Comments on: Which fashion school is best?

By: Which fashion school is best pt.2

Which fashion school is best pt.2 — Mon, 04 Jan 2010 20:43:43 +0000

[...] week, Cathryn posted a comment to Melissa’s entry called Which fashion school is best? I thought it was worth publishing as part two, a counterpoint from the perspective of an educator. [...]

By: anne

anne — Fri, 01 Jan 2010 16:24:38 +0000

I teach at a university that stresses a professional education with liberal arts underpinning. All of our faculty full time and adjunct alike are or have been active in the apparel industry (do we wish we had more full time faculty ? sure). We are not preparing students to get PHD’s and teach about something they’ve never practiced; if someone chooses that path it’s their decision..

We emphasize an apparel industry approach to design and technical classes. The importance of meeting deadlines, professional attitude and hard work all all stressed. Internships are not part of the required curriculum (wish they were) but you better believe that we are constantly nagging students about the importance of having at least one, ideally two. We also emphasize the importance of some sort of study abroad experience; whether it its a semester of summer trip. I would agree with Barb’s three points especially number three. Our most successful students are those that take advantage of every learning opportunity, workshops, lecture, etcetera.

We are very free with our out of class time and always willing to mentor those who seek help.
Gone are the days where you could just graduate and expect to get a lot of on the job training. You must show your employer what you have to offer them; it’s a two way street.

By the way, this is the best job I’ve ever had other than being a parent. It is a privilege to see the development that happens in four years and be a part of it.

Happy New Year

By: Barb Taylorr

Barb Taylorr — Thu, 31 Dec 2009 16:55:54 +0000

Selecting the “right” school can be very stressful. Location, finances, personel contact with the industry to know where the best teachers work… it can all feel like insurmountable hurdles if you are not in an ideal situation. However, there is a lot you CAN control that will get you very far along the path you seek. So along with taking advantage of all the great information Melissa & others have offered here when choosing a school, I would also like to suggest the following:

1. Have a great attitude; Learn all you can from the teachers and classes available to you. Take an proactive approach to question, explore, and think beyond the assigments and lectures. Sometimes the thing a teacher is best able to teach you will not neccesarily be what you expected to learn from them. Keep your mind open & look for their strengths.
2. Always remember that there is more than one way to do things. Try to find as many different people and opportunities to learn from that you can.
3. Don’t expect your education to be handed out like a paint by number project with a garunteed job waiting after you complete your program. This is a field where mentors and work experience will weigh far more than any degree. Classes may get your foot in the door, but always look for work in your field along the way. Opportunities will increase as you become more skilled. Make friends and enjoy the journey, continuing to learn long after school is over.

By: Bo Breda

Bo Breda — Sat, 27 Dec 2008 21:54:56 +0000

Dear Kathleen,
Thank you for your website which has become a go-to site for my entire faculty.
The only thing I would like to say in response to Melissa’s very complete and well-reasoned article is that it, in my opinion, unfairly points the finger at for-profit schools in general, as if they are all badly run and do not provide a good education. There are many for-profit schools and they run the gamut from excellent to extremely poor. I am the academic director of the fashion design program at a for-profit school and am very proud of what we accomplish. I have two degrees, one in Linguistics and one in Fiber Arts plus 20 years of experience as a designer in the New York City garment center. My faculty are all experienced professionals, most of whom are currently still working part time in the industry as designers, technical patternmakers, costume specialists, and owners of clothing businesses. Our liberal arts department is excellent and run by a sociologist who demands rigor from his teachers. Our fashion labs are state of the art with current industrial equipment for sewing and pressing tasks, as well as having a complete Gerber facility plus the Adobe Creative Suite and Nedgraphics programs for textiles. Unlike many of the for-profit schools, we also have a full textile component with looms, knitting machines, and screen printing classes. Our annual fashion show is run by professionals and is held in a beautiful, high profile venue, so that our students get to experience that part of the industry, too.
My point is only that painting with a broad brush may give your readers the wrong idea. In fact, after teaching at schools in every section of the U.S., I can say that the real problem, from what I see in terms of getting a complete and useful education, lies with many of the state schools which claim to have fashion design programs. The graduates from these schools are often prepared only to teach in the same type of school, not to work in the garment industry.
Anyway, thanks for giving all of us a place to air our views. I love your site. Keep up the good work.

