Images_December_2019_Digital Edition

www.images-magazine.com DECEMBER 2019 images 27 BUSINESS DEVELOPMENT Make the most of the next couple of months by planning ahead now ■ Focus on social Most garment decorators’ core target market is business owners and, more often than not, they can’t completely switch off. Social media is a key way to keep them occupied, so create scheduled content for your platforms and see what happens. ■ Update your website Of course, you don’t want to work over the holidays, but prepare your website, content and artwork well in advance ready for a new year or seasonal update. ■ Update your product listings Updating product listings is one of the more laborious tasks for a garment decorator. Remove any discontinued and end-of-line items and add some new styles ready to promote in 2020. T here’s a shortage of people pursuing a career in textiles even though it now offers a variety of career opportunities. Nowadays it’s not just about becoming a textile designer – students might wish to pursue a related career in fashion design, decoration or pattern making, all of which are vital elements of the professional clothing textile sector. Most career options in the field of textile design and related careers require a college degree or vocational training, but some positions do allow for on-the- job training. Whatever the area of textiles, it’s vital that we in the industry provide the best platforms for textile students to present themselves, not only at graduation level, but by offering apprenticeships and even links into schools. Many schools and colleges are now realising that a passion for textiles can start earlier on, as long as they promote fashion and textile careers to young people. Even at GCSE level some schools encourage textiles as a medium when studying art as an option. Let’s keep this momentum going! The Skills Yorkshire Show, with Leeds City Region Enterprise Partnership as part of the FutureGoals creative zone, is a great example of how to engage students. The association had a pop-up factory, where students could try out using an industrial sewing machine, as well as learning more about the size and breadth of the industry, potential career paths and job roles. Local training provider Keighley College was present to showcase its range of courses, including apprenticeships, alongside T he Christmas and new year period can be a daunting time for small businesses, with most shutting up shop and accepting the next few weeks will be quiet. And, of course, garment decorators work harder than most to ensure that their business runs smoothly, so a little break is necessary! But you don’t have to accept seasonality because a quiet Christmas period can be avoided with some careful planning and implementation. This presents a great time to prepare for the year ahead, and you can also produce some short-term marketing to make sure your business ticks over. With some careful planning and advance preparation you can switch off and have a relaxing break, ready to pick up where you left off in January. Here are a few ways to ensure your business stays busy throughout the festive season: ■ Seasonal shops and products It may not be your core focus most of the year but personalised products make great gifts – so look into the potential products you can offer in store or online. ■ Seasonal discount Offer flash sales for New Year’s Day or Boxing Day, and provide discount codes and special offers specifically for this period. Seasonal success PCIAW: ENCOURAGING NEW TALENT INTO THE INDUSTRY local employers such as Burberry, which is keen to raise the profile of career opportunities available nearby. Platforms such as these help to tackle the critical skills shortage in the UK fashion and textile industry and attract new talent into this thriving sector. At the PCIAW we are thrilled to be encouraging students around the globe to get involved with PCA Vision, PCIAW’s international student design contest. We have five UK universities already invited to take part and we encourage other organisations in the textiles industry to consider how they could involve emerging talent. Andrew Langridge is from ETrader, one of the industry’s leading suppliers of websites to garment decorators across the UK. www.etraderwebsites.co.uk Leah Westcott Graham is editor at PCIAW, the only UK and worldwide association dedicated exclusively to the professional clothing industry, its supply chain and associated industries. www.pciaw.org

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