There is a common belief that if you want to be a fashion designer, it’s okay to skip formal education. Whilst it is true that a career in fashion design does not require extensive formal education, there are many benefits of attending fashion design school. Given the level of competition in the fashion design world, attending school puts you in a better place to succeed. Fashion design school enhances your skills, helps you build your portfolio, and adequately prepares you to step out into the fashion world on your own.
Technical Knowledge
Fashion design school provides the foundational and technical knowledge you need to learn about textiles, fabrics, and fashion in general. The depth and quality of technical knowledge offered by a fashion design school are unparalleled. Technical skills are particularly important for those who want to become pattern makers or technical designers. In fact, most pattern makers and technical designers are required to have some sort of formal education prior to going into the field.
Schools have the most up-to-date knowledge about the technological innovations that influence fashion. Unlike being on your own, fashion design schools teach cutting edge sewing techniques and have access to the most modern sewing machines. They also have a better understanding of the trends that will be desired once you get out of school. Being ahead of the trend will give you a competitive edge that you would not have been able to obtain independently.
Fashion design schools teach students how to appropriately combine fabrics and textiles. They help with pattern development and the entire creative process. Fashion design schools have teachers who are well versed in the industry and have the technical knowledge that is highly sought after in the marketplace.
Additionally, fashion design schools provide information in other areas related to fashion design, such as fashion merchandising and marketing. Learning the other components of fashion will help you become a better designer and have more insight into the overall process. The more knowledge you have about other areas of fashion, the more effectively you can work on a team and have realistic expectations.
Fashion design school also helps you identify your own abilities and strengths. Most amateurs do not know how their skills and abilities compare to others in the industry. Going to school allows you to receive objective feedback from instructors and other designers as well as constructive guidance on how to improve. Pursuing a fashion design foundation diploma is a great way to get the basic skills you need to jumpstart your career in fashion design.
Portfolio Development
In the fashion design industry, a portfolio can make or break your career. Without a solid portfolio, you will not succeed. As such, attending fashion design school will ensure that you have the portfolio and tools you need to be successful.
Most new fashion designers do not have a good portfolio because they have little experience and creating designs is expensive. Fashion design school will help you develop your portfolio whilst you are in school, which will save you money. Since portfolios take time to build, fashion design school is the perfect place to learn additional information whilst adding new pieces to your portfolio. In essence, you can hit two birds with one stone.
There is a difference between a portfolio and an effective portfolio. Instructors know the difference and can provide guidance on how to create an effective portfolio. Having an opportunity to receive coaching and feedback will help you develop strategies on how to market yourself.
Schools give you access to other people’s portfolios as well. Being able to review portfolios will give you insight into what to look for in a portfolio. Being around knowledgeable professors and looking at portfolio examples will ultimately help you to create a portfolio that represents your unique sense of style in an attractive manner.
Develop More Connections
Fashion designers who do not go to school have a difficult time getting exposure. They are limited to a smaller circle of people who may not even be in the industry. Fashion design isn’t just about the quality of your designs; it’s also about who sees your work. Going to school drastically expands your network and increases your chances of exposure.
Designers who attend fashion design school have a much larger network than those who do not. Networking is critical in the fashion design industry. Whom you know really does matter, especially in the fashion design industry. School will expose you to many different designers who hold important positions in the industry.
Developing connections can put you in a position to get a highly sought after mentorship or job immediately after finishing school. The more people you are exposed to, the more likely your career will succeed.
Mentoring
Due to having connections and more technical knowledge, designers who go to fashion design school are more likely to get formal mentoring. A mentorship is essential in the fashion design industry. Without formal mentoring, other designers and firms will not take you seriously nor will they believe you have what it takes to succeed. A formal mentorship allows you to further enhance your skills whilst also developing the tough skin required to succeed in the industry.
Formal mentoring also allows you to continue building your portfolio, fine-tuning your skills, and to network more. As you continue to network, your chances of success continue to increase. Mentorships are great opportunities to gain more exposure and find your designs in places you would not have even imagined.
Overall, it’s important not to be fooled by the myth that fashion designers do not need any formal education. Formal schooling in fashion design will help you get ahead in the industry. Fashion design schools give designers opportunities they would not have otherwise have had if they tried to do things entirely on their own. School gives you a chance to learn foundational technical knowledge, identify your own skills, and create an effective portfolio. Schools also position designers to secure a mentorship. Ultimately, school helps set designers like you up for success.
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