Comments on: It’s Time Fashion Schools Got Down to Business

By: Australian Design Company

Australian Design Company — Wed, 25 May 2011 07:05:27 +0000

This is very good blog and inspired me to study design management.Really got very much about fashion here and also business.i much like your business point of view.

By: Frederico

Frederico — Thu, 19 Aug 2010 19:54:15 +0000

Your article brings up a really good point — how there are so many aspiring designers, but so few actual job opportunities after graduation. With business casual, people just aren’t dressing up or wearing nice clothes, as sad as it is.

By: Helga Aradottir

Helga Aradottir — Mon, 14 Jun 2010 17:48:54 +0000

This is one of the reasons for and how I got inspired to study Design Management. It is to help bridge that precise gap for designers (may they be fashion designers). I believe that business courses should be taught as well in any design programs to help ease the first steps in the “big world”. These times absolutely call for government sponsored establishments to assist and advice recent graduates, students and young companies.

By: Sab

Sab — Tue, 25 May 2010 11:46:13 +0000

Alongside business sense is the collaborative, team-building skills that aren’t nurtured. At college you’re so focused on your designs and work, with very little collaboration or chances to outsource and delegate, that personally i felt like i had to be a one woman show and didn’t really know how to go about creating a decent support team to help launch my work. I didn’t know (and am still trying to figure out) how to find the right business partner, how best to allocate funding, how to create effective PR and how to get people on board while having very little / no money to pay them for their help…. a lot of creative ideas haven’t made it past the design and planning stage because of this lack of knowledge. I think this applies to new grads across creative industries generally

By: M

Tue, 25 May 2010 11:14:22 +0000

I am in my first year of a BFA (Fashion) at Queensland University of Technology (Australia) at the Creative Industries faculty. QUT also offers a Business and Fashion double degree, of which some of my peers are studying. They integrate Creative Industries core subjects into all CI degrees, meaning that even if one chooses not to opt for the double degree – you learn from a ‘real world’/business perspective. It has been fantastic so far and I cannot rate the course highly enough to anyone who wishes to study fashion and/or learn to launch a business in this tricky and often unforgiving industry.

By: Neil

Neil — Sun, 23 May 2010 02:02:23 +0000

Quite so, Ive been in Fashion Business for years, and Its a hard Rock if you Don’t Do good Business, I’ve Decided to Go study Business & Marketing, to help me balance my act!!

By: Gracia

Gracia — Sat, 22 May 2010 09:51:18 +0000

This is the very reason why I am studying Bachelor of Commerce (Business to other people) even though I am not enjoying it, but I find the skills and knowledge highly valuable, before I plunge into any formal training in fashion design (shoes and leathercraft, to be precise)

By: ARRON

ARRON — Tue, 18 May 2010 12:16:26 +0000

i think the best advice for students or anyone wishing to start a label in this over saturated market is to wait a while and work in the industry until they actually understand a niche in the market or themselves as a brand and whether or not they can offer something actually new to consumers…
i think an article BOF posted sometime back best expresses the ridiculousness of trying to start your own brand

http://women.timesonline.co.uk/tol/life_and_style/women/fashion/article7116036.ece

if McQueen was still in debt after almost 2 decades and with a major luxury group as a backer, then what makes young unkown designers think they stand a chance at their own thing in this ever growing market

By: Y

Tue, 18 May 2010 01:22:44 +0000

In my opinions, to offer a platform design students can actually work on and socialize with other parts involved in the business [manufacturer, buyer, stockist, fashion editor, brand] makes more sense, than simply put another ‘useful’ unit into the course. An internship to work with indies/brands, preparing for Pure London or LFW will definitely help them to know the real world and build up commercial awareness. Or an introduction to small manufacturers if they would like to set up own business. This kind of program is what students really need.

By: Namrata G

Namrata G — Tue, 18 May 2010 00:43:15 +0000

I agree with the post as I know the struggles of students who do not end up with fulfilling jobs and then find them selves taking on jobs that do not assist them to create either a career or a brand for themselves. This is due to a lack of support from the industry. I question the fashion programs that are run by fashion schools. They do not make the student industry ready. The students of fashion school apart from having design knowledge need to have communication skills . They do not know how to communicate with a skilled worker who needs to understand how to give form to their illustration.

They need to understand basic client interaction if they choose to create their own labels..There is need to add entrepreneurial skills along with management skills such as accounting, human behavior and of course goal setting and vision for the label.

The student has to be armed with enough tools which enable him or her to be on the correct path from day 1!

Namrata G
Fashion Designer and Consultant
Labels namratag and manbynam
Owner Corpretfox
Institute for developing leadership and impression management skills
India