them up to date ('moods' can change from month to month - influences may come from a wide range of sources such as popular music, street fashion and current political trends).

Fashion predictors need to know about fashion in its widest sense in terms of luxury, communication, lifestyle and culture.

Fashion predictors may work for agencies producing long-range forecasts to help retailers, manufacturers and designers plan their future ranges. This is a global business but few prediction agencies exist in the UK (these have reduced in number in recent years). Opportunities may exist in-house, where the role of predictor is incorporated into the design department.

Fashion designer: Job description and activities

Job description

Fashion designers work on the design of items of clothing and fashion ranges. Some may focus completely on one specialist area, such as sportswear, childrenswear, footwear or accessories.

They produce designs for the haute couture, designer ready-to-wear, and high street fashion markets. Developments in technology mean that a design can be on sale as a finished product in the high street within six weeks.

Depending on their level of responsibility and the company they work for, designers may work to their own brief or be given a brief to work towards, with specifications relating to colour, fabric and budget

Typical work activities

The main areas of work for fashion designers are:

• High street fashion: this is where the majority of designers work and where garments are mass manufactured (often in Europe or the Far East). Buying patterns, seasonal trends and celebrity catwalk influences play a key role in this design process. It is a commercial area and heavily media led.
• Ready-to-wear: Established designers create ready-to-wear collections, produced in relatively small numbers.
• Haute couture: This requires large amounts of time spent on the production of one-off garments for the catwalk - which are often not practical to wear - usually to endorse other brands and create a ‘look’.

Tasks depend on the market the designer is working for, but core responsibilities include:

• creating/visualising an idea and producing a design by hand or using computer-aided design (CAD);
• keeping up to date with emerging fashion trends as well as general trends relating to fabrics, colours and shapes;
• planning and developing ranges;
• working with others in the design team, such as buyers and forecasters, to develop products to meet a brief;
• liaising closely with sales, buying and production teams on an ongoing basis to ensure the item suits the customer, market and price points;
• understanding design from a technical perspective, i.e., producing patterns, toiles and technical specifications for designs;
• sourcing, selecting and buying fabrics, trims, fastenings and embellishments;
• adapting existing designs for mass production;
• developing a pattern that is cut and sewn into sample garments and supervising the making up of these, including fitting, detailing and adaptations;
• overseeing production;
• negotiating with customers and suppliers;
• managing marketing, finances and other business activities, if working on a self-employed basis.

Experienced designers with larger companies may focus more on the design aspect, with pattern cutters and machinists preparing sample garments. In smaller companies these, and other tasks, may be part of the designer's role.

http://www.prospects.ac.uk

Job Ad, Trendstop:

Associate Futurologist

Are you absolutely switched on when it comes to the latest trends, brands and products?
Are you able to spot, qualify and discuss fashion & lifestyle trends fluently and excitably?
Are you a perfectionist when it comes to formatting text and ensuring the written word communicates the latest trends accurately?

Trendstop is looking for a fully trend conversant futurologist/lifestyle trend researcher. If you have the relevant skills and experience needed, we'd love to hear from you.

Requirements

You have a minimum of 5 years relevant commercial experience, and strive for the highest standards in research and analysis. You are hard-working and pro-active and have excellent team working skills. Your excellent digital and organisational skills allow you to produce trend stories promptly and efficiently. You are able to find relevant visuals quickly and efficiently. Communicating trends in writing evocatively, and in grammatically correct English comes as second nature to you.

Salary:Based on experience

Designer – Street and Denim

Employer

WGSN

Posted

25 Mar 2010

Location

Greater London House, London

Position Type

Permanent

Job Function

Design

Sector

Unisex

Position

Designer – Street and Denim

Salary

Not specified

WGSN.com is the leading global service providing online research, trends analysis and news to the fashion, design and style industries.

A new opportunity has arisen for a Streetwear designer to join the Youth, Street and Denim department within content for WGSN. This is an exciting role for a candidate looking for a new and challenging position working within the cutting edge of the Streetwear market.

Having previous experience within the Street/Denim/Youth market is essential. This is a unique opportunity for a designer/ trend forecaster, with good writing skills and excellent illustrator skills to join a forward thinking and fast-paced team.

Reporting into the Head of Street & Denim;

This role will have no direct reports.

Key responsibilities:

-Research, visualize and Forecast Streetwear Product Design Direction, incl. silhouettes, colour and fabrics

-Research, visualize and write Trend analysis and Streetwear related reports

-Take street photos and analyze trends.

-Contribute to International Trade Shows coverage.

-Contribute to trends workshops with the Youth, Street & Sport team.

-Write copy, edit photographs and create reports using CMS.

-Liaise with production and subbing

-Create CADs

-General admin, duties to assist in the smooth running of the department.

If you have the experience to be able to deliver the key responsibilities as outlined to an exceptional standard and have the hunger and drive to become a key member of the team then please apply (outlining your experience, with your salary expectations and notice period)

My Dream Job description....

Designer - Topshop Unique

Location: London

Leading High Street Retail company Topshop are looking to recruit a designer to work within their in-house design brand 'Unique'. You will be working with a team of designers and be responsible for designing good quality fashion forward designs for bi-annual fashion week shows, under the Ready-To-Wear Ladies wear umbrella.

We are looking for someone who has working experience of Illustrator and Photoshop and can work quickly and efficiently without supervision to get the job done.

