Loading ...
« Anna Sui Bids Adieu | Home | It’s All About the Underwear »
Do I NEED to go to Fashion School?
By admins | September 23, 2009
image via flickr cjJohn
Having happily become a source of all things fashion industry related, we are constantly bombarded with inquiries about working in the business. One of the most common questions we get from young people is, “Do I need to go to college to have a career in fashion? Well, the short answer is, yes.
It’s our unanimous opinion that college is absolutely necessary. Now certainly there are a rare few who succeeded without it, but even for them a degree wouldn’t have hurt. There are many famous designers like Ralph Lauren, Yves Saint Laurent, and Donna Karan who never finished school, but one thing to remember is, for them years ago a college diploma was not the prerequisite that it is today. Not to mention they all began by working for other companies and designers, whom today all require a Bachelors degree even for an assistant level position. Regardless of your career path, a college degree is, at the very least, something to fall back on. Should you change your mind in a few years and want to switch careers paths or attend grad school, a degree gives you options. In the US today a college degree is what a high school diploma was 30 years ago. According to the US census bureau, over the course of their life a college grad earns one million dollars more then their high school diploma counterpart! So all fashion industry intricacies aside, we will always recommend higher learning. Additionally, since many of our readers and the majority of fashion industry professionals are women we feel even stronger in pushing education. Women have enough battles for equality in the workplace; a lesser education should not be another.
Now, the second most common question we get is the follow up, “Do I have to go to a fashion school like Parsons, FIT, FIDM to get a job?” To that we would answer, no. However, if you are absolutely certain about a career in fashion and you can afford these often expensive universities, we would recommend them. There are certainly benefits to a well known fashion school that is unparalleled. For example, you will have in-depth training in your field far greater than a “major” at a traditional college. The equipment, from sewing labs to CAD labs are often much more extensive, the resources at your disposal are priceless. And of course, the networking and relationship building from attending these schools, along with the prestigious name on your resume can not be overlooked. That being said choosing a school is a very personal choice and there are many cases were a traditional Bachelors degree is actually better than a fashion school. Receiving a well rounded education is always a sure bet and at age 17 or 18 this may be a smarter move, leaving more options open to you in the long run. Additionally, it depends what you want to do in fashion. If you want to be the next CEO of the Gap or be VP of Sales and Marketing for Macy’s a traditional four year University plus an MBA program is your best bet. Even for those in the more creative fields a University with a strong fashion major and perhaps an art minor will certainly be respected. Keep in mind that in the fashion industry people have a wide variety of backgrounds and especially here in NYC your future co-workers will come from schools all over the country as well as the world.
Finally, we would just like to give our personal opinion as most of us have hired people (usually in design) before. First, when an ad is put out we receive hundred of applicants, as fashion design is a very coveted and competitive field. We are busy and certainly don’t have the time to interview or examine everyone’s portfolio. So step one for an entry level position, if your resume does not contain a college education and classes or major in fashion it goes out with the garbage. Second, we don’t really care about GPA’s or school awards, we’d rather see strong skills (pattern making, foreign languages, CAD, etc) and an innovative portfolio. Third, we’d like to see a portfolio that goes beyond just a few sketches, show us you have more abilities than any random joe with a fashion sense who can draw. Lastly, while the fashion industry may be known for its diva behavior, recent grad needs to check the attitude at the door, and be gracious. It is always shocking to us how many newbies forget that last point because even the best degree won’t overcome a bad attitude.
Here is more related scoop;
Topics: Fashion school | 9 Comments » 
Email This Post
September 24th, 2009 at 12:16 am
Excellent advice. It’s true — who would waste time on the resume of someone who doesn’t have a college degree these days? And this applies to any field: “we don’t really care about GPA’s or school awards, we’d rather see strong skills” — in my corporate jobs, I pretty much tossed any resume that wasted time on trivial school stuff unless the person was a new graduate. And even then, it didn’t impress me.
September 24th, 2009 at 5:02 am
There are so many avenues to consider with fashion but this article is a must read for anyone considering becoming a designer. It’s much more than photoshoots and styling. Wish I read this before I got in the game.
http://www.dahlight.com/seamless-a-designers-journey/
September 24th, 2009 at 9:28 am
Hmm…. I’m on the fence with this one… i didn’t work in fashion, but i did become a graphic designer without a degree… then out of insecurity, decided to go back to college, and now I’m $90,000 in student debt, and after graduation, i ended up getting similar jobs to BEFORE i got my degree…
I got all my jobs based on contacts… and having a professional looking portfolio. What did I learn in college? How to think for myself, how to self-initiate, and it’s not what you know, it’s who you know.
Nowadays, I would be dammed if I had to go back to college just to learn how to do my job properly. I’d like to take a fashion journalism class, but……
If you can’t make a decent portfolio, don’t know anyone, can’t stand being around amazingly creative people due to insecurity, and can’t do anything by yourself…then yeah…going to college will help you in spades.
September 24th, 2009 at 11:03 am
I don’t think one should ever discount the value of higher education, even if it’s not “useful” to one’s career prospects. I feel like nowadays, people are so caught up in specialties and finding the right major that the best part of college: learning more about the world and about yourself, becoming exposed to people from different walks of life… become blurred by career ambitions. You have the rest of your life to think about your career track. Why not enjoy yourself in an enriching atmosphere? Your creativity will thank you for it.
September 24th, 2009 at 4:57 pm
Great post! Although i would add that, graduating from an FIT type school isn’t 100% needed many do well just attending for a for a few years or doing an associate type program. Also have to disagree with Jennine, there are a ton more benefits to a college education than mentioned. also having minored and occasionally worked in graphic design you can’t compare it to fashion design. there are so many more skills needed for fashion, while many for graphic design can be learned on your own. plus fashion is way more competitive, especially here, than graphic design, so you need a leg up on the competition that much more.
September 25th, 2009 at 11:20 am
Such great advice! With all the competition out there, that college degree stands out! Also, as you so wisely stated, a degree is something that enriches your life, not just your career. Well done! Love this blog!
September 29th, 2009 at 1:13 am
What thoughtful responses. At the end of the day, your educational decision is certainly a personal one, just like your career path. Stay tuned for a related post!
October 2nd, 2009 at 6:43 pm
yes! I actually just did a post on this last week:
http://ali-bell.blogspot.com/2009/09/how-necessary-is-design-training.html
(I’m 3/4 of the way through a bachelor of design in fashion & textiles)
October 20th, 2009 at 7:03 am
I really appreciated the responses of this blog. I do have one question though. Are degrees from online accredited schools taken seriously? I have been living overseas with my husband for the past three years and have been taking classes online at Westwood University which is an art school. I am working towards a bachelor’s degree in fashion merchandising. I am just nervous that once I obtain my degree I will not be a competivive candidate in this field. Any thoughts?