Programme of study

Iman Hussain

Programme of study

The reason I choose to do a HND in fashion and footwear is because it is a mix of both fashion and footwear. I can develop my knowledge on fashion which I am already familiar with but also learn new things too on the course such as the process of making a shoe.

The skills I have are practical sewing abilities such as making and cutting a pattern and sewing garments. I also have a level in graphic design which I think could help me in digitally designing outfits to be more precise. Personal skills that I have are good concentration skills as I am able to work independently without getting distracted easily, this enables me to complete work on time, meeting deadlines

The skills I need to develop are designing skills as I have never done fashion before, I would like to by the end of the course be able to draw accurate designs of outfits that can be made to look like the initial design or as close as possible. I also need to develop practical footwear making skills such as using the machine for leather which I have never used before

I like the practical making of the outfits in the fashion and footwear course because it is something I am familiar with and good at. I also like the designing aspect of the garments, from hand drawing and collecting inspiration to using adobe illustrator to also design different garments. I enjoy the designing because it allows me to be creative and come up with ideas. I also find learning about the context of fashion is very interesting and the history behind fashion I enjoy research and learning new things about fashion that can help inspire and influence my design work.

I know a bit about the fashion industry from my professional development lessons however I would like to explore more careers I can get into that relates to fashion, I personally enjoy the sewing and making of garments however I must keep in mind that most production of garments are done in other countries such as China and India in factories.

I would like to become a bespoke tailor because I enjoy the making and designing of outfits, I like to take time into making outfits and creating and a designing a look that the client is happy with.it also means I can take time and care into making the garment as it is custom made for the individual. I previously wanted to work for a retail company sewing garments, but I feel it would be too repetitive as u will be sewing loads of the same garments and trying to do them quickly as retail is focused on fast fashion and quantity over quality.it is also less personal as you won’t be meeting the person you are making the clothes for.

I hope to gain skills in fashion and learning to measure people I will be able to do this near to when we have the fashion show, and I can measure the model ad make garments that fit them.

The only barrier I can think of to my learning is having more hours of the textile lesson over a lesson that is slightly less helpful to me such as footwear designing. This is because we only have an hour of textiles lessons a week this is not enough because textiles, such as hand embroidery takes a lot of time. I also feel like I could spend more of my own time doing fashion work so I am meeting deadlines and not rushing before the end of it to try and meet those deadlines because then my rushed work tends to be not as good, this is also not a good idea because for a HND level course the work produced should be more professional.

Job research

The three jobs that I would like to research are tailoring ,a fashion designer and graphic fashion designer. I picked tailoring because I like the idea of masking clothes for other people, so it is more personal, I also picked a fashion designer and graphic fashion designer because I like designing garments.

Tailoring

a tailor creates custom made suits for their client usually suits jackets and coats for special occasions, they may also be asked to repair damaged suits. Tasks  that they may need to do are measuring clients and creating an outfit and look that the client is happy with. This is a lot of pressure as you have to fulfil your clients' expectations on an outfit. This means they must have good organisation and time management skills because you will have to be creating an outfit in a deadline for usually an important day such as a wedding or funeral. The client also has to make a few trips back to make sure that the outfit fits and that they like it.

fashion designer

fashion designer sketch and design fashion outfits in order to this they have study fashion trends on social media and current magazines. they can sometimes use cad to make their designs more accurate. They select fabrics and accessories for the garment ,bearing in mind but don’t actually sew the garment just everything before and after it .the skills you need for this job role is team management and good communication skills because you will have to be working closely with people in the industry. This means you should also start networking so that you can build connection with people higher up in the fashion industry.it is also important that you have the knowledge for technical sewing skills such as pattern cutting etc even though you won't be making the garment it is important you know how to ,so you have knowledge of how the garment will be made and if it is even achievable.

fashion graphic designer

this is similar to a fashion designer ,you will still be designing garments however this time you will do it on the computer and deigns will be done on the computer. This can include fashion illustrations ,but also 3d versions of the outfit so you can see all sides of the garment.it is a lot more technical than drawing the garment because using a software such as adobe illustrator will allow your designs to be more precise. They are not only responsible for creating designs on graphics but also branding and logos for fashion companies. They may also create patterns digitally so it allows them to be more precise. They may also have to edit fashion photography . https://nationalcareers.service.gov.uk/job-profiles/tailor#:~:text=Tailors%20create%20custom%20made%20suits,also%20alter%20and%20repair%

Tailoring

• “Tailoring is the art of designing, cutting, fitting, and finishing clothes. The term custom-made, or bespoke tailoring describes garments made to measure for a specific client. Bespoke tailoring signals that these items are already "spoken for" rather than made on speculation.”

