NATIONAL: Fashion designers are working up to 80 hours a week across two full-time jobs in a bid to counteract pressure from the financial crisis.
Restricted credit flow to the sector mean an increasing number of designers are now looking outside of their businesses for additional working capital - in some cases securing additional employment just to pay the bills.
Just recently, it was revealed high profile womenswear label Sass & Bide had been forced to sell a large stake of its company to industry veterans David Briskin and Daniel Vesen in return for a $1.5 million loan. The move was believed to have resulted from tightened lending practices by its banking partner ANZ.
Industry sources claimed those struggling to secure trade finance or private investors were now approaching fashion design as a "second job". Sydney-based agent Faith Agugu, who has represented some of Australia's most influential fashion brands including Fleur Wood and Jayson Brunsdon, said there had been a notable shift in employment trends.
"In the past designers would have a part-time job to support their labels, now I see designers with full-time work running their business around their jobs," Agugu said. "Without money coming in, the only way they can pay for things like samples, fabrics and look books is to have income independent of their business."
Agugu said she started to notice the trend when clients began to field enquiries before or after office hours. She headed up her own agency RAW Fashion in Surry Hills, which included clients Flamingo Sands, Honey Hartley, Moire, Inspired By and Red Queen.
"I noticed some clients were very responsive to emails before 8.45am and then only again after 6pm," Agugu said. "If I need to get in touch during the day, I would have to call them on their mobile and leave a message for them to return on their breaks.
"We all have to adjust to survive in the current conditions and I believe this trend will most probably continue until the economic climate changes."
Melbourne-based menswear designer Oscar Calvo is among those working two full-time jobs in order to finance his label. Calvo, who launched his eponymous brand in 2004, was forced to shut his first and only boutique earlier this year as a result of the "global recession".
He now balanced work on seasonal collections with running his own public relations house in Prahran. Calvo currently represented fashion labels Miss Lyndel Yeo, Sulu and Mly Black Label.
"All the money I make from my public relations services goes towards funding my label. I put in the same amount of time and dedication to both my label and PR work. It's an every minute job, I'm always working.
"The good thing is my agency allows me to surround myself with my peers and have a better understanding of what is currently happening on the Australian fashion scene."
He hoped to generate enough wholesale and PR revenue to eventually open another Oscar Calvo boutique. Ironically, the designer wound up his network of 30 wholesale clients in 2007 when he opened the doors to his Collingwood boutique.
"Having already secured several high-profile boutique stockists in the past, I'm keen to source further stockists that will complement the image of the brand. The range has been created to appeal to upmarket boutiques."
Gold Coast-based designer Gary Yang also hoped to invest in wholesale growth through full-time employment outside the sector. Yang, who debuted his womenswear label 'Gary Yang Collection' in April, divided his time between a local architectural firm and ongoing work commitments for his spring/summer 2009/10 collection.
"I do a lot of email correspondences during the day and spend most weeknights and weekends working on the collection. I've had to take extra time off work to meet certain commitments like Australian Fashion Week."
He said he was able to meet upfront costs such as fabric, sampling and production through his work in architecture. Yang planned to use future savings towards a dedicated work space and the "luxury" of being able to work on his collections full-time.
"Currently, I'm able to manage my time around my work schedule," he said. "Having a full-time job has given me the confidence and financial support to continue developing my label during this tough economic climate. My approach is to stay positive and keep doing the things I feel deeply passionate about - fashion design."