Australian fashion: it begins with retail
February 2013
I want to be a famous fashion designer, I hear many young people say as they graduate with fashion and textile qualifications.
However there are only a certain number of jobs available and so many students graduating each year. Australian tertiary institutions produce talented, well trained individuals that leave to work in the local and international arenas with great success, but what about those who can’t get a job as a designer when they graduate? Where do they go? The introduction of fashion retail modules into tertiary courses might assist in solving this dilemma.
Training our young fashion hopefuls in the basics of fashion retail would add to their skill sets and help to strengthen an industry currently threatened by consumers choosing to shop online, and in many cases from overseas businesses. “In Europe the retail profession is respected but Australia has not caught up to this,” says local designer and retailer Lisa Barron. If we were to provide these aspiring fashionistas with a greater knowledge of the retail scene and training, maybe they would feel happier about a career in retail. The perception of retail as a stop-gap job rather than a possible career option needs to change.
As a fashion consultant I have observed the retail environment from many different angles. I understand the challenges facing emerging designers as they embark on careers and I see customers often nervous and uncertain of an in-person retail encounter. We have all had the ‘in your face’ hovering and the ‘not interested at all’ retail experience, and as a result have resorted to online in order to avoid personal interaction. As Jo Kellock of the Textile and Fashion Industries of Australia (TFIA) comments: “There is a lack of understanding of a service culture in the fashion industry.”
This is a scary thought as the fashion industry in Australia is already in a rather precarious position. Training up our fashion design hopefuls in retail skills would mean a stronger and more pleasant bricks and mortar experience and would help support the businesses that struggle to find that elusive retail talent. My discussions with retailers on the issue of retail training can be summed up with the words of Lisa Barron, a long-standing and highly regarded local designer and retailer: “I need a skilled, trained individual who has a knowledge of fabric, cut, design, fit and style; they need to be able to understand what a woman wants and be perceptive. Then in turn I will be seeking their design skills in helping to create exactly the collection the customers want. Our motto at Lisa Barron is – as a team we strive to create and sell the best garments we can. Everyone in the company’s input is valued.”
The reality is that the industry needs more people like Barron who invest in their staff and listen to every voice as an equal, integral part of the business operation. People sometimes forget the importance of retail in the greater scheme of things through the product/brand life cycle. In many cases it can mean the difference between a successful and unsuccessful business. In Australia we need to get over our prejudices and realise that there is great skill involved in being a successful retail assistant. Many industry professionals share my sentiments and hope that in future our fashion hopefuls can embrace retail so that our bricks and mortar experience can not only survive but flourish. What is the good of having so many stunning collections when there are so few appropriately trained staff to sell them? We need to change the situation now so that the future of physical retail is assured. Leah Brown, of Albert Park boutique Fox Life Style, adds: “There really is no better place to gain knowledge and experience in fashion than on the retail floor. It is by engaging in conversation with the customer, in a warm friendly atmosphere, that we understand their wants and needs.”
Jane Hayes is the owner of Jane Hayes Consulting, a fashion consultancy based in Melbourne. She is the head of the Design Cluster for the Textile and Fashion Industries of Australia (TFIA), head and founder of The Australian Edit – A Fashion Space, and co-founder and managing director of The Spirit of the Black Dress.
Photos courtesy of Lisa Barron
TAGS fashion jane hayes lisa barron tfia
Other Articles You May Like
The Spirit of the Black Dress
The fashion industry, worth about $450 billion worldwide, is not one to be taken lightly. Yet while it employs a…
The Australian Edit
Coming up on November 25, in the nearby rural surrounds of Yering Estate, Jane Hayes Consulting and Yering Station will…
It’s all about the hat
How to choose the best hat to accompany you to the Spring Races? The outfit will suit a brim of…
Galleries
Weather
20°Latest Edition