https://womens-fashion.lovetoknow.com/womens-fashion-history/tailor ing

• The key features in this industry is being able to work well under pressure to satisfy the customer ,because this is making custom made clothes it means that there is a lot of pressure on you to make exactly what they want, they are paying extra to make personalised clothing just for them rather than just buying from the store so extra care must be taken to make sure it is professionally made. You must also have a wide range of knowledge on different techniques, so you are able to accommodate for everyone. The average salary of a tailor in the Uk is £27,000 per year or £13.85 per hour. I have picked this job to Research because I am interested in the actual making of a garment and production, and once I researched more into the job I realised that I may not like this job because it requires you to be very intricate and accurate which I am not as good as, and it means that I would have to fix and alter clothes for clients which makes it a high pressure job because you have to make sure you that the client likes it and is happy with it .You also have to be fixing really expensive garments which you have to be very careful with. However, something I like about the job is getting to make something personal for a customer and measuring them and spending a lot of time on one garment to make it perfect. The skills needed for tailoring are advanced sewing skills and a broad knowledge of tailoring techniques, a knowledge of a range of sewing equipment's and fabrics. I think this is important because you will have to be working with a variety of different fabrics , including fabrics you may not be familiar with and you may need new equipment to tackle it .A knowledge of the human body and good numeracy skills will also be a key skill to have because you will have to be measuring clients and in some cases making patterns for them, it would also be important to have the knowledge of the human body because every body shape is different and not just like the ideal mannequin shape. You must also make sure your work is not lazy and sloppy ,they must make sure they are patient with what they are working on this means even making sure you cut of threads and double check the garment. Another useful skill to have would be creativeness this is because you will be working with new fabrics and having to fix and repair damaged clothes having a creative mind would mean it will be easier to produce new ideas to repair garments that the client may not have thought of .you can also give the client your own personal opinions and ideas on how they would like their outfit that would suit them more. Overall, it takes a lot of skills to be a tailor and I would say one skill I would need to improve on is patience and effort and making sure the garment I make is not unfinished and untidy. However, my creative skills and new ideas would be good for this job as I'm always thinking of new ways to improve a garment.

Fashion designer

•“As a fashion designer, you'll research current fashion trends, forecasting what will be popular with consumers, and take inspiration from the world around you to create fresh and original designs. You'll decide on fabrics, colors and patterns, produce sample designs and adjust them until you're happy with the final product. You may work to your own brief or be given a brief to work towards, with specifications relating to color, fabric and budget. In large companies, you're likely to work as part of a team of designers, headed by a creative director, whereas if working for a small company as sole designer or for yourself, you'll be responsible for all the designs. You'll typically specialize in one area of design, such as sportswear, childrenswear, footwear or accessories.”

https://www.prospects.ac.uk/job-profiles/fashion-designer#:~:text=cr eate%20or%20visualise%20an%20idea,often%20based%20on%20a%2 0theme

•There are different types of fashion designers the first one is high street fashion designer where your design work will be made, and mass produced all over the uk so it is important that your work is in fashion and trendy this would mean that you may have to be using social media to look at current trends and going to catwalks to see new ideas. This also means the fashion you are designing is practical to make and you will have to keep in mind that the skills you made need more is accuracy when designing the clothes to make sure they can be made. The second type of fashion designer is ready to wear designer where you would design garments that are ready to wear, and these are usually in small collections so its important that your designs match and follow a theme. This also means that you would have to design for a range of sizes .you would have to be open minded and willing to change your designs and get other people's opinion on designs because you may like a design, but majority may not and its important you get different people's opinions on it not just your own. Your designs will also be modified and changed a lot so you will have to be patient in the design process because it means that you will be having to redo your designs multiple times until they are perfect. The final type of fashion designer is the haute couture designer where you will be focusing on only one garment and spending a long time on only one outfit .these designs are usually for catwalks ,personally this is my favorite type of fashion designer because it allows you to be creative and slightly limitless in my ideas.it means that I can create a certain look that I like.

•The starting salary for this job is around £16000 a year. The working hours vary depending on what you are working on. Basic skills that you will need are communication and team working skills because you will most likely be working closely with a group of people to discuss ideas. Another important skill to have for a fashion designer that is often overlooked is confidence and self promotion especially for a haute couture designer because you will be designing very bold designs that are also unique and different and some people may like and some people might not, so being confident in your designs means that you can be very ambitious with your designs.

