Running head: MY OWN DRESSMAKING BUSINESS: CAREER EXPLORATION 1

My Own Dressmaking Business:

Career Exploration

Katrina

Salt Lake Community College

MY OWN DRESSMAKING BUSINESS: CAREER EXPLORATION 2

I was was four or five when I learned how to thread a needle and began trying to sew. My

little fingers struggled to make pretty stitches, but I was focused on making something beautiful.

Perhaps the furthest question from my mind was “could I sew for a living?” In this assignment I

will explore this question in detail. Though I have many interests and talents could I succeed at

being a dressmaker?

Dressmaking is closely related to tailoring and custom sewing careers. A basic description

fro all three is “Design, make, alter, repair, or fit garments” (United States Bureau of Labor

Statistics, 2018.) This work can be simple or extensive. A more detailed description includes

measuring and communicating with clients to understand what the client wants, making

informed suggestions regarding fabric (personal communication, April 5, 2018) and visualizing

what the final piece will look like. In particular, dressmakers who run their own business also

have the responsibility of managing their business from the technical, financial, and legal sides

of the business. These require knowledge about keeping budget, possibly financial records,

obtaining business licenses with the state, and marketing the business to the community. With the

internet and growth of the global economy business could reach all over the world.

Dressmakers who operate their own business tend to spend more time working than those

who work for a company or organization (Barnabas). Clark (personal communication, April 24,

2018), who runs a custom sewing and alteration business out of her home, works about 48-60

hours a week. The majority of her time is spent sewing but her work also includes taking calls

from customers, organizing and planning out the orders which are due each week, and working

directly with customers. The added managerial responsibilities contribute to the increased work

hours. Another factor is the difficulty in knowing how long some projects will take. Unexpected
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factors, from machine and fabric problems to the project intensity can increase the amount of

time needed to complete a project and effects when others project will be completed too.

Variables like these emphasis the importance of experience and skill in a sewing business.

Both Clark and Luna (personal communication, April 24, 2018; personal communication April 5,

2018), another seamstress with a home-based business, started learning how to sew when they

were young. Luna grew up helping with her father's sewing business. She later went to college

for fashion and sewing. For her, education and learning about fabrics, clothing care, and

matching the occasions with style and tastes were very important.

Even though she went to school for fashion design, she is still learning; experimenting,

and staying informed with the popular styles and trends. Throughout her career, Luna said, she

has learned that it is still important to remember the small things about sewing; using the right

type of fabric for different occasions, helping her clients know how to care for their clothes, and

always looking professional for her clients (personal communication, April 5, 2018).

Clark started her career path differently. When she was about fifteen she learned how to

sew. She was able to do some apprenticeships which gave her more experience and allowed her

to work alongside other really good seamstresses. Her husband's family taught her a lot more

about sewing and she was able to start helping with costumes. From there, she eventually

decided to start her own venture, “first just part-time and now four, five, or six days a week”

(personal communication, April 24, 2018). But she loves it for multiple reasons.

Independence is something which both Clark and Luna enjoy from having their own

home-based businesses. They enjoy being their own bosses and having a greater amount of

flexibility in their work (personal communication, April 24, 2018; personal communication,
MY OWN DRESSMAKING BUSINESS: CAREER EXPLORATION 4

April 5, 2018). Clark also, specifically enjoys the gratification she gets from customers. When

customers come back for another project she knows she has done a good job. She is able to talk

with people more one on one and get to know them as both customers and people. This is very

satisfying to her and she is seeing her efforts paying off more and more (personal

communication, April 5, 2018). Sewing is a relatively isolated work environment. But the

balance between sewing clothes, working with clients, and networking can be very rewarding. I

enjoy the process of creating and finishing projects, knowing that I am actually helping people

with something they want.

Clark and Luna said that one of the hard things about having their own sewing businesses

is time management. Luna has noticed she does not have much time for herself. She works a lot

at night so that she can spend more time with her family, but her is able to enjoy both her work

and her family (personal communication, April 24, 2018; personal communication, April 5,

2018).

The outlook for careers as a dressmaker is not bright. Because a lot of of qualifications

for a good dressmaker and experience and more experience dressmakers stay in the industry for a

long time. Louise Cutting made the observation that “The reality is that the big department stores

already had a great fashion illustrator, and they weren’t going to get rid of that person every June

to hire the new kid on the block. You have to make yourself exceptional” (Mohr, 2010). Finding

an existing position as a seamstress could be very difficult. However, that information is only

measuring existing job openings (Barnabas, n./d.), not real market demand.

Information for self-employed tailors and seamstresses is not as readily available, but a

comparison with the wage and salary workers to self-employed ones can give us an idea of the
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similarities and differences. Additionally, to draw a better picture for my circumstance as a

women, the data on self-employed women versus women who earn a wage or salary is very

useful.

It is not surprising that self-employed women make less on average than women who are

wage and salary workers. However, self-employed women who work part-time actually make

more per-hour than part-time women with a wage or salary (Roche, 2014). If this transfers

directly to the portion of self-employed people in tailoring, dressmaking, and custom sewing

then one possible strategy is to start out part-time until I have more experience and then work my

business full-time.

