Photo by Crosby Ignasher
“I view this documentary as a valentine regarding fashion in the U.S, but also as a ‘what if’,’” said Miachel Fink, dean of the fashion department at SCAD as he introduced James Belzer’s fashion film “Make it in America.” “Each of you in the audience today will ask the question, ‘what does it mean to make it in America?’”
It was the question of the night Thursday at the screening of “Make it in America,” as well as during the Q&A session with the director. Belzer is an independent filmmaker who aims to shed light on the apparel production scene in New York City and the USA as a whole.
Belzer started off by saying his intention with the film was not to be accusatory or preachy toward designers in the fashion industry.
“I propose to have a creative conversation with the up and coming creatives,” he said. “A conversation about how to create a design model that actually includes production itself.”
The message to students was an encouraging one of opportunity and innovation. Belzer challenged students to think about what it would mean to open a facility where garments could be made from start to finish on American soil.
“As students, you are in a position to train people to make a product,” he said. “Think about that skill and that craftsmanship at a designer level translating back into a position to train others how to create the vision.”
The career of a factory manager may not seem as glamorous as that of an independent designer, but Belzer wanted students to look at it differently.
Said Belzer, “It’s a different kind of sensation than being the head designer. It speaks to you. It’s sensual to you, it’s sexy. It’s getting out there and experiencing all the different aspects of the business that you don’t know about.”
He urged Fink and the fashion department to examine the fashion curriculum offered at SCAD and expand the education about branding to include the production method.
However, the question of how to get the designers of tomorrow excited about American production remains. The answer to this, Belzer believes, is in the promotion of craftsmanship.
“We need to raise awareness about craftsmanship to raise the profile of production. We need to focus on creating that craftsmanship message in a way that’s not corny, but is about the pride in actually making things,” said Belzer. “How do we make production sexy? To expose people to the factories where it’s being made.”
The reinvigoration of craftsmanship, Belzer believes, can only happen if designers start to focus more on the hands-on aspect of actually creating and decrease their dependence on technology.
“We could spend less time on Facebook and more time actually creating something, anything that’s tangible,” said Belzer. “I think that’s going to create a different outlet for your energy than focusing on your Twitter feed.”
“Technology is a beautiful thing, but then there’s this other thing that has a certain charm to it called craftsmanship, of making the consumer appreciate the value of a hand-stitched button hole,” Fink said. “Machine-made things do not have as much value to them.”
Belzer stressed that, as artists, fashion designers need to have a philosophy about the complete lifespan of an item, including who actually pieces it together and where.
The responsibility to bring the production back to American soil, he said, lies with everyone in the room – the fashion design majors, the fashion marketing majors and those they will be working with.
Said Belzer, “It’s gonna be a process. It’s not something that’s going to happen overnight, but I do believe that it happens in conversations like the one that we’re having today. It starts with taking your own action today.”
