What kind of experience is needed to get a position in fabric design or forecasting?
Susan Langdon says: To secure a position in fabric design, you’re likely going to have to move from Canada to either Europe or Asia. We don’t have much of a textile industry here in our country anymore unfortunately. Most large companies either buy an exclusive print from a mill in Europe or Asia and re-colour it to their specs or they’ll buy a pattern from a textile artist in New York or elsewhere, own it and re-colour it. To design fabrics, you’d need knowledge about textiles, printing methods and dyes, graphic design skills and computer illustration skills. For a position in fabric forecasting, again you’re likely going to have to move from Canada. Most of the forecasting companies are based in Europe or the U.S. They work directly with mills and colour organizations to determine what they think will be coming in 2 years ahead of the season. You’d likely need a knowledge of where the mills are located, what each one produces and a knowledge of what fabrics and colours have already b
