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Fashion Designer Degree Types

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Fashion Design Diploma

Gaining your Diploma in the field of Fashion Design is a good first step to starting an exciting and rewarding career with a lot of potential.

The student can earn a diploma at any college or technical or trade school, and while not as powerful as entering the job force with a higher degree such as an Associate or Bachelor’s Degree, the candidate that at least has a diploma stands a much better chance of winning the position than the applicant who does not.

Since fashion design is an evergreen and always changing field, job opportunities should continue to be strong well into the foreseeable future. This is a field where it is possible to work your way up with experience and talent.

Some of the coursework you will be required to complete to get your Diploma in Fashion Design includes; Menswear Design, Fashion Merchandising and Marketing, Knitwear Design, Fashion Design, Active Sportswear Design, Fashion Journalism, Textile Design, Visual Merchandising

Much of the learning will include runway work, using fabrics and also learning business models and working with consumer trends. There is a very wide selection of specialties in the fashion industry so the student could choose to work with actual hands-on design or learn to manage a design manufacturing mill in a management capacity.

For those students wishing to pursue a Diploma in Fashion Design, there are now many avenues available including the ability to study at home while still working at your current job, by enrolling in one of the many online fashion design programs.

Fashion Design Associate’s Degree

An Associate’s Degree in Fashion Design can open many career doors for the ambitious student. Fashion is an industry that is always in demand and it is possible to become well-known and command higher and higher salaries as you go.

More employers nowadays are selecting candidates who have achieved a degree of some sort, so pursuing an Associate’s degree makes sense when deciding to enter this exciting field. Having a degree from a respected facility of higher learning will pave the way for your career to grow and earn you a good salary.

There is also a glamorous aspect to the fashion world, so this is part of the life and future that the avid student of fabric use and fashion design will enjoy once hired into the field.

Some of the coursework you will be required to complete to get your Associates Degree in Fashion Design include;

  • Fashion Design
  • Fashion Merchandising and Marketing
  • Knitwear Design
  • Fashion Journalism
  • Menswear Design
  • Textile Design
  • Active Sportswear Design
  • Visual Merchandising

Much of the learning will include hands-on runway work, use of fabrics, learning business models and working with consumers and fashion trends. Since there is a very wide range of specialties in the fashion industry, the student could choose to work with actual fashion design or eventually manage a design manufacturing mill or supplier.

For those students wishing to pursue an Associate’s degree in Fashion Design, there are now many avenues available including the ability to study at home while still keeping your current job, by enrolling in an online fashion design program.

Getting Fashion Design Bachelor’s Degree

Gaining a Bachelor’s Degree in Fashion Design can open many career doors for the ambitious student. A Bachelor’s Degree is a four year course that requires completing certain course work before you can be provided with your degree.

If the student already has a degree from the same or another institute of higher learning in the same field, only 2 years may be needed to complete your degree again. Generally it will take from 3-4 years to gain your Bachelor’s Degree. Since the salary for graduates has a much higher potential for getting a job initially, as well as for advancement and growth, it makes sense to gain your Bachelor’s Degree when going in to the field of Fashion Design.

A fashion design Bachelor’s degree will prepare the student for a career as a designer of fashion, footwear, accessories. costume design, or similar career. Required coursework includes apparel design basics sewing, textiles, pattern making and more. With a Bachelor’s Degree the student also has the option of moving into management.

Required coursework might include topics such as:

  • Marketing and Consumer Behavior
  • Introduction to Fashion
  • Fashion History
  • Anticipating Fashion Trends
  • Working with Textiles
  • Fabric Draping and Design
  • Fashion Sketching
  • Fashion Production
  • Clothing Construction

Fashion design is a perennial career that is always in demand and always has openings for qualified and talented fashion designers.
For students wishing to pursue a Bachelor’s degree in Fashion Design, there are now many schooling options available including studying at home while still keeping your current job when you enroll in an online fashion design program.

Fashion Bachelor Degree Colleges Online and On Campus

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Understanding the fashion design industry involves taking into consideration several industries that overlap with the fashion industry, and how these interactions take place. There is a great deal involved in a fashion design career, from things you should know to techniques you should practice, as well as the various tasks you will take on within several jobs you pursue. A fashion designer has several basic skills and should be able to utilize today’s latest technologies in order to create fashion, market fashion, produce fashion, and sell fashion. All these tasks are just the basics and can expand into several different industries from marketing to television, film, and even retail.

