The unfashionable calendar

Fashion is oft described as the embodiment of all things glamorous, luxurious, frivolous, superficial and the unattainable. Those not familiar with the industry are apt to think it is not much of a job; whisking to fashion shows, attending parties, looking glamorous, caring about clothes and trends when the rest of the world is seemingly in disarray. To some extent this is all true. The by now infamous "The Devil Wears Prada' film doesn't do much for the already tarnished reputation of fashion editors and feeding the notion of gratuitous undertakings, perpetuated by a group of self-obsessed people who's common goal is nothing more than surface appeal.

Of course this a very negative and vague description of an industry that employs millions, generates billions, and, when broken down, is one of the world's leading businesses that, in whatever way one cares to analyse fashion's relevance. Somewhere down the line, fashion, in whatever form, will affect you. But this is not a rant about those who care not for fashion. Rather, it is to show those not in the know that working in fashion; be it design, editing, manufacturing, sales, publishing or public relations, isn't all about a frivolous, glamorous lifestyle, it is in fact hard, bloody work.

Take for example a designer's job. The major fashion houses these days have between 6 and 9 collections per annum. Whoever thought it was a two-season job, is living in fashions' dark ages. Holiday , resort, swimwear, early spring, late summer, early fall and sportswear are extra collections a designer has to design in addition to the seasonal ready-to-wear. Add to that secondary and diffusion lines, casualwear, tailoring, accessories (these days as diverse as pet collections, homeware and babywear) and you start to get an idea. Why so many collections, you ask? Because consumers want new clothes, on trend, all year round.

Have you even thought about buying your winter coat in 2008? How about the colour palette for spring in the same year? What about cuts and styles and trends forecasting until the end of the decade? Probably not. For most of us, we can't decide between skinny jeans and straight legs in the morning, let alone the type of wash we'll be buying in denim in 2007. But designers are already thinking about fashion in 2008.

And then we have fashion editors. Filling the pages of glossy magazines with beautiful clothes, forever attending glamorous events, jetsetting to idyllic parts of the world photographing Kate Moss. Hardly. Try keeping your sanity during global fashion week, with shows taking place in practically every country and continent. Ever heard of Bali Fashion Week? Moscow or Istanbul ? They all exist, as do Amsterdam , Berlin , Copenhagen , and Toronto . Getting up at 6 am to file the latest news, attending a breakfast launch by 8, seeing the first show by 9, continuing until 10pm is fashion week routine. Then it's usually a dinner, an aftershow party or 3, compiling feature news back in the hotel room to send at 2am just before bed. Surviving on minimal sleep, in different hotels, different time zones for 10 weeks of the year.

But thankfully there are perks to the job. There is the undisputed glamour element, working with creative, visionary people. Being part of an industry which thrives on innovation, creativity and cutting edge design. Finding the next big talent at a graduate fashion show, or the next face to adorn a campaign. Fashion is about taking risks, translating the zeitgeist into how we express and present ourselves. It challenges consumers about what is traditionally beautiful, wearable and desirable. Translating a vision into what you'll ultimately want to buy and wear.

So even if you're only prone to wearing the same white T-shirt and jeans, day after day, you may want to remember that someone - a designer - has thought up the design, fitted a model, made changes to the fit, send it off to manufacturers, tested the fabric, approved production, and the list goes on. All this before you've even seen it in store to buy and wear it. So next time you see a white T-shirt modelled in a magazine, try and imagine it's been through a 1.5 year process of one of the most hectic and unfashionable calendars possible.