Are Fashion Schools Worth It?

by: Alyssa del Rosario

Fashion schools have grown tremendously over the years, along with multiple career opportunities.  Career opportunities include retail, designers, marketing, sales and many more.  In reference to the article, “Is Fashion Education Selling a False Dream?,” written by Imran Amed and Robin Mellery-Pratt, they stated,  “There are more than 30 colleges and universities now offering fashion degree courses, with thousands of fashion design graduates each year.”  The result shows that people are interested in pursing an education in fashion.  The topic of fashion education sounds like a controversial topic, since individuals are willing to make a profession out of it based on outside influencers everywhere.  Young people are leaning towards working as fashion designers due to the exposure as seen on social media and on television.  The rising popularity of fashion graduates displays the decline of job offers in the fashion industry, every year.  The market is highly competitive and well known.  

On the other hand, there is a change between going to a fashion school and what happens after graduation.  “In particular, many students were significantly less satisfied with the support in finding employment” (Amed and Mellery-Pratt).  Although most fashion schools seem to be a great experience, it seems that there is no outside connections and guidance afterwards.  This particular career opportunity is seemed to be self-guided due to the fact that fashion schools only teach you different realizations of jobs in that particular field.  Statistics shows that, “Only 57% of the 4,032 students in our survey are satisfied with careers services, just 53% are satisfied with networking events and only 49 percent are satisfied with the quality of recruiters on campus.” (Amed and Mellery-Pratt). This leads to a decline of job offers in the market for newly graduates from fashion schools.  In this case, it’s a different when fashion schools “train” you to become an expert in fashion design and marketing but how to tackle the outside world.  On the downside, people may end up taking different jobs that does not associate with their designated major.
          Colleges/Universities are seen as a lifetime investment where this may make you successful later on, in the future.  FIDM is a fashion school and it stands for Fashion Institute of Design and Merchandising.  It is located in San Francisco and in Southern California.   I conducted an interview with my friend, Charlize, about what it is like to go to FIDM and what she plans to do in the near future.  From the interview written below, she believes that going to a fashion school is worth it, as long as an individual is passionate about something they are doing.  Although this is a highly competitive environment, there are life lessons learned along the way.  Going to a fashion school brings a whole different world of learning in a metaphorical perspective.  In the interview, Charlize mentions, “I wish to attend many fashion shows and events to be able to have more knowledge on what it is like to be in the fashion field.” Exposing yourself to real life situations in your potential career choice provides insight of what it is like behind the scenes.  This allows individuals to have the right mentality of what to expect in the future.    In conclusion, I argue that going to a fashion school is worth the long run for individuals that plan to pursue a career in the fashion industry.  Even though many people think that this is considered to be a hobby, it is considered to be a profession for others.

Interview:

1.     During your first and second quarter, which was during the Fall of 2017, what were your experiences like?

              “FIDM is an amazing experience so far. I came to FIDM not knowing what to expect, barely knowing how to construct garments or sketch out clothes, but now I do that everyday! FIDM helps me grow as an individual. Even though deadlines are tough to meet and sometimes it can get really challenging, it really tests if you truly love fashion. Transitioning to college is rough at first, especially if you're moving away from home, but it's all worth it in the end. Every time I work on an assignment, it motivates me to keep being inspired and putting my best effort to get closer to my career goal.”

2.     What do you plan do to after you graduate from FIDM?

“I plan on creating my own small clothing line and selling it along with having an internship that allows me to gain more experience in the fashion industry. I wish to attend many fashion shows and events to be able to have more knowledge on what it is like to be in the fashion field.”

3.      What is your current goal at the moment?

“ My current goal is to get good grades at FIDM and be able to get impressive grades by doing my best in all my work. My other goal is to apply and get accepted in fashion internships in the near future.”

4.      Personally, would you consider that jobs associated with fashion are considered to be a hobby or a profession? Why?

“I personally consider that jobs associated with fashion is more of a profession because when someone is in the fashion field, they have a lot of dedication and passion that they put into every garment and piece they create. When making a garment, it requires 110% of your time and effort. The fashion industry is very competitive and constantly updating. Therefore, it is something that requires your full time.”

 

Works Cited: 

Amed, Imran, and Robin Mellery-Pratt. “Is Fashion Education Selling a False Dream? .” Business of Fashion ,

Business of Fashion , 28 Sept. 2017,    www.businessoffashion.com/articles/education/global-fashion-school-rankings-2015