Friday, April 27, 2012
It is Not Proportionate
Very lovely and intriguing. I agree very much with what is said and as a human with artistic and scientific inclination, this resonates very deeply.
Monday, April 9, 2012
Wednesday, March 14, 2012
Tuesday, January 31, 2012
Sunday, January 8, 2012
New Growth
This year the shop had it's busiest holiday season.
Here is a custom order for my cousin...
and another.
Slowly the network is growing and we are thrilled!
Sunday, November 27, 2011
Designers= Chameleons
Earlier this month I promised some sketches, and here they are. These were done for an interview with Armani Exchange Men's Accessories. The work was well received, but the whole interview left me rethinking everything from my resume to my responses. I have not heard back from them, and have no strong sense of the decision, but either way I am choosing to think the universe is trying to help me out with the message I got from the interview.
Mainly, I feel I need to prepare a better arsenal of responses to questions like:
"Do you prefer handbags or footwear?"
"What drew you to the brand?"
"Do you prefer men's or women's accessories design?"
"Who are you favorite accessories or fashion designers?"
"How did you get into accessories design?"
It has become clear to me from my own experiences, as well as from what my peers are telling me, that recruiters in the fashion accessories industry are all about what I like to call 'true love'. Recruiters only seem to want to hire those designers who have been dreaming of working for their brand since infancy; who simply live, breathe, and crap their brand. They congratulate themselves with the chain of logical reasoning they have constructed, which tells them that a designer who has the same aesthetic as their brand and the desire to work there is the only person right for the job, because only then will they be happy in that role, and naturally it follows that the designing will be much easier for them too. One HR person even went as far as to advise me to think about the design brands I like and go after them.
REALLY?
I get so frustrated going through this process with them over and over again, and I just want to grab them but the shoulders and shake some sense into them. OF COURSE I have already done that! When you are starting out and have little to no experience, no one wants to hire you, not even freelance. It is a struggle just to get someone to give you a chance. Then there is the added limitation that there are only X number of spots at said dream company and we rarely find 'true love' on the first go. Peers I talked to agree, the HR people hiring for design/ creative fields don't know what to look for, so they cling to these silly notions of candidates having the same brand aesthetic and the single mindedness to only want to work in one category. Meanwhile, I cannot think of anything more detrimental to creating a design team of diverse perspectives, technical skill, and cultured talent ( yes, you can grow a talent, you don't need to be born with it !).
What is wrong with being open to multiple categories? Men's, women's, juniors, handbags, footwear, athletic gear... A great designer is a versatile designer. Someone who, despite their own aesthetic, can come in and design for your brand because they have the technical training and can interpret the relevant trends. If they are passionate about the industry then they will be happy to design for you! Of course some people have preferences and it is kismet when they can find a position which allows them to dwell in those preferences, but realistically it is not always possible, 'true love' is difficult to find and often takes huge amounts of effort to keep. Designers need to eat, they have bills to pay, and they want to afford to have a life. It is incredibly unfair to punish them for surviving in this hostile economy by accepting positions in various categories, and thinking it sours them since your are hiring for only one specific department. Charles Darwin wrote that the organisms most likely to survive were those that identified a change and then were the quickest to adapt, and he was not wrong. What HR people hiring for design/ creative positions should consider strong character assets, are grossly misinterpreted as unfocused or inexperienced. Don't you guys want someone who can quickly adapt to change? Contribute a unique perspective based on a diverse professional background? Someone who will have plenty to learn about your brand? Oh wait, I forgot. You want to hire designers who are already copies of the people you already have working for you. Whoops!
So I'm back to drumming up answers to these questions I get asked over and over again. I think that is the weak spot in my interview performance, after some resume editing, and presenting myself more as a copy of who the company has already hired. Also, dressing for the brand aesthetic to the interview has also come up as a point of order. I feel silly doing these things instead of relying on my portfolio to show I can draw and CAD and design accessories, but a girl's got to do what a girls got to do.
Thursday, November 24, 2011
Thankful for New Wrist Warmers - Secret Sale!
New styles in the shop soon!
This is a longer version of the modern nomad series. I only have one pair in stock and it will be on sale in the shop this weekend.
SECRET SALE!
Use code CMS15 between now and Cyber Monday for 15% your order!
Happy Thanksgiving!
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