By: Penny

Penny — Sat, 27 Dec 2008 20:55:13 +0000

Check out the Community Colleges in your area. Community colleges offer some of the best training you can get, not only in the fashion industry, but graphic arts, multi media, the arts, and just about any other area of interest you can conjure up. I went thru a 2 year apparel design program at Seattle Central Community College which covered everything from design, patternmaking, grading, garment construction, tailoring, history of fashion… they even had an on site millinery program, which I regret that I never took! The courses were all taught by seasoned industry professionals that were extremely knowledgeable and gifted teachers in their own right. I had no intentions of ever going into this business as a career and only wanted to learn how to make my own patterns, but after a couple of courses, I was totally hooked. I applied for and received a government grant that totally paid for my 2 years of school. In addition the government matched the pay I received from managing a costume shop at a near by regional theater as my work study job, which turned out to be just a valuable of an education as my schooling. I have since returned to community colleges twice to pick up additional skills in computer graphics and mulit media. It’s difficult to learn these, (mainly illustrator and Photoshop), on the job and community colleges have excellent programs in both of these areas. The community college system in California is excellent, and at $30.00 a credit hr. very affordable. You don’t need to go into debt to get an education, and community colleges make sense more now than ever. I highly recommend the community college system to anyone interested in pursuing a career in fashion!

By: christine

christine — Thu, 28 Feb 2008 02:48:24 +0000

HELP

i’m currently attending highschool, and have grown up with many expectations. seeing that i have family members who are alumni from schools like harvard, stanford, berkeley, and my older sister(currently awaiting college acceptance letters) has gotten early acceptances into half of the UC’s.

i however want to be in fashion merchandising, and i’d much rather prefer a two year degree

i was wondering if FIDM is really as good as it sounds. is there a big a difference between two year and four year degrees? which type of degree should i get?

By: simych

simych — Tue, 05 Feb 2008 06:09:32 +0000

I went to fashion high school many years ago and of all the schools i’ve been exposed to i would say FIT – great buy, and Parsons – excellent school! Good luck.

By: Frank

Frank — Mon, 04 Feb 2008 22:41:52 +0000

Need help! I am 17 years old, this coming fall I plan to learn in this field. Search engines arent any help, who are the good schools in America for fashion?

By: Marisa

Marisa — Fri, 01 Feb 2008 08:54:17 +0000

This is a great artcle. I currently attend FIT and it’s a great school if you go into the right major. I took patternmaking and now I will be graduating from production management.

I really advise aspiring designers to go to school for production management rather than fashion design. You will learn patternamaking and the manufacturing/business end of the industry.

I did an internship where I discovered the designer wasn’t too happy that I knew about patterns, so she stuck me doing cleaning and organizing. I tell you, it’s kinda fun coming out of school and knowing more than the designer who’s been working for years.

By: Sarah

Sarah — Sun, 15 Jul 2007 18:08:44 +0000

I am a 26-year-old City Planner who is currently planning on returning to school full-time to study Fashion Design. As I am currently living and working in London, England, I have been exposed to some great fashion schools through short courses such as Saint Martins and the London College of Fashion. I would love to attend these schools, but either would cost 10,000 pounds per year! Factoring in the exchange rate and the cost of living in London…well…few Canadians could afford it.

In terms of Fashion Design schools in Ontario (where I am a permanent resident), which are considered best? I will definitely be applying to Ryerson University as it has a degree program, is well known in Canada and has produced talented designers. Yet, I wish the program was not quite so long! Are other schools in Ontario as good? I’ve heard that Seneca, George Brown, Sheridan and the International Academy of Design also offer programs. I understand that these schools produce designers with strong technical abilities. What are the negative points to attending these schools? Based on what I have read, I think I may not apply to for-profit schools such as the International Academy of Design.

If anyone out there has attended school in Ontario for Fashion Design please let me know what you thought of your program. Any comments would help tremendously!

Thanks!