Desired Education

Believe it or not, there is an education required to take on several positions within the fashion industry. Many employers are willing to accept experience, but will desire some type of degree. Even without experience, a bachelor’s degree is more favorable with employers than having experience and no degree. Fashion bachelor degree colleges are located throughout the U.S. and Canada as well as abroad to offer the education you need to enter the industry with full potential. You can utilize these schools to earn the education needed to get a top position within the field.

Getting a Bachelors in Fashion

When you begin your bachelor’s degree fashion design program, you will begin by learning the fundamentals of the industry, including the start of all projects with pen and paper. You will learn several other aspects of the profession including:

  • Material blending
  • Colors and patterns
  • Development of fashion design projects
  • Manufacturing
  • Marketing

You will also learn the various techniques that are used within the various types of fashion, with several different specialties as well. Whether you are seeking to create beautiful evening gowns, couture, or ready-to-wear garments, there is a great deal to gain from a fashion design bachelors degree.

Where to Attend School

Even if you live in a state without a great deal of focus on the fashion industry, there are schools available both online and on campus to provide you with the bachelor’s degree you pursue. You can utilize online programs from several top colleges that are found in the more prestigious states within the industry, or even from online only schools that are offering the computer based instruction that is becoming a prime educational source in today’s world. You want to understand the hardware and software components of the position, which is now even more possible with these online classes.

If you aren’t sure whether a bachelor’s degree would help or not, you have to look at the facts. Employers want employees that are well skilled and educated, even if there is experience involved. Even the most well-known fashion designers obtained an education in order to get to the top tier of the industry, as there are several elements that go much further than putting together a style with clothes. You will need the technical skills as well, as art is easily acquired through talent, but the technical aspect of the profession must be learned in a school.

Using Online Fashion Schools to Go Far in the Fashion Industry

Online fashion schools can really offer a wealth of opportunity towards a bright future in a high demand industry that can top $100,000’s in earnings, and more with the appropriate experience and drive. Although the fashion industry is a very challenging industry, the right education could equip you with the skills you need to make it to the top with the right attitude and mind frame. Getting your fashion design degree is very beneficial to you if you wish to go further than a local retail position, or even if you simply want more responsibility within the retail industry in fashion management and other related fields.

Types of Programs Offered

There are several online fashion design schools that offer several different programs in fashion design to assist you in getting to the level appropriate to join the industry in the sector you most desire. This could be runways or large clothing operations, or even the design of visual fashion marketing and more. Various programs offered include:

  • Fashion management
  • Fashion design
  • Merchandising management
  • Visual fashion development

There are several new programs always emerging, with the possibility to earn various degrees such as:

  • Fashion Associates of Art
  • Bachelor of Fine Arts
  • Master of Fine Arts

There are several courses involved in the various programs offered which will cover a variety of aspects of the industry including:

  • Fashion design
  • Merchandising and marketing
  • Knitwear design
  • Visual merchandising
  • Active sportswear design

There are several different sectors of the industry in which you may enter, including specialty fashion design for various industries including:

  • Business/Uniform Design
  • Costume Design
  • Military Design

There are various trends that you will learn, as well as the understanding of fashion and following the various factors that affect trends, including seasons and age groups. Earning your fashion merchandising degree online will provide you with the ability to produce fashion lines, expanding upon the skills required to create fashion lines.

Choosing the Right Fashion Design School Online

If you are ready to get your fashion design degree online, there are several internet based schools from which you can choose. These schools will offer a variety of online fashion design programs, ensuring that you are able to follow the field you are most interested in. As you begin your courses online, you will find that the experience is extremely beneficial, replacing the hands-on instruction with detailed computer based instruction with several resources utilized to provide the highest quality education possible.

Online fashion design programs are necessary if you wish to go to the highest levels of the fashion design industry. There is a great deal of competition within the industry, with several employers seeking fashion designers to establish the latest trends, including Macy’s, Target, and Three Dots. You can even make your place in the magazines as a fashion journalist if you so wish, as there are several careers you can pursue with a fashion design degree from an accredited college or university.

