Have you aged out of the fashion industry working as a designer?
Did you take a long hiatus for whatever reason- forced longterm unemployment, start your own company but eventually close it, having children, etc, and end up having to move into a different industry but wish you could return because you love design?
Are you too old (50’s or more) and feel you’d never be hired, especially by an interviewer younger than you ?
Curious to hear. I found myself in unexpected longterm unemployment of 18 months before COVID- and then having to move into a totally different industry to work and have been in health and wellness ever since (always employed but earning less per year than when I was a designer).
1 Like
Yes, absolutely. But the “aging out” happened for me at age 38- that was my last role as Senior Designer/Head of Design for my division. After some major burnout, I switched to Tech Design full time (I had a strong technical background) and left working as a designer- traveling to sales meetings, long working hours, stressful reorgs, etc had gotten to me.
I did try to get back into design, as I had expertise in a specific category, but I didn’t want to go back to a previous job, and it seemed I hit a roadblock every time, usually about salary and the comment “oh, but you have SOOO much experience.” I had started seeing that before at another company- hiring younger and more green designers (associate level) because they were cheaper and “more in touch” with the trends- and the company I was at hired them, tried them out for a few months, and if they didn’t have immediate success then they fired them and hired new ones. I saw this churn and burn as the beginning of a pattern- the company was unwilling to hire experienced designers/lead designers as they were too expensive, so they took their chances on less experience and threw them into the deep end to see if they would make it. Undoubtably the buyers (we were private label) saw the constant staff turnover and lack of deep product/brand knowledge, but they continued to work with us.
Now I’ve accepted I’m too old to get back into design, and am really glad I made the switch to Tech Design, as it’s been a much less tumultuous position and I see many more job opportunities. It’s also a role where I am valued for my experience, and so I see it as a way to help teach the younger designers coming up, a lot of whom are missing construction and technical knowledge. (yes, I have to explain the difference between binding and a neckband). But while I miss some aspects of design, I feel this is the only way I still am able to (somewhat) be able to impact design.
3 Likes
Thanks for that info.
Do you find that they still give fair raises every year or do you feel lucky to even have a job?
What is the typical pay for a tech designer at your level?
Do you have to travel for your job to China, etc?
Company that I worked for did massive restructuring right before & during pandemic, so found myself looking for new opportunities in the patternmaking/ tech design areas. Experience is appreciated more in places where technical expertise matters like intimate apparrel & swimwear, but the salaries offered were junior level, even with CAD & 3D experience. As a senior tech, I spent part of my time teaching others the accumulated skills that I have gained over time, and since I am fortunately located in an area with several well-,known fashion schools I eventually pivoted into teaching to pass on some of this knowledge to the next wave. There is a huge skills gap out there, and companies don’t seem to realize that a small investment in skilled people can have a significant effect on the quality of their product.
1 Like
I’m in the Los Angeles area, so I see TD jobs starting around (mide level with experience) $80/85k and going up to $150 as a TD Manager/director.
I’m lucky my company has been great at raises and promotions. And some places require travel, I’m happy I have not had to go overseas as a TD.
I just had my first brush with what may or may not be ageism. I interviewed for a role (including a very detailed project) and honestly got excellent feedback - but lost the job to someone who was “recommended at the last minute” who made 45K less than I did and would be new to a director level.
I was told that the hiring manager was afraid that I would want a senior directive not far in the distant future and it would t materialize.
I’d always been underpaid for what I was bringing to the table so this felt really strange since my salary increased significantly over the past 5 years. I was definitely the right person for the job, but oh well-