Since I entered the industry out of Cal Poly Pomona’s Apparel Merchandising and Management program for the past year and a half I’ve been through 4 companies and have had 2 nervous breakdowns.  I lived the dream most kids my age would love, working for the best retailer and one of the hottest lines out at the moment.  It’s definitely not what I expected and some of the issues I ran across no college could prepare you for.

The first issue ,which most people do not understand, is the areas you work in.   Most Los Angeles clothing companies are not based where their retail stores are, they are in the armpits of Southern California.  I discovered this quickly doing the crack head walk at 7:30 am from the Pershing Square Metro Station to 9th and Los Angeles Street 5 years ago when I was interning for the FBI.  Later on I went to work with companies based in South Central, Boyle Heights, El Monte, and other areas where you get called “pinche whero” on a day to day basis.

The second one is the quote most of us under the age of 25 will hear.  “You need to put in your dues”, or “I’ve done this for 15 years”.  And in your head you think, ”You have been doing this for 15 years and you still don’t know what you are doing?!?”  When you hear this just take it with a grain of salt.  You will get the age card pulled on you when it comes to discrepancies where people can’t give a logical answer back.  Usually it comes out of insecurity, just remember that.  If you get lucky you could work for a company such as Ron Herman where they embrace young and innovative thinking.

The third is the wage and job market.  A lot of people seem to think you will run their business for $28k a year.  They like to take advantage of all these poor students dying to get a job out of college.  I would honestly say it’s definitely not the immigration problem killing the job market in this industry it’s the over saturation and the ease of getting a fashion degree these days.  Having an AA related to fashion is almost equal to having a high school diploma now.  To get an upper hand quit your waitress or retail job and get a part time position at an actual company.  That way you will at least have some industry experience under your belt when you finish.

Fourth be prepared to give up a big portion of your social life.  You will be called at 8:00am on a Saturday morning with the contractor saying” I NEED 7 MORE ZIPPERS” or something similar to that.  Don’t expect the typical 9-5.  If you get that be very thankful.  Keep in mind this industry does usually not care about your friends birthday, your grandma is in town, or if your girlfriend or boyfriend wants to see you.  They just want the collection done before market or the items shipped before the completion date.
In the end of it all I looked like one of those crack heads I walked by every morning down Broadway.  Luckily I was saved by AIMS (Apparel Information Management Systems) and have my own venture working for them to train and teach.   I have never been happier to work for someone in my life (AIMS).  For all of you still in the grind stay with it there is light at the end of the tunnel, trust me.

But, after all your training, finding a job will not be handed to you on your graduation day. You will need to get out there and connect with the right people who can help you find the RIGHT job for you. The FBI was that connection and although not all the jobs worked out for me they all came about due to my intern work with the Fashion Business Inc.,

By Randall Baxter

First Published 1/18/07