Pursuing a Fashion Design Online Masters Degree

When you are considering an online education in fashion design, you will be presented with several degree options including certificate, associate of arts, bachelor’s, and at the highest scale the fashion design online masters degree. There is a large difference between the various degrees, with the master’s degree serving as the highest credentials possible within the field. Typically, the decision to pursue a master’s degree comes after the completion of undergraduate studies, when you have decided that you are ready to take your skills to the highest level possible in order to access the highest positions available in the industry.

Types of Fashion Online Masters Degree Programs

Just as you would find several bachelors degree programs, you will find several different masters degree programs to choose from, offering a different niche within the industry. Such programs include:

  • Fashion and apparel design
  • Fashion and merchandise management
  • Retail management and development
  • Fashion marketing management

Each of these programs will delve into a different section of the fashion industry, allowing you to make the choices of where you want to work and in which exact industry, whether film, television, fashion media, journalism, or any other industry fashion design integrates within.

Elements of Masters Program

A master’s degree in fashion design consists of several elements, with skill building instruction in many different subjects including:

  • Apparel design
  • Flat pattern design
  • Men, women, and children’s clothing design
  • Accessory design
  • Concept planning
  • Fashion marketing and development

You will take on several courses over a 24 month period, after which you will graduate with the highest degree in the field, offering the highest level of employment opportunities and wages that can range between the $70,000’s to the $100,000’s. Each course will expand on previous learning, offering a strong foundation by which to build a strong career.

Possible Careers with Master’s Degree

There are several different careers you can take on with a master’s degree in fashion design. You will be learning the skills to take on the more advanced and upper level positions such as:

  • Fashion journalist/magazine publisher
  • Trend forecaster
  • Fashion director
  • Costume creator

There are many other careers that can be taken on, many of which can be within very high profile companies including:

  • Macy’s
  • Abercrombie & Fitch
  • Banana Republic
  • Ralph Lauren

There are several different clothing lines that are always recruiting new ideas, as well as many different freelance opportunities available for you to explore.

If you are interested in entering the fashion design industry, there are many different ways you can begin a new profession, however an education can develop the skills and instill the knowledge that you will need to build a long-term career you can enjoy and take pride of. Even if you are already in the industry and have realized the need for a further education in order to advance your opportunities, a distance education fashion master’s degree can definitely bring you to a further level.

How Fashion Design Schools Can Help Your Career

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Some people get the wrong idea about the fashion design industry, many thinking that there is no education needed to be a strong professional within the industry. The fact is that you can definitely enter the industry without an education, but there will be road blocks that prevent you from getting any further than a lower level position due to the lack of knowledge in the most essential aspects, which surprisingly may have little to do with the actual fashion world such as business and marketing. You will also need to be up to date with the many techniques that are utilized within the field, ensuring that you are able to prosper with accurate practices that are within the guidelines of the field.

Attending Fashion Design College

There are many aspects of attending fashion design programs, from the basic levels of pattern drafting to the various techniques utilized within the industry in design, marketing, production, and manufacturing. Fashion design colleges provide the latest resources by which to instruct you on the most appropriate processes and techniques in the field, ensuring that you are able to prosper in the field following the most used and most successful practices and strategies in the many levels of your career. Finding the right college for fashion design isn’t difficult, as there are many that offer high quality programs and several different degrees.

Programs for Fashion Design

There are many different fashion design and merchandising degree programs offered to provide you with the strongest skill base with which to enter the fashion design industry. You will have the option of choosing that which follows you career path the closest from a list of many programs including:

  • Accessory Design
  • Sewing and Dressmaking
  • Apparel/Fashion Design
  • Fashion Design, Merchandising, and Foundation for Design
  • Fashion and Retail Management
  • Fashion Marketing

Each program is designed to provide the fullest curriculum to ensure you understand every element of the profession you wish to enter, giving you the best advantages over your career.

Choosing the Best Fashion Design and Merchandising Schools

There are several top schools to choose from, many of which are located within New York, California, and other high profile states in the U.S. There are also several programs abroad through many U.S. colleges and universities, which enable you to learn and understand foreign fashion and many of the influences of U.S. fashion today. Finding the best college should be within your price range, and a school that is accredited and participates in financial aid programs to ensure you are able to afford your education.

There are many colleges with fashion design majors that you may choose from, allowing you to learn the basic and most essential practices utilized within many different levels of the industry. Whether you are after a small scale or large scale position in the field of fashion design, or even within the many different sectors such as marketing and management, you can get a great deal of knowledge and learn the most important skills utilized in the industry from the colleges that offer fashion design.

