The Growth and Need for Fashion Education Today

Fashion can be defined as a style or practice adopted by people owing to its popularity. This term is often used to describe items such as footwear, clothing, body piercing, accessories, makeup, furniture etc. Fashion also alludes to distinguishing and sometimes usual trends such as how people dress, as well as predominant behavior. As such, it is understandable that fashion is a universal phenomenon, which comes as no surprise.

Thus, as a result of its popularity, institutions of learning worldwide have come up with various programs aimed at providing students with the required knowledge to take advantage of the many career opportunities in the fashion industry. Learning institutions have focused on a wide range of programs that vary from vocational, theoretical, and creative. To complete a fashion-related course from one of these institutions successfully, you will be expected to spend anywhere from a couple of months to about 4 years.

The fashion industry is ever-growing, which has led to institutions taking advantage of the increased need for graduates with knowledge about fashion. Institutions that often issue certificates and diplomas to their students are often a subset of vocational programs where the curriculum is aimed at preparing students for employment in the fashion industry.

However, some institutions of learning, such as colleges and universities, provide their students with a broader scope of information on fashion within other liberal or general courses that expose students to fashion. If you’re a businessperson who wants to excel in the fashion industry, this fashion buying course is a must-have for you.

The Increased Demand for More Fashion Education in Learning Institutions

A number of institutions concentrate most of their learning on the theoretical aspect of fashion. Nonetheless, there has been a growing number of people who believe that fashion should not be taught in schools. Most of these individuals strongly believe that fashion is unnecessary. Thus, the question we should all ask ourselves is, “Should fashion programs be added to current education programs?” It is undoubtedly among the most debatable questions today.

As such, there is a need to understand why fashion is an essential addition to the education sector today. Actually, in some countries, such as Australia, a number of schools teach their students about fashion on behalf of individual companies. Such companies are often characterized by being all-girl schools with the aim of educating girls about fashion and beauty. Skills taught in such schools include:

  • Basic and advanced makeup application techniques

  • Identifying evergreen trends

  • Wardrobe selection

  • Hands-on creativity

  • Good visualization skills

  • Artistic skills

  • Excellent drawing ability

  • Good business sense

These are all skills that can prove beneficial in countries that are trying to increase the number of employment opportunities due to the increase in population. For instance, in China, which is at the forefront of apparel production, learning institutions are encouraged to offer fashion courses to students with the aim of helping to cultivate their interest in fashion and inspire new innovative designers to join the ever-growing fashion industry.

Undoubtedly, it is not only China and Australia that believe fashion should be offered as a course in schools. Fashion is also common in other countries worldwide and has helped widen employment opportunities for so many graduates. In fact, fashion companies often build their own institutions to train and educate students, which, in turn, results in securing a position in the company.

Therefore, it is evident why fashion should be offered in more learning institutions, not only for ornamentation but also as a means of self-expression and also as a form of communication. Fashion education will allow students to develop their own unique styles as well as boost their self-confidence and not always asking others, “Do my assignment for me”. Also, fashion can also help students adapt to different cultures quickly while pursuing a career in the fashion industry.

In addition to learning about fashion as part of an institution’s curriculum, students will not only benefit from acquiring skills on how to carry themselves but also nurture useful skills in fashion and design. However, despite all the advantages of fashion education, it still has some drawbacks. While fashion education, as they say, enables you to become creative and innovative, explore different cultures, as well as boost your self-confidence, some essential factors should be taken into account before fully integrating fashion education into learning institutions.

Fashion education, in more ways than one, is more likely to encourage prejudice, discrimination, judgment. Also, fashion education makes people feel more self-conscious and may lead to low-self esteem when one is not able to keep up with current fashion trends. However, with such drawbacks taken into consideration, in the long run, there will be an increase in the number of opportunities for fashion graduates worldwide.