NEW YORK — Intimate apparel design is an undiscovered art form and a highly lucrative career, said Colette Wong, assistant chairman of the fashion design department at Manhattan’s Fashion Institute of Technology.
“The fashion industry has always treated the intimate apparel industry as a little bit of a stepchild,” Wong said. “But it’s not any longer. Intimate apparel is out of the closet. Students are no longer afraid to say ‘I want a better bra.’ They want to be in the mix of new technology and design, and…the Sara Lees and the VFs who now are much more open to finding design talent.”
The main reason the intimate apparel industry is embracing new blood is that many design veterans have retired or plan to do so, and it’s difficult to cultivate talent in a specialized field that many students do not find fun or glamorous.
But opportunity abounds mainly because there is little competition and many of the larger firms are willing to start assistant designers in the mid-$30,000 range and go as high as $200,000 or more for a seasoned professional. There also is the support of industry organizations, including the Underfashion Club, which provides scholarships and internship opportunities for FIT students.
Leonard Bass, chairman of FIT’s fashion design department, said because of the popularity and growth of the intimate apparel industry, which rang up retail sales of $12.6 billion in 2004, FIT is planning to expand the number of specialty design courses in foundations, grading and children’s wear for fall 2006.
WWD asked several intimate apparel design students at FIT why they selected such a specialized trade and what career opportunities they anticipate. Here are their responses:
Emily Volaska, 20: “I chose intimate apparel design because just being a woman gives me more satisfaction. It can either be over-the-top sexy or soft and demure. For me, ready-to-wear is just everyday, while lingerie is more sensitive. I feel it’s really important to love your body. If you have a cute thong or panty, even if you have a big butt, you feel sexy.
“I see a lot of opportunity ahead. I interned at Natori, Wacoal America and now Dana-Co. They say I’m really lucky because it’s such a small area of fashion design and a lot of people tell me the money is a lot better than other areas in the fashion industry.”
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Kim Olen, 23: “First of all, I’m adopted and all of my sisters are well endowed. It’s their Ukrainian-Russian background, and they’re always complaining they can’t find a bra that shapes and lifts them. I’m going to fight their cause and make undergarments that help them, and make them look and feel good.
“I interned at Lunaire and Sara Lee, and did a practicum at DKNY intimates. I think it would be hard to start off as a small business owner. What I really want is a job, anything in foundations. And I want to design for younger women who want sexy things.”
Cerissa Caraballo, 21: who interned at DKNY Underwear: “If you can make things beautiful for women — for them deep down personally — you can make things that make them feel strong and empowered. I’ve always seen myself handling and designing something intricate, not something big like pants or a skirt.
“It is a smaller industry, but you get to know people, network and it’s easier to get a job because of all the people you’ve met along the way. I want to be in the knitty gritty, on the design floor. It’s not like you got a pattern maker who says ‘no, you got to do it like this or that. I like to do it my way.’”
Aparna Dasgupta, 20: who interned at Wacoal America and is an intern at Flora Nikrooz: “I originally thought of doing eveningwear, but then a friend of mine gave me a job as an assistant at Character Foundations. There was this blackout and I couldn’t take the train home for three days. My friend was really into [intimate apparel] design and she really sold me on it.
“I really have intentions to try to do my own line and have my own company, or work for a company like Aubade or La Perla. There are definitely more opportunities in the foundations field. I don’t think it would be very hard to get a job.”
Monica Sanchez, 22: who interned at International Intimates and worked with the licensed Necessary Objects lingerie: “I started out with eveningwear, but then I wanted to do something more challenging. People never take into account what goes under a garment. You wear a blouse and you look great, but you would never look great without the right bra or bustier.
“It’s a small industry but it’s growing and it’s a lucrative industry as well. There are great opportunities in the intimate apparel industry and there’s not a lot of fresh meat out there.”
Donna Tsui, 20: “I have this passion for intimate details and I’m very anal about paying attention to every simple detail like beading, laces and pintucking. I’m interning at French Jenny, and it’s great. I feel intimate apparel is very personal.
“If you wear some sexy lingerie, you carry yourself differently throughout the day. I like a lot of décolletage, and right now my inspiration is tropical silk prints and colors. In sportswear design you have a sample maker. But in intimate apparel you make your own samples. It’s different.”
Victoria Rakowsky, 22: who is interning at Maidenform: “I was going to do eveningwear, but then I saw a fashion show and fell in love with intimate apparel. In other industries like sportswear you have to make sure everything is out there all of the time. There’s more hustle and bustle, but in intimate apparel the time frame is more lenient.
“I see a lot of opportunity being at Maidenform. If you know how to do pattern making and grading, and know how seaming works, you can go forward with that knowledge under your belt. I feel my future is 100 percent guaranteed in intimate apparel. I have a passion for it.”