Choosing a Fashion Design School

Getting a degree in fashion is one of the best choices you can make if you plan to work in the fashion industry. Not only will your education give you a chance to hone your skills, you’ll also get the chance to make connections and receive critiques from real people working in the field. However, not all fashion programs are created equal. Choosing the right fashion design school for you depends on many factors, including your individual career goals, your budget and your unique skill set.

Parsons School of Design and the Fashion Institute of Technology – both based in New York City – are considered to be two of the most prestigious fashion design programs in the country. Admission to these programs is highly competitive, so you’ll need to have a well-developed portfolio of designs to even be considered.

If you’re lucky enough to be admitted to one of these programs, you’ll not only be able to take advantage of top-notch instruction, you’ll also make great connections within the industry that can lead to coveted internship spots and potential post-graduate job offers.
But don’t worry if you don’t get into one of these programs – spots are extremely limited, so you may need to consider other options.

Fortunately, many community colleges, technical schools, and four-year universities offer degrees in fashion design and management. When deciding which programs to apply to, keep in mind that a four-year fine arts degree in fashion offers you the best spring-board for starting your career, since you’ll have four years to develop the basic skills you’ll need when you enter the working world.

Budget matters

However, four year programs aren’t for everyone. Typically, these programs are conducted during the day-time hours, which can be difficult for students who work full-time or have families to support. In addition, the cost of attending a four-year program tends to be much higher than the tuition at a two-year community college or technical school program. If you need to take out student loans to attend a four-year program, be sure to balance the loan’s repayment plan with what you can reasonably expect to make in your first few years out of college. Fashion is a competitive industry, so you may have to spend several years as a starving artist before you start to earn a good salary.
Consider your career goals

Even if finances are a concern, if you’re serious about becoming a fashion designer, you really should do everything possible to enroll in a four-year program. For example, look into student grants, scholarships or work-study programs that will enable you to attend a bachelor’s degree program. A four-year fine arts degree has become something of a baseline standard in a fashion industry, and the field is so competitive that it can be extremely difficult to find work with anything less than a bachelors.

However, if you’re interested in fashion design, but aren’t totally committed to the idea of becoming a full-fledged fashion designer, you may want to consider a more affordable two-year program. Graduates of these programs often find work as design assistants, pattern makers and seamstresses – all of which are great ways to be involved in the industry without the pressure and stress that comes along with a career as a fashion designer.

How Fashion Designer Courses Can Propel Your Career

Attending fashion designer courses will bring you to a new world of art and science combined to build creations that are appeasing to the eye in various forms of apparel and accessories. The skills you learn in the course needed to become a fashion designer will be looked for by every employer or firm you take on, allowing you to join the industry with great opportunity ahead of you. Your career can go to many great levels within this high profile industry, with the average earned income of fashion designers reaching the $60,000, with the highest earners making ranges in the $100,000’s.

Types of Fashion Design to Study

There are several schools that offer online fashion design classes to teach various types of fashion design including:

  • Haute Couture
  • Ready-to-Wear
  • Mass Market

Each of these represents the main industries in the field that offer fashion design careers, each requiring the appropriate education to maneuver within the field appropriately. There are different levels within these specialties, including the marketing, design, manufacturing, and mass production of several industries. Attending courses fashion designer programs offer will ensure that you are well capable of performing the many high level duties required in the position as you take on a team or individual work setting.

What Types of Courses?

A program in fashion design will consist of several fashion design classes that focus on a specific aspect of the position you plan to take on. Whether you are seeking an assistant position or the upper level director that delegates the production and design of various products, you will need to understand the curriculum offered in fashion design programs. Such classes will include:

• Design techniques
• Business management
• Marketing and communication
• Computer based design
• Manufacturing
• Pattern drafting

The online fashion design courses will provide various technical resources and tools by which to gain the fullest instruction in the classes you attend, ensuring the quality of the education is as great as with campus schools.

Why Fashion Design?

If you are interested in creating fashions and trends, being part of the production of mass market clothing or accessory lines, or just want to be part of the fast-paced and versatile world of fashion, fashion design is an excellent career to pursue. You will find that there is a bit more to it than creating fine clothing, such as the production of the pieces and the use of materials with others. The combination of styles and creation of trends is a main part of the industry and you must get the education that will enable you to take on the career with full comprehension and the most skills.

