Ever since I can remember I’ve been obsessed with fashion. My mom always says I wouldn’t let her dress me and putting outfits together was my favourite thing to do. My love of fashion and the industry only grew the older I got and when it came time to graduate I desperately wanted to go to fashion school. However, at the time those schools weren’t super accessible- especially for someone like me living in the prairies. Online courses also weren’t as prominent and the cost of studying abroad was so expensive! I ended up getting my business degree which I am really proud of but even to this day a part of me wishes fashion school was an option for me.
Fast forward to 2021, and things in the industry have changed and are still ever evolving! There are so many different jobs in the industry and fashion school is now so much more obtainable- which is so exciting!
With the current situation, why should someone look to further their education in fashion?
Or anything for that matter! Joking. The world is going on and will always go on- things go out of fashion and other things come into fashion. One of the most interesting facts people don’t realize is how big the fashion industry is. How many types of jobs there are. From Design, to buying, to marketing, to E-commerce styling, to the user experience for digital. Not to mention the finance space for fashion.
We know fashion designers and sales associate, but there is a world beyond that. Did you know the personal shoppers at Bergdorf Goodman can make upwards of $450,000.00 USD a year. That is the crème of sales person, but still. CEO’s for brands such as H&M are getting paid millions. Creative Directors for well-known brands, over $500k to well over a million a year plus bonus plus all expenses paid.
Merchandisers and buyers, operations and logistics teams, sourcing departments that work with factories, the fashion industry employs millions of people around the world. People need food and they need clothes. It is a great career a wonderful industry, and one that not only is fashion not going anywhere, know that fashion will always reinvent itself no matter what the world throws at her. But to answer your question simply, it is a very fun, rewarding and innovative industry, with many different career options that are there for the taking always.
How is The Cut Fashion Design Academy making it easier for those seeking an education in fashion?
Well with all the crazy going on, to make our students feel safe and confident if a second wave comes or if they want to stay home and take the classes, we have invested in a smart technology system that has numerous cameras, and a huge smart board screen that lets instructors work on the smart board.
Our classes are held on Zoom and when the instructors are doing their demo on the smart board it shows up on the students computer screen, to scale- it is really phenomenal actually. You feel like you are right in class because the students that are distance learning are in class with the students that are physically in the classroom.
With this fantastic system we are offering all of our part time classes via distance learning or online classes, as well as in class. Also, our fashion design diploma can be done totally online / live distance learning. So this is quite cool.
We felt that it was important for students to know that no matter what happens during the course of the year they can learn. If we teach adaptive thinking we have to show we can adapt to what gets thrown at us no matter how out of this world it is!
For someone looking to becoming a fashion designer, what are some key technical skills they should know?
If you are looking to become a fashion designer, you need to be able to articulate your point of view through your designs. If your brand was a musician who would it be. If your collection were a song which one would it be. Who is your muse? These are very important skills that a designer in any creative field needs to be able to answer in a few words.
Illustration is also key and you must be able to put on paper what you want, so that you can create it into a 2D pattern and then finally a 3D garment.
Pattern Making is another important skill to know. Not necessarily to be a great designer, but they should know or have experienced a pattern making program. Because in pattern making you learn fit. Fit is essential for any designer to perfect in their garments. Teams and brands have ‘fit specialists’ it is an actual job, career in fashion and it is very difficult to find an excellent fit specialist.
When potential students come to me wanting to become a designer I encourage them to take our fashion design diploma. For mature students, women and men in there later 20’s, 30’s and up, our full-time certificates are more suitable. For example, we had a woman take our Fashion Design & Creative Direction Full-Time Certificate along with Product Development, Production & Sourcing Full-Time Certificate because with these 2 certificates she can design and produce her collection. She will also take pattern making, after product dev, to better her understanding of fit.
