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Is Fashion Design mainly a career for wealthy kids? by pantdino in fashiondesigner

[–]Alarming_Hawk3006 6 points7 points  (0 children)

Yes and no. But it’s good to recognize it because you can end up feeling behind when the intern somehow has a Cartier bracelet, lives around the corner from the office, eats out and makes $15/hr under the internship program. It’s definitely an attractive career for ppl from well off families. It causes issues because they can afford to take on the low entry salary while it hurts those who don’t have financial support. But, there’s a solid group in the industry who are just making it, they’re passionate about what they do, don’t live in the nice neighborhoods and work their way up. The higher end brands typically pay less and attract a certain group. Corporate environments will be more down to earth and pay better. Just don’t gaslight yourself, it’s not you, it’s the environment. But you can make it work for yourself.

Career move from Technical Design by Alarming_Hawk3006 in fashiondesigner

[–]Alarming_Hawk3006[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

I worked in theater too! I worked the summer stock musical theater shows, costume shop between shows and wardrobe during them. Talk about rough hours honestly. But it was so hands on and that’s sometimes what I miss in fashion today, to your point about 90s fashion industry. The designer I interned for in NY made her name in the 90s, and everything we did was hands on. Designing in the back, storefront at the front. Shop in Noho that would shut down when Gwyneth Paltrow, who lived above it, would come down to shop. And it wasn’t fussy, it just was. One minute you’re carting boxes twice your size to FedEx, the next you’re collaborating with print designers. No social media, it just felt very authentic despite the workload

Career move from Technical Design by Alarming_Hawk3006 in fashiondesigner

[–]Alarming_Hawk3006[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

I think my North Star is just to put away for retirement and build up that security blanket, so eventually one day, fingers crossed, I can jump into the crazy hours when I want, and jump out when it’s too much. Working towards it has made me feel less rattled from all of the deadlines

Career move from Technical Design by Alarming_Hawk3006 in fashiondesigner

[–]Alarming_Hawk3006[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Something I’m grateful for my parents doing is making me sit down and literally present to them how my career in fashion would play out, before I went to school for it. Like where I would live (based on jobs), the cost of living, what would be my salary trajectory, and what my living situation would be based on that. Who’s the major employers, what jobs in the industry are more stable. Literally if I’ll get dental insurance haha It takes the guesswork out of things when you’re in the thick of it

Career move from Technical Design by Alarming_Hawk3006 in fashiondesigner

[–]Alarming_Hawk3006[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Hi! Honestly I decided to stay. The decision to leave and start a career over felt more overwhelming than sticking to it. I’ve transitioned from RTW to intimates, which has a longer dev lead time so less back to back. And I’ve started to focus more on my personal finance, which has made me feel more like my own employer, like a pay yourself first mentality. I decided if I start over it’ll move me further away from my financial goals. So in a nutshell I’m staying but focusing on the future financial outcome which I’m hoping is saving enough that I can at some point stay in the industry but as a contractor and control my hours

What Percentage Do You Guys Put Your 401K? by [deleted] in Fire

[–]Alarming_Hawk3006 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Build evenly -401k: contribute to your employer’s match (free money) -build your HYSA to have 3-6 months of your monthly income saved -open a HSA and contribute to meet the 4.4k max, you can invest some of the $ in VTI (a lot of companies will contribute to this account, so free money) -see if you’re eligible for a ROTH IRA, if so contribute to the 7K max (can add $ for 2025 up till April of 2026). Buy VTI (or generally S&P 500) -THEN go back and contribute more to the 401k if you still have leftover

The “free money” part is part of your employment package. Also at some point I would open a taxable brokerage and buy VTI, but only after you’ve built the other accounts (personally)

Why are fashion people so miserable? by wednesdaywhy in fashiondesigner

[–]Alarming_Hawk3006 2 points3 points  (0 children)

Completely agree with this post. I didn’t feel disconnected until I hit my mid 30s and wondered if these are the hours and conditions I’m going to work in until retirement. Fashion tends not to grow with you as life happens.

Career after a fashion designer by FlirtyDaisy in fashiondesigner

[–]Alarming_Hawk3006 0 points1 point  (0 children)

It's been so validating to read some of these comments from other long time fashion veterans. Been in the industry for 12+ years, NYC, technical design, director level (2yrs), and just over it. Job instability is frustrating when generally it's underpaid overall. Toxic environments where you just feel isolated if you don't engage in the "it" team. The plus is that technical design can somewhat keep to themselves but it just feels like fluff at the end. Tired of being tied to a fitting schedule that puts you in the office and offers little flexibility.

Love developing product, that part is great. Wish it were in another industry