Stop spending your time dreaming of the future and begin pursuing a future in fashion design, allowing you to enter the upscale lifestyle that you read about in magazines. Even if you want a more modest career that allows you to take on various specialties in the industry, you can gain a great deal of opportunity from attending fashion design school online.

Choosing from the Top Fashion Design Colleges

There are several fashion design colleges out there offering high quality programs to begin a prosperous fashion design career. The top fashion design colleges are found throughout the United States and Canada, as well as various campuses that are also found abroad, with programs collaborating colleges between countries. So where do you go if you want to attend the best fashion design college? Follow the trends, the money, and the spot light, while keeping your eyes open for those small schools that can also offer great opportunities.

Parsons, New York

Located in New York City, Parsons the New School for Design offers a BFA, Bachelor of Fine Arts, in design, which provides you with the skills you need to enter the field with the highest abilities. You will be given several chances that aren’t offered to other graduates with a degree backed by Parsons, as employers recognize the high quality of the school. There are many notable alumni of this college, including:

  • Zang Toi
  • Derek Lam
  • Behnaz Sarafpour
  • Claire McCardell

With just over 500 students enrolled and over 100 years of experience in providing top quality curriculum to students that flock from all around the world, Parsons provides the most elaborate and precise education possible in fashion design.

Pratt, New York

Another one of the U.S. top 10 fashion design schools, also located on the East Coast, is Pratt Institute, found in Brooklyn and offering a variety of degrees in various programs, including fashion design. The bright point of Pratt is the rare offer of fashion editorial and magazine publishing, broadening your choices when it comes to the fashion design career you are seeking. The school even offers classes in jewelry repair and design, offering a wealth of coursework to ensure you are prepared for a full time, strong career in the industry.

FIDM, California

FIDM, or the Fashion Institute of Design and Merchandising, is one of the most famous fashion design schools due to the curriculum and success of the school, as well as notable alumni, one of which is a hot topic in many households today. Lauren Conrad from the MTV show “Laguna Beach” is currently a student, which gives you an idea of just how important furthering your education is, even when you may have reached great heights in the industry. FIDM offers a Bachelor of Science or an Associate of Arts degree in fashion design, with four different campuses located in California:

  • Los Angeles
  • Orange County
  •  San Francisco
  • San Diego

Getting your fashion design degree from one of the best fashion design schools will open up doors in your career where other colleges just won’t. You want the greatest advantages from your career, and that means choosing one of the top colleges offering a fashion design degree in order to ensure that you are able to take your career as high as you really want. Even if you need help financially, these schools offer financial aid options to help you afford the best education possible.

Careers in Fashion Design

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If you’re a fashion trendsetter, then a career as a fashion designer may be the perfect fit for you. Careers in fashion design may include designing as well as fashion merchandising so there’s more than one mode of entry into this industry.

A career in fashion design or merchandising requires at least an associates or bachelors degree. With a little experience, you can be making well over $60,000 a year doing something you love.

Fashion designers are responsible for coming up with new designs for everything from department store brands to haute couture fashion houses. Fashion designers research trends in colors, shapes and styles, in order to come up with design sketches that balance innovation and conceptual design with the restrictions of the production process.

Designers choose the specific fabrics that will be used and may be responsible for overseeing a support staff of seamstresses and pattern-makers. Fashion designers typically specialize in a particular area of design, like shoes, lingerie or haute couture design.

Duties of a Fashion Designer

The life of a fashion designer is filled with the study of fashion trends. They help create all types of clothing and accessories for men, women and children. Fashion designers frequently meet with clients, sketch designs, research new trends, and meet with manufacturers.

Fashion designers typically work from a comfortable office setting. They schedule time to meet with clients which may mean evening or weekend work is necessary.

Overtime is also frequent due to deadlines. Some travel may be required to trade and fashion shows as well as to meet with suppliers.

Careers in Fashion Merchandising

Fashion merchandisers are responsible for determining which brands and styles of clothing a store will carry during any given season. They must stay on top of upcoming design trends and determine which styles of clothing best fit with the stores marketing perspective. For example, a fashion merchandiser for Macys will choose different styles and price-points than a buyer for Wal-Mart.
Fashion merchandisers must also understand principles of consumer psychology in order to create a store layout and collection that encourages customer buying. Some merchandisers are responsible for negotiating deals with suppliers, while some stores hire separate buyers to perform this task.

