Looking for a (Long) Leg Up

For much of America's youth, fashion is where it's at. But this wave of is coming at a moment when the industry is shrinking; retailers are collapsing; several magazines within Teen Vogue's parent company, Cond? Nast, have closed; and jobs, of any sort, are scarce. A report from the NPD Group estimated that 12 percent of fashion companies will not survive the recession.

The situation is not entirely grim for new fashion graduates, even though the National Association of Colleges and Employers said that employers expected to hire 22 percent fewer seniors graduating in 2009 for entry level positions. Normally about 90 percent of Parson's seniors find jobs, but that figure dipped by only 10 percent. At Pratt and at the Fashion Institute of Technology, they have remained about the same. Female models typically earn more than male models for similar work.

According to the United States Department of Labor "On the other hand, modeling is considered a glamorous occupation, with limited formal entry requirements. Consequently, those who wish to pursue a modeling career can expect keen competition for jobs. The modeling profession typically attracts many more job seekers than there are job openings available. Only models who closely meet the unique requirements of the occupation will achieve regular employment. An estimated 2,000 models were employed in 2006 with a median hourly earnings of models were $11.22 an hour. Female models typically earn more than male models for similar work. Hourly earnings can be relatively high, particularly for supermodels and others in high demand, but models may not have work every day, and jobs may last only a few hours."

It was March 1996 in the suburbs of Detroit, where Jamie Rubin, age 10, was doing her homework, writing a speech about what she wanted to be when she grew up. Ms. Rubin had no idea, but her favorite dress was a really simple gray jumper by Nicole Miller, and so, she said, "I just decided that's what I wanted to do, to give little girls their favorite dress."

As part of the assignment, Ms. Rubin filmed a video in which she charmingly announced, "When I grow up, I'm going to be the next Nicole Miller!" She was so convincing that her parents sent the video to the designer's showroom in New York, where it became an office favorite. Ms. Miller was so taken by Ms.Rubin that she invited her for a tour of her showroom and, eight years later, when Ms. Rubin enrolled at Parsons, offered her an internship for a summer, working right by her side.

"I felt like I was meeting Oz," Ms. Rubin said. "I couldn't even speak when I first met her." If her story sounds too easy, Ms. Rubin, now 23, will point out that things were not so simple once she graduated. Even though she had also interned for Women's Wear Daily and for Proenza Schouler, she had little response from the hundreds of r?sum?s she sent out, except for one she sent to a showroom where she was dying to work, as she noted in a cover letter that she accidentally addressed to one of its competitors. "I got an e-mail back saying, ?That's nice, if you want to a job there, you should send them an application,' " Ms. Rubin said.

She did land an interview at Dolce & Gabbana and bought a blouse for the occasion, but it was loose-fitting and the reason Ms. Rubin suspects she never got a call back. After much persistence, she was offered a job at a creative agency that represents Tod's, Hogan and other luxury brands.

"The door will close on you 900 times," she said. "So you've got to keep your skin tough and your goals very focused. I walk into work every day and know I'm going to be challenged and inspired, and that's the recipe for happiness in any job."

Source: NY Times, Eric Wilson, 9/9/09