When Anne Maxfield and Leslie Frank were developing Kmart's Jaclyn Smith line for Dary Sue Fashions back in the '80s, they became aware of a gaping hole in the fashion industry. They were looking for freelance talent for their project, but there was no central clearinghouse to call on when they were in need of a qualified individual with a specific skill set.

Entrepreneurs at heart, they founded Project Solvers to fill that need in 1988, "back in the last recession" as Frank puts it. Over the last 13 years they have built what they like to describe as "the William Morris of the apparel industry," placing more than one million hours of work - their terminology for fashion designers, patternmakers, marketing specialists and graphic designers - with heavy hitters in the industry.

Their database includes thousands of freelancers, all personally interviewed by Project Solvers. The New York-based firm also offers its freelancers free seminars on how to market oneself in the industry and works with them on presentation skills and their portfolios. These resources are particularly valuable for recent graduates who are looking for their first job in the fashion business - a group that makes up about 10 percent of Project Solvers' freelancers. Maxfield and Frank explain that they offer an ideal opportunity for these young people: "They can try a number of different companies before they commit to that final, big job."

Maxfield and Frank decline to name names when it comes to their clients ("We're called in a lot of times to put out some fires, so our clients prefer to remain confidential," says Maxfield), but will say that they work with "all the major manufacturers and retailers," including many Fortune 500 companies, as well as "smaller companies that are below the radar."

Project Solvers based its business on part-time placement, unlike industry recruitment agencies such as Designer Resource International that focus on filling full-time positions. Their jobs last anywhere from one day to two months, with the average falling around two to three weeks.

Of course, freelancers' temporary gigs can turn in to permanent positions. With a full-time conversion rate of about 10 percent, Project Solvers started a full-time division last fall.

They've also branched into beauty. Maxfield and Frank recently launched a new division called Project Beauty. Twenty-year industry vet Betty Broder is heading up the operation, which will specialize in placing consultants with experience in everything from product formulation to market and promotion to packaging and operations. Maxfield says she and her partner can see their business model applied in still other areas, but "they're just ideas that we kick around now and then."

For now this placement firm is flourishing, despite the recent economic downturn. "We're certainly seeing some high-quality candidates looking for work," says Frank. "But we're also filling them as fast as we're getting them."

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