As is the case in most fields, fashion companies are demanding more work from fewer employees these days, and entry-level candidates must often compete with laid-off professionals who have experience for jobs. {The Cut}

While the jobless rate for college graduates ages 20-24 was 7.2% in March, graduate school enrollment rose 6 percent last year and will likely continue to rise this year. {Wall Street Journal}

Christopher Kane, who was mentored by Donatella Versace while designing his eponymous label, is now designer of Versace's Versus label.

A popular solution for the newly unemployed is continuing education, but for those uninterested in a masterâ€s degree, taking an unpaid internship in fashion to avoid resume gaps or, for the really financially lucky, starting their own label are two alternate options.

A simple Google search for fashion internships will yield tons of sites to scour the fashion interning scene. Free Fashion Internships, Daily Fashion Jobs, StyleCareers and many other sites are updated daily to include positions in nearly every aspect of fashion including design, merchandising, retail and promotions.

Starting an original label isn’t for the faint of heart: beyond talent, it requires equal amounts of capital and business management skill. {Fashion Design Schools & Colleges}

Add to that recent economic conditions which have taken down labels from the very top (the talented Mr. Lacroix) to the high-end denim makers (Rock & Republic) and quirky upstarts (Luella). Still, there are some who have managed to make it work. The Olsen twins are adding to their Elizabeth and James line, independent shoe designer Heather Williams successfully paired with Saks, and many others have managed to make it work.

While the prospects are daunting, remember designers like Ralph Lauren, Donna Karan and Vera Wang,  who all managed to turn their own labels into hugely successful brands. If building a multi-million dollar brand seems too tough, maintaining a small one can still be the best way to make it onto the radar of the companies who have the power to build big brands. Think Christopher Kane (Versus by Versace head designer) or Marios Schwab (creative director for Halston) or even superstars like John Galliano and Marc Jacobs, who of course lead Dior and Louis Vuitton respectively. The economy doesn’t make getting a design job any easier, but the road to successful fashion designer has never been particularly smooth. In the end, aspiring designers may find the best company to work for after graduation is their own.

A railroad track, to be precise.

Lacroix designed the interiors of the trains for French company SNCF back in 2006 and now has returned to complete the look by styling the uniforms of the company’s 20,000 employees.

So how does Lacroix imagine train-worthy chic? A healthy dose of purple (of course) and gray in the form of blouses, shirts, skirts, and caps.

Read the Full Story {Jaunted}

Pass the Kleenex, pronto: the house of Christian Lacroix has been hit by the wrecking ball, with the legendary empire being completely stripped down to include only accessories and perfume.

After a steady downward spiral, the French fashion house has been assigned a turnaround plan by Paris’s commercial court and will be forced to close both its haute couture and ready-to-wear lines, an action which eliminates 92% of its work force and leaves a terrible void in the already-unshaky fashion world.

We’re still shocked at this turn of events and will greatly mourn the loss of the house, but we’re still glad (in a bittersweet way) that the Christian Lacroix name is (for now) able to avoid complete liquidation.  Bisous, Christian — we hope you pull through!

Read the full story {The Guardian}

The circle of life runs round again, and while on one hand we’re excited by all of fashion’s new kids on the block, we’re also sad to see the probable end of the fashion greats like the house of Christian Lacroix.

Lacroix is another designer who has had to declare insolvency in response to the ailing financial market, and although a few buyers (like Emirati Sheikh Hassan Ben Ali al-Naimi) have stepped forward, the fate of the fashion house still teeters on shaky ground.  The French tribunal responsible for the case was unable to resolve anything today, declaring a new hearing date on 1 December.

Although the Rococo decadence of Lacroix is out-of-keeping with the more pared-down conservatism brought on by the recession, we still love the house’s colorful optimism which adds some much-needed brightness to an otherwise gray runway season.

Read the full story {AFP}