Production Manager of Accessories

GUESS? joined FIDM students for a week of discussions, presentations, and fun aimed at educating the student body about the real world of apparel manufacturing, design, and fashion-forward thinking. (Part 2 of 3)

Not everyone follows a direct path to their dream career, and in fact, your true passion may be shining crystal clear around the least expected corner! Amy Zimmerman's path originated in the arts where she earned a degree in Photography and Art History. After graduation, she worked as a photographer, but wasn't earning enough for expensive New York City. So she wisely consulted a headhunter for help in marketing her talent and skills. The headhunter spotted her creative potential and suggested she channel it into the fashion industry. Amy took the advice to heart and found her first job with J.Crew, where she had a great boss who taught her all she needed to know about the retail fashion biz.

Amy's next career step up took her to The Gap, where she worked with their accessory line. Variation was daily fare at The Gap. She may have worked on developing a belt, a hair accessory, and a handbag, plus handle calls about a certain shoe in production, all in a single day. She loved the constant challenges and variety of her job and decided that working with accessories was definitely for her.

Soon Amy's sights turned westward and she decided to pursue her California dream. She sent her resume, along with a detailed cover letter describing her skills, to the GUESS? headquarters in Los Angeles. She took the usual route of sending her resume and cover letter to the Head of Human Resources. She then went above and beyond by sending resume copies to two GUESS? designers. The result? It was one of the designers that followed up on her resume. Amy's is a perfect example of how a little extra effort can go a very long way when it comes to getting the job you want.

For her interview with GUESS? CEO Maurice Marciano, Amy did a mood board showing some of the hair accessories she had designed at The Gap. When he saw the board, he realized that all of his daughters owned many of the same Gap hair pieces! She couldn't have shown better proof of her design talent! Marciano was also impressed by her portfolio that showed her accessory designs, flat sketches, and any advertisements that featured her work, like photos of actress Gwyneth Paltrow wearing a headband Amy designed.

GUESS? was a perfect career fit and Amy's been their Production Manager of Accessories for one year now. Her job is to bring in trendy GUESS? accessory products to make the retail GUESS? stores feel more like boutiques. She literally "accessorizes" the stores to enhance the sexy, adventurous, edgy GUESS? image. To further illustrate what she does, Amy described a project that had a production deadline of only six weeks. She had to come up with a quick way to produce a GUESS? version of a Western hat, down to the rawhide strap and beads. Her solution was to divvy up the work between several vendors. Amy made it clear that short lead times like that are pretty typical in her field, since trendy accessories need to get out ASAP, and trends wait for no one.

Amy's interviewing advice to students? Be very open and friendly, because your personality is extremely important. She also said to ask plenty of questions during the interview and get details of the day-to-day work. Make sure you'll be truly happy doing the job!

One student had a useful question for Amy: "What kind of software does she use the most in her job?" She replied that e-mail is her first and foremost means of communication. Microsoft Word and Excel are important for making spreadsheets for information like style numbers, costs, and delivery dates. For presentations, PowerPoint comes in handy. Instead of a CAD program, GUESS? uses an LDS (Line Development Sheet). Amy was adamant about the importance of paying attention during computer classes, as computer know-how has become a necessity in the apparel industry.

Amy stressed how many internship opportunities are out there for students and how great they can be for real job experience. Her final words of encouragement to students were confidence-boosting. She said that a few years from now it could easily be them up there relating a success story to a group of students just like themselves.