The Top 3 Benefits of Fashion School

by Joe Cooper
Fashion School Review Columnist

December 4, 2006

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Fashion design school will help you develop a sense of style, trends, and culture. They also focus on more practical matters, like fostering great business skills, building a meaningful portfolio, and learning from fashion professionals who have done it all before - successfully.

1. A Fashion Degree is a Must for Future Style Gurus Everywhere
Think fashion school and earning your fashion degree are overrated? Then you, my friend, are out of the loop. Many young designers overlook the value of the education fashion degrees provide. Sure, fashion is a creative industry, but a natural attraction to all things chic won't carry you in what is actually a very competitive business sect.

Many entry-level positions require a fashion degree, especially in fields like fashion buying and fashion marketing. Fashion marketing professionals do less designing and more managing, honing in on the right fashion audience and wooing them to a particular brand. Having a fashion degree will give you business know-how you'll need to effectively market clothing designs.

2. Strut Your Stuff with a Great Fashion Portfolio
One of the most important tasks you'll tackle in fashion school is establishing your fashion portfolio. What to include in your portfolio depends on your major or niche, but a portfolio is a great resume-builder for any fashion career.

In a nutshell, a fashion portfolio is a collection of your work. It normally includes designs for garments, accessories, textiles, or any combination thereof. A fashion portfolio is an absolute must for future designers, and building one is one of the most practical benefits of fashion school.

3. Land a Fashion Mentorship
Working under and learning from real fashion design professionals is all part of the fashion school package. In fashion degree programs, designers, fashion marketing experts, and fashion historians are your professors. Who knows just who your fashion mentor could be! Tim Gunn (from Bravo's Project Runway fame) mentors students at a New York. Not a bad source of fashion career advice!

Source:

Contra Costa Times

About the Author
Joe Cooper is a freelance education and technology writer and edits medical literature. He holds a bachelor's in American Literature from UCLA.

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