Global economy within the fashion industry

By Anita Loughlin 

Staff Writer 

Graduating from college is the day every student looks forward to with hopes and dreams of stepping into the beginning of an official career - yet for many students, these steps are feeling a bit more uncertain than expected. 

Eilish Heffernan, Class of ‘25, a fashion merchandising graduate, said, “I was so scared. Besides the job market, on a personal level, I had an identity crisis because I was always just a student, and now, I'm not a student anymore. That was always an identity for me.” 

Geanny Infante, Class of ‘23, a fashion design and merchandising graduate, said she just recently got a job as an associate assistant sales manager for Real Magical Stuff, a toy manufacturing company, after “struggling for almost three years trying to find a corporate job.” 

Infante said, “Sometimes you see people who get a job no problem, but for me it's been countless rejections. When I got hired, I couldn't believe it.” 

Yessenia Gamez, Class of ‘24, a fashion merchandising graduate, is now a merchandise assistant at Potpourri Group. 

Gamez said, “I applied to this company three times before I got in, and it took me a full year to get a job.”

Along with the abrupt shift between being a student to suddenly entering life as a working professional, rising costs and the current state of the global economy are also creating problems within the fashion industry. 

Laura Kane, associate professor in the Fashion Design and Retailing Department, said, “We're in a really rough time right now in terms of the scale of impact on the global supply chain. A lot of the current administration's policies are throwing a lot of things into chaos.” 

Kane also described the current issue with rising tariffs on the apparel industry. “From the fiber importation and material weaving to bringing in materials like notions and trends from other places into one location, to then be sewn up into new garments to then be exported out to other countries. It can get kind of difficult.

“Every single one of those things is being hit with tariffs and then it's causing ripple effects. Companies can no longer afford to create pieces because they can't offset that cost.” Kane added. 

Gamez said, “We're constantly raising the prices on the same items that we've had out. Right now, we'll raise it on apparel, like five or ten dollars each season. We do five seasons a year, and we'll just keep raising it. 

“And also with how silver is so expensive, we're starting to not buy silver anymore, and our previous silver items are switching to other metals that are less expensive and we're selling them for the same price,” Gamez added. 

Virginia Noon, associate professor in the Fashion Design and Retailing department, said, “When we talk about fashion, it's all about our disposable income - What we have left over to spend. Fashion usually comes from that pocket of money.”

Noon added that depending on the individual, fashion may not be a priority when it comes to what to spend disposable income on. 

“We’re in the middle of a very difficult period with our government, with the current president, and the uncertainty that has resulted from this implementation of global tariffs and this current war that we're in,” Noon said. 

Noon said, “The challenge with having production in the United States is that the cost of labor is so high right to produce garments, so that ends up with the cost of goods comparatively higher. My concern is that consumers are used to buying inexpensive clothing - so to pay significantly more, I don't know if the industry will come back, but I think we'll see a shift.” 

While many are expressing their concerns about the fashion industry’s instability, fashion design students are remaining adaptable and willing to take on any opportunity that arrives as long as they can still engage with their creativity. 

Aili Schiavoni, senior fashion design major, said, “I feel like I’m going to throw up,” after being asked about how she’s feeling during the weeks leading up to graduation. 

However, when asked about the next steps post graduation, with the biggest smile on her face, Schianovi said, “Personally I’m looking for creative education - I’m looking to go to grad school. I ultimately want to become a professor.

“I teach fashion design myself, and it has been such a wonderful experience. Some of my favorite times spent has been helping other students figure things out. I’ve always loved to teach, and I’ve realized this is what I want to do with my life,” she added.

Alumni emphasize their advice on continuing to apply to jobs and to be open minded when it comes to different avenues of opportunities. 

Infante said, “My general advice in finding jobs is if you're truly interested, reach out. Find a company, find out if they have a recruitment agency, and reach out directly to somebody that works for the recruitment agency.” 

She said, “Communication is number one, and also having the team mindset is also very important, I emphasize this a lot,” when it comes to connecting with people about jobs. 

“If you understand who you're talking to and how to talk to that person, especially within the fashion industry, you'll be successful. It takes a lot of knowledge, personable and human skills to be able to interact with another human,” Infante added. 

Kane emphasized the importance of ambition when it comes to studying fashion, “If you're going to be like, ‘I want to go to New York, I want to be in a luxury brand. I want to be a designer that has their own label and have a whole team working for me - you have to work your ass off.” 

“You cannot come into this and think it's going to fall into your lap, because it won't. If that is what you want, you need to come to class. You need to show that you can manage your time, that you can keep yourself organized, you can keep yourself healthy and if that is what you want to do, make it your whole life. You have to love it,” Kane said.

“The majority of the people in the fashion industry are not those big designers. It's the people behind the scenes. Your career doesn't need to be celebrity dressing, making millions of dollars, etc. It's very difficult to get to that point. You should absolutely try. You should strive for it, but always have something to fall back on. Always work on another skill or find your strength and go with that,” Kane added. 

Kane also added to not be afraid to work a job that is not 100% ideal, “Especially right out of school, you're not going to get your top job within a year of graduating.You might have to work for people that you don't like. You might have to work long hours. You might have to work for a little bit less pay than you want. But all of that stuff is going to prepare you to be resilient. It's going to prepare you to be flexible.” 

“The fashion industry is one that is really really tough, and I just want my students to be realistic about it and not come into this with big starry eyes and think that just because you dress well, someone's going to let you design their collections for you,” said Kane. 

Gamez said, “Try to get as many internships as you can while you're still in school, because that will definitely help. Right now there's like, a lot of competition especially when we first graduate. 

“I would also get involved with extracurricular activities related to fashion. That really helps too,” Gamez added. 

Noon said, “If you take advantage of every opportunity, you're going to get more results. If you can make personal connections with people who might be able to just get you an introduction, I think that will go a long way. 

“Your professors were here to help you. There's an expert right around every office in this campus who are just sitting here. We want to help you. The Career Center is there for you as a student, even after you graduate. So I think just do the work and you'll have success,” she said.

Schiavoni said, “Don’t be afraid to try. Don’t be afraid to go bold. I will say that the faculty here is willing to support you. Whatever you think you can do, they can help you get to that point.” 

Kane said, “I hope people know that Framingham State is a unique school for fashion because of our approach to it. Often a lot of fashion schools have a pretty high barrier to entry, and a lot of that is because of the cost of the school and the locations of the school. 

“We might not have as many great places to shop, or places to send students for internships and stuff, but we're getting better at that,” said Kane.