When Less is NOT More
A fashion industry professional reflects on the consequences of meeting maximal expectations with minimal resources
Illustrations by Rabbit Person Design
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The phrase, “less is more” is typically applied to things that are better in small doses. Frosting, salad dressing, bows on anything, tchotchkes, and — oh, I don’t know — clothes! It stresses that minimalism, just the necessary basics, can be more delightful and beneficial than having everything under the sun. On principle, it sounds wise when applied to many aspects of life so why do I hate it?
When I was growing up, I remember going to the same retail store in the mall twice in one month and seeing the same product on display. Not much would have changed in even two months! Lines were more focused, the clothes were quality-driven, and the stores weren’t overwhelming to shop. Now, when I go back to those same stores I’m struck by the chaotic entanglement of merchandise. There isn’t a story and everything looks cheap. Specialty stores are trying to cater to as many people as possible, so the assortments have grown, but they make little to no sense. There’s an appearance of “more,” but it feels like a lot “less.” As an industry insider, I know exactly why this is happening.
I have worked as a technical designer in the apparel industry for 12 years in companies big and small. A technical designer is essentially a garment engineer; it is our job to figure out how to construct a garment from how it’s sewn to how each pattern piece is shaped to provide a perfect fit. We meet with design and buying teams to go over the new silhouettes for the season and advise on what is workable, what needs to be changed, and what is a total pipe dream. We advise on what fabrications, construction methods, and style lines will yield the best result. Once the details are finalized we build tech packs, which are the blueprints for garments. They contain sketches calling out how the garment is to be put together, a bill of materials, and a development spec sheet with proposed measurements for the proto samples.
Once the samples come back from the manufacturer, it is our responsibility to review the garment construction, measure the samples, and — most importantly — conduct fit sessions on a fit model. This is where the true magic happens. It’s much like putting on a stage show in a way. An adept technical designer can lead a fit session with ease, figure out fit issues on the fly, correct patterns to address the fit issues, and send these comments in a way the factory can easily digest. The fit process is repeated until the fit is perfected, or as perfect as it will get given a timeline.
As the fast fashion cadence took over the industry, I saw four seasons of 200 styles increase to six seasons of 300 styles. The workload was always increasing while the timeline to complete the work was always decreasing. I’ve had a couple of jobs where we were continually shaving days, weeks, and even a month off of the production schedule. I cannot tell you how many times I had to approve a style into production that was beyond sub-par. At some point, I started living by the adage, “Well, it will fit someone!” It didn’t help that we were working rapidly on so many unique pieces instead of basing the core styles on existing silhouettes and fit. Have you ever gone into a store and tried on two different tops by the same brand that had a completely different fit? This is why!
I love fitting garments and correcting patterns. These two skills are an artform. When you have to rush through everything, the art is removed and your sole focus becomes hitting your deadlines in any way possible. Speed is not the only mitigating factor. The lack of a strong vendor base throws another wrench into the works. In order to maintain low cost, your selection of quality vendors essentially gets eliminated and those who are willing to do the work cheaply are less likely to execute your fit corrections well, if at all. What you are left with is poor quality and ill-fitting clothing.
In addition to producing more garments with less time, corporate downsizing is another trend writ large in the fashion industry. The company I worked for prior to my current job was medium-sized. Our office had about 100 people in it during peak employment, with another 150 or so across two other offices. In my nearly six years there, I weathered four layoffs; three out of four could be considered mass layoffs. Our team was constantly struggling with the question of how to do more with less. We were all super hardworking and dedicated employees, but we consistently missed key deadlines. This brought down the team morale because, ridiculous or not, deadlines are made to be met and our performance as a department was being judged by it.
Currently, I am working at a startup domestic development and production house doing a little bit of everything: technical design, sourcing, design ideation, vendor negotiating, production costing, and sales. I have been physically in office for most of the pandemic (I work at a factory which requires me to be on-site), and I’m no stranger to the less-is-more paradigm here as well. Our small business was rocked by the pandemic and we have had to downsize more than once in the last year. People have also left and we have not gotten backfills. Overall, we are still well under our headcount from last summer.
I will say that downsizing can help cut out unnecessary functions, consolidate and streamline workload, and help the company focus on the projects that are most integral to their success. I have seen this at my current workplace. We have had to re-organize our teams, and honestly, it has been for the best. Since we are a small company, we had been adding headcount as the need arose. This led to a general lack of structure and an uneven division of the workload. This is very common for startups; you are building the plane as you’re flying it. The reduction in headcount finally allowed us to put down roots for a more efficient and sustainable structure as we continue to grow and adapt. Are we doing more with less? Absolutely. But at least our internal process makes a bit more sense than it did previously.
Many of my garmento friends and coworkers who have been laid off during the past year have spent the time re-evaluating their careers and what is truly important to them. A lot of them are seeking out a more balanced life. I teach a course at an LA fashion school and I’m seeing this shift happening in the mindset of my students as well. My first thought was, “Man, are they going to be in for a rude awakening when they get into the industry.” But then I was like, “Yeah! Exactly! No one should have to work 10-hour days, six days a week to cut their teeth. Why can’t it be better for everyone?”
What would the industry look like if the talent inside it (the buyers, the design teams, the production departments) rejected the idea that you have to pay your dues with long hours, overwhelming stress and tears (lots of tears)? Doing more with less will not evaporate overnight, but having a positive atmosphere at work and being able to produce garments that you can stand behind is a step in the right direction. When we accept our own burnout, we are essentially buying into the dangerous precepts of fast fashion. We are enabling the industry through our ongoing efforts to meet impossible expectations.
While I am not leaving my day job any time soon, I have begun to think of what I want to do more and what I want to do less. It sounds so simple, but in practice it is difficult to do. For years I have told everyone that I am retiring at 40 (mostly as a joke of course), but by then I would like to be out of the day-to-day grind that I’m in now. In my current role at a domestic garment factory, I see first-hand how much usable fabric is being discarded. I’ve been inspired to start a company that takes the scraps and makes garments from 100% pre-consumer waste. Although in its infancy, I really see a future here, along with teaching and mentoring (which is my other passion). My career has taken me all sorts of places so I know how quickly best-laid plans can fall away. But I do hope that wherever I end up, I won’t have to live by “less is more” and instead build a life around more of what I love.
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