Carrying out ongoing research to predict trends and to retain a strong awareness of current product on the High Street. You will also be involved in creating Mood boards and trend packs.

Looking at Job descriptions now is quite daunting. But in a good way, because if theres something on the list i'm not 100% confident in then its something I can improve on for when i am ready to apply for jobs!!!!

Paloma Faith

I'd love to design for someone like Paloma Faith, she's very experimental! providing someone else could sew all the sequins on...

(yellow liquorice allsort looking head piece)

From Berwick Street to Goldhawk Road

What a hectic 2 days in London. The aim was Fabric Shopping. The outcome is must do more Fabric Shopping. Firstly, why are Goldhawk Road and Berwick Street so far away? Green line, Blue line, Pink line, Blue line, Grey Line Redline, Lighter Blue line, Grey line, Green line ARGH! My poor Oyster card, that's supposed to be fabric money you know!




Anyway, having had such a strong idea of fabric choices from looking at the Whaleys and Bradford folders I was hoping to find the exact fabric in my exact colour. Its a wee bit harder than that. No spotty voile, i'll have to dye that. Don't have a heart attack Sarah, no fabric spray involved this year. No red wool, no its either to thick, or its crepe wool (tacky). But I did find some lovely jubbly cotton fabric for my trousers (pale orange, bottom left) and my play suit (Violet, Bottom Centre).

5 Year Plan

So this is my 5 year plan.

Amelia Kanaris.
March 2010.

3-6 months:

• Continue working really hard to finish toiling my collection and tweaking to perfection, taking styling into consideration.
• Make 4 outfits to a high standard for Crit deadline 17/05/10.
  
• Complete Photoshoot of collection for a look book.
• After the Crit make a further 2 outfits to go with the collection (Gala-worthy, Fingers crossed...)
• Do work placement at Peclers for 2 weeks + in the summer.
  

6-12 months:

• Secure a 3 month placement in a trend forecasting/design environment.
• Dissertation and Placement Reports will be written.
• Either make a professional trend book based on several trends which I can design collections for. Or design a larger collection i.e 12-24 outfits.
  

Beyond 12 months:

• Graduate from university with BA degree.
• From here I want to go straight into the industry. I am full to the brim with ambition and determination when it comes to this I can't wait to get out there!!!!!! I will most likely be living and working in London. This is where I see myself.
• Hopefully with the combination of fashion futures work experience and fashion writing/blogging practice I will be able to start in a job as a trend researcher either for a forecasting agency such as Peclers or Trendstop. From here I would aim to work my way up to designer for the trend books.
• As design is my favourite aspect of fashion, another option for me would be to look into womenswear design for high street companies. On the top of my list to work for would be; Asos, Urban Outfitters, Topshop or such like. These are brands where I would shop, and as my design philosophy is to create clothing I would want to wear this would make my aesthetic the perfect design combination!
• The ULTIMATE dream pathway would be to finish university, gain interest off of the back of my designs from the likes of Topshop, NEWGEN, vauxhall fashion scout to invest in moi :) Paving the way for me to become a ready-to-wear womenswear design, showing at London Fashion Week every season... ahhhh. Although i'd settle for creating my own brand and with lookbooks etc approach e-retailers and retailers who sell multiple brands. Starting with smaller boutiques/markets and working up in popularity.

There is also the way into it that Henry Holland and Luella did it. Fashion Journalism. Holland started out at the Teen Mags, and Luella at the Evening Standard and then Vogue. These are my favourite two designers. Its in interesting approach. Gain all the contacts, find a niche, and make it popular enough for a successful design career.

3-5 years:

Within 5 years of being in the industry I want to be well on my way to having a successful career (and be able to afford a REAL Chanel 2.55 bag, from my own pocket) Having acheived a job as either:

• Popular Trend forecasting designer/trend forecaster for a magazine/fashion futures agency or design house seeking out current trends.

-or-

• making my way up the designer ladder in a high street chain in a more commercial environment.
  

Must-Have

My favourite piece from Burberry Porsum AW10/11. Leather/Shearling jacket. I wonder how long I will have to save for it....Maybe I'll add it into my five year plan.

(Image from http://jakandjil.com/blog/)

Marios Schwab AW10/11

I love this Autumn/Winter Collection...so simple yet really really beautiful! I want the Heidi-esque pinafore.



Marios Schwab is certainly under the spotlight at the moment. Becoming creative director for Halston means he had a debut to prepare for New york fashion week and a show for his own label at London fashion week just a week apart. For this collection Schwab seemed to go back to his Austrian roots. with traditional tailoring of simple and sharp shapes and silhouettes. Schwab seemed to dull down on layering and quirky prints to make way for crisp white shirts, delicate embroideries, fur jacket and cropped boleros. Which truly made a demure and lady like collection.



Velvet and brocade dresses hint at his Austrian background. Inspired by techniques he was taught whilst learning the trade at the age of 15. they bring out a luxurious feel to the collection which has been Influenced by “English roses and vanitas.”



Corsets and embellishments roused the simplicity of the collection. Concentrating on a more structured and tailored look. with focus on an exposed leg most of the detail was kept above the waist. Most noticeable to me were the unusual curved bolero jackets, which Marios refers to as ‘Alien Necklines’ and ‘L’ shaped collars on thick fur coats. Within a Colour palette of dove greys, mink, petrol blue and ruby red Schwab is bang on trend for Autumn/Winter.

(From my website http://stylesponge.com Amelia Kanaris)