Ask Fashion Girl

Dear Justin,

What a great choice for your math project! Most people don't realize how much math is involved in fashion design. It's a very technical art! From the earliest design stages to final production, math is essential. Designs are sketched on a fashion figure called a "croquis." To draw this figure, designers use "9 Heads," a theory of mathematical proportions and fractions based on nine equal "head height" measurements. Creating a pattern is all about math: sleeves, armholes, neckline, waist, bust, hips, and hems must be accurately measured and drafted. If a garment is draped on a dress form or on a person, the designer calculates fit using a tape measure and does plenty of addition, subtraction, and division with those numbers.After a line of clothing is designed, someone needs to make sure that it can be made at a workable cost. In the fashion world, this is known as "costing," and it's usually done by the assistant designer. The cost of materials, trims, labor, and shipping must be calculated for each garment. Percentages come into play with the garment's selling price. There are wholesale prices, markups, retail prices, and clearance prices; they all translate into profit margins for the designer. Beyond design, there are tons of jobs in the fashion industry that depend on mathematics. Buyers are responsible for purchasing merchandise to be sold in stores. They must be able to account for large amounts of money! Patternmakers, cutters, graders, marker makers, and a myriad of other people involved in garment production rely on their math skills to do their jobs. A great book for learning about the nitty-gritty math details of the fashion industry is "So You Want to Work in the Fashion Business?" by Maurice J. Johnson and Evelyn C. Moore. It's short, simple, and easy to read.

Good luck with your project!