Careers in Fashion Marketing

There are a number of different careers within the field of fashion marketing. For example, a fashion writer might review the latest styles for publications like Vogue or Marie Claire, while a fashion photographer might take the images that appear in these publications. Fashion promoters are typically employed by designers and fashion houses to attract media attention to their brands. They may solicit celebrities to wear a designer’s gown to a major awards show or advertise a fashion house’s upcoming runway show.

Support Careers

The fashion industry can’t survive on designers alone. Once a designer has come up with a new sketch, a whole team of seamstresses, pattern-makers and other assistants is needed to translate the design into a physical garment. Seamstresses are responsible for putting together test garments and fitting finished products to models’ measurements. Pattern-makers work from test garments to put together the blueprints that manufacturers will use to mass-produce garments, and assistants work to take care of the designers administrative responsibilities so that they can focus exclusively on design.

Costume Designers

If you have an eye for fashion, but don’t want to spend your days in the pressure and stress-filled world of high fashion, you might want to consider a career as a costume designer. Costume designers are employed by regional and national stage productions, TV shows and Hollywood movies, and are typically in charge of selecting outfits for actors and their characters. Depending on the production, they may need to research the historical authenticity of a particular costume piece, or design and produce new costumes if the right piece can’t be found. Costume designers must also take a number of different factors into consideration, including how a costume will appear from a distance and whether or not it can be removed quickly for a fast-change scene.

Steps to Become a Fashion Designer

So you say you love clothes? Or that you just can’t get enough of Fashion Week coverage? If you spend your spare time flipping through fashion magazines or catching Gossip Girl reruns, you’ve probably already considered a career as a fashion designer. However, don’t think it’s as easy as throwing together your first collection and waiting for the big bucks and celebrity endorsements to roll in – making a name for yourself in the cutthroat, competitive world of fashion can take years of hard work and dedication.

There are many different ways to enter the fashion industry, but the generally accepted path is to complete a four-year fine arts degree in fashion design. There are many colleges that offer these degrees – and just like the Ivy League schools for business or medicine, there are some programs that are better than others.

Whether or not you get into a program is largely based on a portfolio of your designs that you submit during the application process. Your portfolio should be creative and expressive, and should demonstrate your unique fashion point of view. Given the weight that’s attached to your portfolio, it’s not a bad idea to invest in some drawing lessons or in professional photos of your finished creations.

Whether you graduate from a prestigious program like the Fashion Institute of Technology or Parsons School of Design, or from a state college in your hometown, attending school will give you a chance to hone your skills before you enter the working world. In college, you’ll take classes in color composition, pattern making and sewing skills – the building blocks you’ll need to start your career. After all, it doesn’t matter how brilliant your designs are – if you can’t wield a pair of sewing scissors, you’ll never make it in the fashion industry! Attending fashion school will also give you the chance to showcase your work in student fashion shows and get feedback from your professors and fellow classmates – a key part of becoming a better designer.

Another major advantage of attending a fashion design program is the connections that you’ll make within the industry. Even if you don’t attend a top school, the fashion industry is small enough that almost everyone knows someone who knows someone important. These connections can pay off big time when it comes to applying for internships during your summer months or after graduation. It’s almost always easier to get a job when you have a personal recommendation from a respected professor, so take the time to cultivate these relationships while you’re in school.

Once you graduate with your fashion degree, you can start to look for entry-level careers or internships in the specific field you want to work in. If you want to work in high end couture design, you’ll likely be competing with several thousands of other applicants for one of a very few spots at the major fashion houses. On the other hand, you might find it easier to snag a job working for the house brands of fashion retailers like JC Penney’s or Macys. Even if they aren’t haute couture designers, they still need new collections for every season – plenty of young designers have been able to use these positions as spring-boards to careers with more prestigious designers.

Of course, you don’t have to attend school to become a famous fashion designer. A very few gifted designers will be able to penetrate the fashion world without any formal education, while others will work their ways up from lowly intern positions s to become full-fledged designers. In addition, if your career aspirations revolve more around assisting with seamstress or pattern-making work – not running your own Bryant Park tent show – you may be able to find a job in fashion without a fine arts degree. However, the increasing competitiveness of the industry makes these cases few and far between. If you’re serious about becoming a fashion designer, you need to be serious about putting in the time to finish your formal education.