What You Need to Know: Becoming a Fabric Librarian
Written by Valentine Fabre
Discover lesser-known jobs within the fashion and luxury industry with the new “What You Need to Know” series, and find your most suitable career path.
Fabrics are the backbone of the fashion industry, with the immense variety of textiles and constant innovation in the space fuelling both creativity and craftsmanship. Managing the ever-growing list of materials used by brands and manufacturers requires expert knowledge and cataloguing skills, which characterise the role of a fabric librarian.
If you love discovering new fibres and have a passion for organisation, here is everything you need to know about this function.
What Will I Be Doing?
Firstly, what is a fabric library? It is a collection of data and fabrics that is carefully stored and made accessible to design and conception teams. The fabric librarian is in charge of overseeing these libraries, including organising samples into specific categories, identifying and referencing materials, creating resource documents to ease the navigation within the library and helping users locate and choose the right textile, and check what fabric is currently or has been used recently.
Where Would I Be Working?
When sourcing fabric, brands may opt for one of several options: some procure them from external manufacturers such as A&A Textiles and Cafissi, while others refer to fabric libraries, either physical like The Design Library or digital like Make the Dot. Of course, brands may also produce materials in-house, as do luxury brands Burberry and Tommy Hilfiger.
Since every brand’s supply chain is unique, not all of them will employ a fabric librarian per se — but they will catalogue previously and currently used materials. If a company you are interested working for does not seem to have that function, look for Fabric & Trim Associate or Raw Material Assistant positions instead.
How Do I Become a Fabric Librarian?
On top of the obvious administrative side, becoming a fabric librarian also requires great technical knowledge of textile. Most companies will therefore prioritise someone holding a degree in Textile Development, Fashion Design and any relevant courses that have a specific focus on textile and fabrics.
You will also have to become proficient in library science, either by attending workshops, short courses or work experiences and internships during your studies, for example by working as a library assistant at your university.
Discover other career paths directly at The Glowth Academy.
Written by Valentine Fabre