Design majors, anyone?

mfarrellsavage
Sat, 02 Nov 2013 13:27:04 +0000

Hi! Well, I’m now shooting for Theatre Design (Costume) but I was into Fashion Design for years and years, I know a lot about what you need to do to prepare for it. I have very little knowledge of Photography but I can speak for Fashion Design and a little about Fashion Merchandising.

Most important thing for hopeful fashion designers to understand is that fashion is a business-based business before it is an art-based business. A mind for business will get you much further than creativity.

Do as much as you possibly can as soon as you begin to consider fashion design for a career. It is SUCH a tough business and very competitive. Make the costumes for the school play, make Halloween costumes for people, make your dresses for formal occasions, start a fashion club at school, take drawing classes, sewing, painting, textiles, etc. Every birthday and gift-giving holiday, ask for money so you can buy fabric and art supplies. I wouldn’t say it’s difficult to get into a good school for Fashion Design but it can be brutal once you’re there and surrounded by very talented designers. I consider myself lucky, I know a kid who was already attending fashion week and selling at the age of 16 so I knew from a young age what the competition looks like and I push myself.

Take a pre-college programme if you can. I live in CT but I go to FIT every weekend to take Sewing and Patternmaking. Next semester I want to work on fashion illustration. FIT programmes start at 6th grade+, Parsons starts at, like, 3rd grade+. So some kids are really getting an early start.

If at all possible, try to land an internship before college with a design company. I got an internship with a company in 8th grade- fabulous experience.

In high school, take as many business classes as humanly possible. Also things that will help as a professional. Personal finance, Into to Business, Accounting, Ecnonomics, Career Planning, Technical Writing, Research…

Communication skills are vital. If you’re at all shy, work on overcoming it. You will have to make a trillion cold calls a week, be able to make a pitch, etc.

Choose a school with good career services and connections. I’ll stress it again, fashion is really tough and the unions are not easy to get into. Drexel is excellent because it has the co-op. If I were still shooting for Fashion Design, Drexel would be at the top of my list.

If you’re thinking Fashion Design, I recommend you read the book The Fashion Designers Survival Guide by Mary Gehlhar. And have a highlighter handy. There’s advice from designers like Tom Ford and Donna Karan as well as new designers.

The schools I recommend are RISD, Pratt, Drexel, SCAD, Parsons, & FIT- in that order.

Fashion Merchandising- similar principles.

Communication. See above.

Business classes- see above. Definitely take pre-college classes. For Merchandising, I believe they are available online so they are very accessible.

I should have mentioned computer skills before- definitely work on using Microsoft and even iWork apps like Excell, PowerPoint/Keynote, etc. Illustrator would be good for Design.

Work in retail. Job, internship…

Do not slack in Math or English!
Schools I recommend are LIM, Parsons, FIT, Drexel (it has a summer programme for design and merchandising- try it out to see how you like it), and Academy of Art.

Hope this helped! If you have any questions at all, please shoot me a private message. :)