As someone who writes frequently about THE FUTURE OF FASHION AND SUSTAINABLE FASHION, I am very interested in the future of FASHION EDUCATION.
My own education in fashion was the fulfilment of a dream. Going to fashion college was something I could never have believed was possible for me, a girl from the northeast of England, where unemployment was very high. To pass your education in a creative industry was something way beyond what I thought or considered available to me. Nevertheless, I got there and graduated from Fashion Knitwear with BA honours at what is now Trent University with a First Class Degree.
This summer, I had the pleasure of having an intern from the UK, Hepsi, a student in Fashion in Leeds. Spending time with her and discussing the future of fashion really made me consider more and more about education and how it was preparing future designers for the industry.
Here are my reflections.
What is important for fashion education now is probably very different from when I studied. The industry has changed significantly, as you will have explored in my previous blogs. What we learned about was how to design, how to knit, how to sew, how to draw, and technical aspects. We were taught very little about the business side. In my course, we were fortunate enough to have a good connection with the industry, including industrial placements, both in the UK and overseas. These opportunities equipped us to be able to obtain jobs after graduating.
MACROECONOMICS AND GLOBAL AWARENESS: I would propose that it’s essential to understand macroeconomics and global awareness. The world has changed and is constantly evolving. There are so many different aspects of the fashion industry; it is a vast global business. As a fashion student, do you want to belong to that? Do you want to work in price entry, fast fashion, mid-tier, luxury or bespoke? Where are those areas you are so interested in designed, produced, sold and marketed?
WHICH JOB: What kind of position do you want to hold? Do you really want to be a designer or textile expert? Somebody involved in a sustainable fashion industry, a technician, an influencer, a social media marketer, or a journalist. On reflection, I didn’t have much idea, and I purely went by my gut. I have always gone between being super creative and very business-focused. It’s something I still am constantly balancing; my focused and pragmatic side is all about business and making things work - enabling businesses to grow.
Meanwhile, my creative side pursues beauty, creativity and magic with a little concern for building a business. Art for art’s sake, fashion for fashion’s sake. This is an area each fashion student really needs to understand, which is all about themselves.
SUSTAINABLE FASHION: The next subject, which is so important for the future, is sustainable fashion. As a future fashion person, I ask: is sustainability fundamental to you? Are you an aware consumer, and do you want to make an impact on the future of the industry? Have you considered your own buying patterns, and why are you getting into this industry? After years in a fashion career, watching the monumental growth of fast fashion and other aspects of fashion, I’ve seen the impact of this from all ends of the spectrum, including the growth and success of the fashion industry. I’ve also experienced the impact on the planet, on human rights and the wastefulness of the industry. What part do you want to play in that?
BUSINESS: The next part is the business of fashion and entrepreneurship. This is critical for anyone going into the fashion business. You really need to understand how to create a business for yourself. I would recommend that every fashion student start some money-making enterprise during their time in fashion college. Whether they get a part-time job, work in social media, create a micro brand or just start selling T-shirts. This is incredibly relevant and critical to your success and fulfilment as a future member of the fashion business.
ONLINE LEARNING: How we learn is very relevant. I went to a fashion college, and I’m very pleased that I did, and yet now the cost of going to college is pretty high, with student loans being long-standing friends.
I have also learned a tremendous amount through online learning, which is an essential part of your own development as a designer, businessperson, entrepreneur, or someone who can make a significant impact on the future of fashion. This provides the opportunity to learn things outside of a university degree. If that’s where you go, it can give you the opportunity to be mentored by teachers who operate online, the opportunity to gather a cohort of other fashion students from all aspects of the industry, whether they are also university students, people pursuing fashion part-time, people in the industry. The beauty of online and digital learning is it brings the world together.
This brings me to my next point, which is to introduce my fashion community, my online platform that I will be launching imminently. This is a free online community where you can learn so much about the future of fashion, connect with other like-minded people, make an impact, and really enjoy the Future of Fashion.
Stay tuned for more information.
Take care, and enjoy fashion; love life.
Kind regards,
Kate