Fashion Design, Manhattan Style

by Stanley Rubenti
stanley.rubenti@degreestosucceed.com
Degrees to Succeed Columnist

Football fans have the Super Bowl, movie buffs have the Oscars, and fashion design students have international events such as Manhattan's Fashion Week, which launched on the first Friday of February. With A-list personalities such as Kim Cattrall, Angela Bassett, First Lady Laura Bush, and Perry Ellis, the opening ceremony was a major success by all accounts.

However, it's worth pointing out that events such as Fashion Week represent the completion of months and weeks of intense study, hard labor, networking, and dedication. If you are serious about fashion design, you need to remember that the glitz and glamour only happen a few times year. The rest of your days are spent cultivating ideas and developing results.

Launching a Fashion Design Career
Entering the world of fashion design is a dream that captivates many aspiring artists around the world. The sexy runways, the beautiful models, the champagne parties, the international travel... who wouldn't want that? But it's because so many people want their name in lights that the fashion industry is incredibly competitive. If you'd like to enter this job sector and become a success, selecting the right fashion design program is essential. The US Department of Labor dutifully points out that relatively low job turnover rates will result in fairly limited growth in the number of spots available over the next decade. This is why receiving the right education from an accredited fashion design program is essential for success.

What Is the Right Type of Fashion Design Program?
One of the most important aspects of fashion design in the new millennium is technology. Just as computer aided design software (CAD) has revolutionized architecture, manufacturing, and engineering, it's also brought unprecedented changes to the fashion industry as well. Imagine sketching out new ideas, innovative ensembles, color combinations, and material layouts with the click of a mouse. But computer technology is not the only thing to look for when selecting a fashion design program. Other things to consider include:

What type of alumni network does the fashion program have?
Will it be possible to secure fashion internships while enrolled?
Will it be possible to secure design jobs after graduation?
How does the fashion design program handle changing social values such as the recent controversy surrounding overly thin models?
Does the fashion design program encourage collaboration or does it foster an overly competitive learning environment?

Some of the above questions have no right or wrong answer, and thus, you must determine which direction will suit your career needs the most. However, the more clearly you define your goals, the more likely it is that you will pursue a fashion design career that brings you personal satisfaction and enjoyment. Who knows? Maybe one day you'll be featured at an upcoming Fashion Week in New York.

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About the Author
A freelance writer and researcher, Stanley Rubenti currently lives and works in Bangkok, Thailand. Stanley holds a B.A. in History.

Posted on: May 3, 2007