Though being a seamstress is not the most lucrative profession, the importance of

experience partly explains why there is a large difference between entry level dressmakers and

experienced ones wages (Barnabas, n.d.). The experienced are really, really good because they

have been sewing for so long and their clients know, first, how good they are, and, second, that it

is hard to find good dressmakers. The average annual income for experienced tailors,

dressmakers, and customs sewers are $46, 960 in the U.S. for 2016. This is about $16,290 above

the overall average for the industry and $27,790 above the average entry level position in the

field (Barnabas, n.d.). Because it takes time to gain experience, it seems advantageous to begin

this career path as soon as possible.

If I were to pursue having my own dressmaking business, there are several things which

would be difficult. My experience sewing is still very dependent on pre-made patterns. I would

need to significantly improve, or rather, get the ability to fit clothes to different people and how

to alter patterns. I do have family who would not mind letting me practice with them, but I still
MY OWN DRESSMAKING BUSINESS: CAREER EXPLORATION 6

would be behind a lot of other people my age who immediately went to school or began training

in fashion and sewing.

Another disadvantage is that overall, self-employment in the United Stated has been

decreasing. Since 1994, the number of self-employed people has fallen from 12.1 percent of the

working population to 10.1 percent in 2015 (Hipple and Hammond, 2016). Whether or not this

directly has an impact on my opportunities as dressmaker is difficult to tell. But, the trend

towards less self-employment could pose problem for me in terms of future laws and regulations

and general stigma.

Another mix between an advantage and disadvantage for me is the location of most

dressmaking opportunities. According to a graph by the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, most

dressmakers and tailors are in the major regions of the country. The five states with the highest

number of tailors, dressmakers, and custom sewers employed are California, Texas, New York,

Michigan, and Ohio (United States Bureau of Labor Statistics, 2018). This is a disadvantage

because there are not a lot of resources close by which cater to tailors and dressmakers. This

could make it more difficult to get training and quality materials for my business.

On the other hand, my location is a great opportunity. Without a large number of other

dressmakers and tailors in the local market, I have a potentially large clientele. Luna said she

came here because it was a good opportunity for her to make a business (personal

communication, April 5, 2018). Clark said that there is a need for more seamstresses in the area.

“I have to turn down about half of the people who call me just because I am already so busy”

(personal communication, April 5, 2018). The higher demand for sewing work in this area is

could allow me to grow my business fast. Marketing my business well would still be key to this.
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Something to keep in mind is the jobs for wage and salary customs sewers are experience

a different demand. The number of custom sewing jobs is decreasing nation wide. The outlook

for future jobs in dressmaking is a negative rate of 0.86% annually. The projection includes that

the number of people employed as a tailor, dressmaker, or custom sewer will fall from the 40,500

it was in 2014 to 37,000 by 2024 (Barnabas, n.d.). This could drive an increased number of

tailors and seamstresses to set up their own businesses rather than find a different occupation.

This could created harder competition between the most experienced people in the field and

make it more difficult for other people to enter the industry for a number of decades.

Susan Khalje, an editor for Threads Magazine offered this advice, “Get good instruction;

become a thinking sewer...and just keep at it” (Mohr, 2010). It would be especially nice if, in a

way, I could sign on with an experienced dressmakers and carry on an already established

business. I could then avoid some of the startup expenses for a business. This would require

more networking and, at least initially, less independence.

The business classes I have taken have given me a fundamental understanding of things

to do and keep in minds to run and manage my own business—the business environment,

business structures, management principles, marketing, and finance. A more in-depth study of

these topic will be beneficial. I can do this through more college courses while I am in school, as

well as publications, articles, and seminars on business topics. Learning from other businessmen

and women will be a valuable resource as well. This could come in the form of expert advice and

networking. Networking could also help me market my business.

My success as a dressmaker is likely most dependent on getting experience and stating

the business soon. The opportunity is present present now, but could quickly disappear in the
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next ten years. With all of this information, I think that having my own dressmaking business is a

possibility.
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References

Barnabas, E. (n./d.). Tailors, Dressmakers, and Custom Sewers in The United States. Retrieved

from http://careeroutlook.us/career.php?id=516052&st=USA

Clark, S. (2018, April 24). Phone interview.

Hipple, S. F., Hammond, L. A. (2016, March). Self-employment in the United States. Spotlight

on Statistics, U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. Retrieved from

https://www.bls.gov/spotlight/2016/self-employment-in-the-united-states/home.htm

Luna, A. (2018, April 5). Personal interview.

Mohr, A. M. (2010, May 25). Advice for those thinking about a career in sewing of design.

Retrieved from http://www.threadsmagazine.com/2010/05/25/advice-for-those-thinking-

about-a-career-in-sewing-or-design

Roche, K. (2014, October). Female self-employment in the United States: an update to 2012,

Monthly Labor Review, U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. Retrieved from

https://doi.org/10.21916/mlr.2014.36

United States Bureau of Labor Statistics. (2018, March 30). 51-6052 Tailors, Dressmakers, and

Custom Sewers. Retrieved from https://www.bls.gov/oes/current/oes516052.htm