When you hear names like Coco Chanel, Tom Ford, Calvin Klein, Yves Saint Laurent, and other fashion icons, the first thought that comes to mind is the amount of talent and success they’ve acquired.
Over the years, those names have stood out from the rest in an industry that shows no mercy to those who lack creativity and innovation.
However, their level of success wasn’t a mere leap from the work desk to plaques and tall buildings; it was a gradual process that started back in college with fashion courses. And that begs the question, “What exactly do you need to study to make a great career in fashion?”
The Simple but Effective Impact of Picking the Right Fashion Course
Suppose you’re interested in the creative designs that make Gucci handbags stand out from basic carry-ons or the stylistic difference between a Burberry coat and a normal jacket. In that case, you must dedicate your college years to major courses.
Not only do these courses expose you to the secrets that make Louis Vuitton and Prada the powerhouses they are, but they also make clear the aspect of the fashion industry that brings out the best in your skills.
Read on to discover the courses you need for a successful career in the fashion industry. For all those students with tight budgets, we recommend visiting the BookScouter.com blog. There, you’ll find helpful tips on the best side hustles for students, a list of websites with free college textbooks, and much more.
These resources can help you save money while in college and enhance your learning experience on a budget.
So, get ready to immerse yourself in the fashion world and gain the knowledge you need to thrive in this dynamic field.
5 Major Fashion Careers and Their Related Courses
1. For Those into Fashion Design
A career in fashion design is perceived as the most sought-after when looking for a pathway into the fashion industry. Moreover, it’s also the career path that demands the highest level of creativity and dedication, as young students looking to make it big here will need to learn all they can.
Fashion designers are seen as the engine of the industry. They’re the sources of inspiration for all product patterns, designs, and concepts and influence the production process.
Alongside conceptualizing top product designs, fashion designers work daily to improve current designs and concepts, ensuring their brands are at the top of the fashion pyramid.
The majors needed for a successful career as a fashion designer include a Bachelor’s in Fashion Design or Fashion Media, a Bachelor’s in Clothing and Textile Studies, and a Master’s in Fashion Design or related area.
2. For Those into Fashion Brand/Product Management
If you take a quick look at major fashion brands, you’ll discover that part of the reason for their fame and prestige is their position in the industry. Aside from their world-class products, top fashion houses become household names because of proper brand marketing and product management.
Combining those elements with the design process allows any fashion brand to establish a unique position above its competitors. In essence, the major functions of brand/product managers revolve around cooking up sales and promotional strategies to elevate their fashion houses.
Moving on, you’ll need to hone your fashion marketing, advertising, management, and sales knowledge to succeed in this career path. So, to get started on this career path requires a degree in Business Administration, Marketing, or Management.
3. For Those into Fashion Merchandising
It takes the proper selection and placement of fashion items, i.e., clothes, shoes, and accessories, to ensure proper and positive promotion of a product. These key selections and placement are the telling differences between a regular fashion item and what customers consider a must-have for their closet. To make all this happen requires the input of a skilled fashion merchandiser.
Pursuing a career in fashion merchandising also requires working with other products such as cosmetics, furniture, toys, and any merchandise that helps promote a fashion brand to the masses.
The skills required for a successful career in fashion merchandising range from textile composition, design theory, accounting, and communication skills to keeping up with the latest fashion designs and trends.
To do so requires a Bachelor of Fashion Merchandising degree. From there, you can work up to the intern role, where you’ll learn on the job alongside retailers and other merchandisers.
4. For Those into Fashion Advertising
Major fashion career paths require high creativity and ingenuity to establish success, and the advertising world is no different. A career in fashion advertising requires the skill to specialize in product promotion through various platforms, including social media, print, radio, and television.
You must learn branding, marketing, and communication techniques to break through the fashion advertising industry. These form the holy grail of proper advertising. You must also develop sales strategies that help your brand stand out in product promotion.
Lastly, the field of advertising isn’t an island but one where collaboration is key and inevitable, so emphasis should be placed on courses that help you develop interpersonal relations. The majors in this field include a Bachelor of Arts in Communication, Advertising, or Marketing or a Bachelor of Business Administration.
5. For Those into Fashion Photography
Suppose you’re curious about the work that goes into creating a shot that perfectly captures the essence and story behind any fashion-related item. In that case, fashion photography is the obvious career path you need to develop.
The importance of photographers in the fashion industry can’t be overstated. For instance, they’re called to major events such as fashion shows in Milan, Paris, and London and tasked with capturing excellent images and videos that perfectly highlight those events.
They’re also hired at fashion houses and brands to bring the best out of clothing, shoes, accessories, and models through crisp and vibrant images.
As a result, you need to be well-versed in media, visual arts, and a bit of journalism to handle the tasks of a fashion photographer. The related courses include Bachelor of Fine Arts and Bachelor of Arts in Journalism and Media Studies.
Bottom Line
The fashion industry is the perfect place to showcase your creativity and share the many ideas that can bring about innovations in the world’s current fashion styles and trends.
However, before reaching your full potential, you need advanced knowledge in the field through significant fashion courses. That way, you can crack the fashion industry open and develop a stellar career.
