Pattern Designer
The marketplace is global. With its diverse clientele a demand grows for more precise fit and finish. Future pattern designers must have the skills for mass production and the knowledge of one-of-a-kind, made-to-measure pattern making to be on forefront of this demand. Those with an eye of couture, a sense of elegance, and superior construction will be able to attune current technology to the sophisticated level required by the conscious consumer.
Zarrella, Katherine K., (January 6, 2012). At Opposite Ends of the Fashion Spectrum, Demi-Couture and Luxury Sportswear Strike a Chord. Business of Fashion.
Milligan, Lauren. (October 26, 2011). The Rise of Demi-Couture. Vogue UK.
Mistry, Meenal. (October 22, 2011). Is Ready-to-Wear the New Couture? Wall Street Journal.
Cartner-Morley, Jess. (January 25, 2011). Chanel swaps pearls and operatic grandeur for T-shirts and flats. The Guardian.
About Pattern Design
The apparel manufacturing industry transforms fabrics produced by textile manufacturers into clothing and accessories. The apparel industry traditionally has consisted mostly of production workers who performed the cutting and sewing functions in an assembly line. This industry remains labor-intensive, despite advances in technology and workplace practices. Although many workers still perform this work in the United States, the industry increasingly contracts out its production work to foreign suppliers to take advantage of lower labor costs in other countries.
Other domestically produced items tend to be custom or high-end items. One advantage the domestic industry has is its closeness to the market and its ability to react to changes in fashion more quickly than its foreign competitors. Also, as retailers consolidate and become more cost conscious, they require more apparel manufacturers to move toward just-in-time delivery systems, in which purchased apparel items are quickly replaced by new items directly from the manufacturer, rather than from a large inventory kept by the retailer. Through electronic data interchange—mainly using barcodes—information is quickly communicated to the manufacturers, providing information not only on inventory, but also about the desires of the public for particular fashions.
Some apparel firms have responded to growing competition by merging with other apparel firms and by moving into the retail market. In addition to the production of garments they also are contracting out functions—for example, warehousing and order fulfillment—to concentrate on their strengths: design and marketing. Computer-aided design systems have led to the development of “product life cycle management,” under which potential new fashions can now be transmitted around the planet over the Internet. Such changes may help the apparel manufacturing industry meet the growing competition and continue to supply the Nation’s consumers with garments at an acceptable cost.
New technology also has led to increasingly technical training for workers throughout the industry. Computers and computer-controlled equipment aid in many functions, such as design, patternmaking, and cutting.
Tailors, dressmakers, and custom sewers alter and repair garments in local neighborhood shops, department stores, or dry-cleaning establishments. Alterations may include hemming pants or dresses, and repairs commonly consist of patching or sewing a torn article of clothing. Some workers may be required to make elaborate custom clothing for special occasions or other unique events.
Custom tailors, dressmakers, and sewers often have previous experience in apparel production, design, or alteration. Knowledge of fabrics, design, and construction is very important. Custom tailors sometimes learn these skills through courses in high school or a community college. Tailors who perform alterations usually learn informally by observing other, more experienced workers.
Most workers in apparel occupations, however, are found in manufacturing, performing specialized tasks in the production of large numbers of garments that are shipped to retail establishments for sale. Fabric and apparel patternmakers convert a clothing designer’s original model of a garment into separate parts that can be laid out on a length of fabric. They use computers to outline the parts and draw in details to indicate the position of pleats, buttonholes, and other features. They then alter the size of the pieces in the pattern to produce garments of various sizes and, in doing so, determine the best layout of pieces to minimize waste of material. Once a pattern has been created, mass production of the garment begins.
Domestic production of apparel and textiles will continue to move abroad, and imports to the U.S. market are expected to increase. Fierce competition in the market for apparel will keep domestic apparel and textile firms under intense pressure to cut costs and produce more with fewer workers. Although the textile industry already is highly automated, it will continue to seek to increase worker productivity through the introduction of labor-saving machinery and the invention of new fibers and fabrics that reduce production costs. Technological developments, such as computer-aided marking and grading, computer-controlled cutters, semiautomatic sewing and pressing machines, and automated material-handling systems have increased output while reducing the need for some workers in larger firms.
Despite advances in technology, the apparel industry has had difficulty utilizing automated equipment for assembly tasks because of the delicate properties of many textiles. Also, the industry produces a wide variety of apparel items that change frequently with changes in style and season. Even so, increasing numbers of sewing machine operator jobs are expected to be lost to workers abroad. Employment of sewing machine operators is expected to decline rapidly by 34 percent.
Tailors, dressmakers, and custom sewers—the most skilled apparel workers—are expected to experience little or no change in employment. Most of these workers are self-employed or work in clothing stores. The demand for custom home furnishings and tailored clothes is diminishing in general, but remains steady in upscale stores and by certain clients. Designer apparel and other handmade goods also appeal to people looking for one-of-a-kind items.
For more on pattern design careers reference Apparel Search
Content gathered from the U.S. Department of Labor