Graphic fashion designer

• “A fashion graphic designer is responsible for creating graphics for different items of clothing and accessories, as well as producing promotional and marketing material such as swing tickets and visuals for an advertising campaign. Other duties may include industry research, keeping up to date with emerging fashion trends as well as general trends relating to fabrics, shapes, and colors, and creating mood boards for clients. A fashion graphic designer works closely with fashion designers and would report to a Head of Design, Director or Manager.”

https://beyondtalentrecruitment.com/blog/fashion-graphic-designer#:~:text=A%20fashion%20graphic%20designer%20is%20responsible%20for %20creating%20graphics%20for,visuals%20for%20an%20advertising%20campaign

• This is one job that I might be interested in the most because over lockdown I was learning how to use adobe illustrator and photoshop and I really enjoyed using them. Graphic  fashion design is a mix between graphics and fashion design you will be using different software's to design outfits digitally. creating outfits using cad allows you to make garments that are accurate and precise. Using cad also means that your designs can be as imaginative and wild as you like because there are so much more options that you can do on a  computer that you maybe won't have the equipment to do in real life such as the different tools like ink and spray-paint tool. The skills you need to be a graphic fashion designer is basic cad skills and being able to use different software not just adobe illustrator good fashion knowledge is also important to know how different fabrics flow. Hand drawing skills are very important. The average salary for a junior fashion graphic designer us £15,000 to £19,000.graohuc fashion designers are high in demand because of the skills it takes to use the softwares.is also an in-demand job because of the changes in time currently everything is going digital because it is more convenient cheaper and faster. This means that most employers will be looking for a fashion designer that ahs basic cad skills to create designs digital too. Its very convenient because you can easily send over work as a digital portfolio without having to hold a massive sketchbook so its easier and much more convenient. A Graphic fashion designer focus mainly on clothing and designing them digitally however they can slow be designing fashion magazine covers and logo for fashion brands. A graphics fashion designer. However, this means that I would have to learn how to do new things in adobe illustrator because I most likely won't be designing my own outfits when I first start out this is because I won’t be a professional yet so before that I would have to learn how to be able to copy other designs that have been drawn and remake it digitally .

Different creative platforms and how these can be used to support professional development

Etsy: buying , selling , promoting Snapchat :influencer, advertising

Meta verse ,Facebook: networking, opportunities ,research

TikTok: brand affiliation ,influencers , promotions , being seen

Instagram :brand promotion, showing your work off ,selling products

Linked in cv, networking

Pinterest :advertising ,option to link to other platforms

Arts thread portfolio

In a few years' time I would like to have created a professional social media account, either a LinkedIn profile or Instagram. This is so that I can network and find available opportunities for me. I would also like to create a professional portfolio I also need to focus on making it a professional account ,by sharing contact information such as an email and phone number so that people can easily access you. I can also post photos and reels onto the app so that people know what I'm currently doing. you can connect with big brands and influencers and get heard more. There are however problems with social media, and this is it can sometimes be scary for the whole public to see you it puts pressure on you to make sure that everything you are posting is up to scratch .however having an account that can be accessed by the whole world is sometimes good because it means that people can easily find and connect with you just by the simple click of a button

Personals skills set good time management skills cad skills could work on designing skills cad skills problem solving  adaptive

Evaluation

• What skills I have learnt over the course

• The skills I have learnt over the course are mainly drawing skills and developing designs I have learnt how to add a professional flare to my work and make sure it is up to scratch.

• Overview of the course and projects

• I think the course was very beneficial for me and I learnt a lot this is because the course was split into different lessons one for footwear one for designing etc ,this means that I can get a variety of knowledge of fashion from different lessons .Each lesson is different and this means that it wasn’t boring and repetitive .I also got to learn a lot more about footwear when I previously had no knowledge of it ,and now by the end of the course I have made three shoes in different styles which I am very proud of. This means that I have been able to learn a lot of new skills as well as develop my old skills more professionally, so they suit the workplace.

• What skills I would like to develop

• The skills I would like to develop more are cad skills because I feel like if I practiced, I can be better at designing on the computer .I would also like to learn new software to design on other than adobe illustrator so I can have a variety of knowledge .

• What you enjoyed about the course and skills you have developed for working professionally

• The skills I have learnt over the course is designing and drawing skills I have learnt how to draw a basic mannequin shape and learnt about tone and shadow when sketching designs.in this lesson I have learnt about the use of different social medias you can use to show off your work ,I have also learnt what the workplace is looking for in terms of skills. I have designed a portfolio for some of my work which I have not done before and think it looks like a very neat and professional way to show my work. I have also learnt how to evaluate my work correctly with lots of detail this is important in the workplace where you will have to be working independently and criticizing your own work and self-evaluation so your able to make your work to its highest standard .

Bibliography

• https://uk.talent.com/salary?job=Tailor

• https://womens-fashion.lovetoknow.com/womens-fashion-history/tailoring

• https://www.prospects.ac.uk/job-profiles/fashiondesigner#:~:text=create%20or%20visualise%20an% 20idea,often%20based%20on%20a%20theme

• https://beyondtalentrecruitment.com/blog/fashio n-graphic-designer#:~:text=A%20fashion%20graphi c%20designer%20is%20responsible%20for%20crea ting%20graphics%20for,visuals%20for%20an%20ad vertising%20campaign