<p>So, I love fashion, but I'm not sure I'd like to go into design b/c of how competitive it is and stuff. Rather, I was thinking of fashion marketing, merchandising, being a buyer for a major department store, etc. However, I'm not completely sure I want to do this, so I'd like to keep my options open. Other things I'm particularly interseted in are history, sociology, anthropology, etc. Does anyone know of a college where I'd have the opportunity to pursue a career in fashion OR social sciences? Because I feel that I have to choose, and I think I'd be able to get into a pretty selective college, and I don't want to have to choose between a well rounded college edu that I'd like to have and an opportunity to pursue fashion, which I'd also like to have.</p>
<p>alamode, I've worked in the garment industry for decades-- both for wholesale brands and for retailers. A solid liberal arts education is the very best background you can have to prepare you for a career in fashion marketing or merchandising. </p>
<p>What jobs in this industry entail are of course a critical eye, a well developed taste level, ambition and drive, but most importantly they require strong communication and analytical skills. Being able to articulate your thoughts orally, in writing, in visual presentations. Being able to "sell" your ideas to management or to motivate your team. Being able to anticipate issues before they become problems and solve them so that everyone wins. </p>
<p>My advice would be to aim for the most academically rigorous college you can get into and major in whatever excites you. I know plenty of buyers, sourcing managers, merchandisers, and presidents who majored in history, sociology, antropology etc. </p>
<p>You can get a job in a retail store over the summer. Or an intership for a wholesale brand. After you graduate you will find that all of the big brands and retailers are Fortune 500 companies with professional HR departments and they will be interested in recruiting you for entry level positions. And from there you can work your way up in the organization. If you end up in an urban center where most companies are located, you can always supplement your OJT with courses at a design/merchandise school. Or, even more likely, go back to academia for an MBA.</p>
<p>You will not regret acquiring those communication and analytic skills and you may never have another chance to study in a purely academic setting again.</p>
<p>thanks. I think what I'd prob. end up doing is going as academically rigorous school I can while doing well, and major in a social science or communications. Then I'd just try to get internships for the summer
Do you think that prestige matters in the fashion industry?
And do you have any particular suggestions for majors?</p>
<p>alamode, Follow your heart and don't worry about impressing anyone. The industry is looking for creative people who can think and communicate their ideas. To that end, a history major is just as good as a communications major.</p>
<p>For entry level jobs in fashion what you need are:
1. Enthusiasm and drive
2. Personal taste level
3. Strong communication and presentation skills</p>
<p>A degree from any college in just about any field is helpful. You'll get the best grades at a school where you are happiest so don't worry about prestige: focus on the best fit for you and the best academics you can achieve. </p>
<p>I don't know anything about your personal situation, but one college that I see a lot among new hires at my company is Skidmore. It's small and in the medium range of selectivity, but has very good academics. </p>
<p>There's no need to gear your study plan to what you think your employer will want. Trust me, they will appreciate the skills that go into writing an philosophy paper or an anthropology report. Study what appeals to you, get good grades, develop relationships with your professors for recommendations and work or intern during the summer. You'll be all set. </p>
<p>The important point is don't choose a brand because you personally like to wear the clothes. Choose an organization that will offer you the best opportunity to learn.</p>
<p>For internships take a look at websites like these. I could come up with dozens more.</p>
<p><a href="http://www.retailology.com/college/home.asp%5B/url%5D">http://www.retailology.com/college/home.asp</a>
<a href="http://www.retailology.com/college/internships/%5B/url%5D">http://www.retailology.com/college/internships/</a></p>
<p>Thanks so much for your input.
Unfortunately though, all of those internships, and the others I could find, are for college students :(</p>
<p>Take a summer course at Parsons and decide from there. I know a girl who did the program for two summers. She had an unbelieveable internship designing costumes for a TV program after her sophomore year.</p>
<p>I wonder if NYU has any crossover registration with Parsons?
<a href="http://www.parsons.edu/pre_enrollment/summer.aspx%5B/url%5D">http://www.parsons.edu/pre_enrollment/summer.aspx</a></p>
<p>I thought about NYU or Fordham or even Marymount Manhattan. Do any of the Manhattan schools have corss registration with FIT or Parsons?</p>
<p>her sophmore year of high school? that is SO cool!</p>
<p>and I tried to find ones like that, the only one I could was Eugene Lang which is part of the New School organization, of which Parsons is the New School of Design. so I'll be looking into that.</p>
<p>edit: :( Parson's fashion design is closed. Do you know how good FIT's precollege is? b/c its a lot cheaper too...</p>
<p>One top school that offers fashion design is WUSTL. I'm not sure how strong WUSTL is in any of the fields you're interested, but it seems like a good choice if you're unsure of your major or what you want to get into just because you can switch majors and I imagine it'll be easy to find a major at WUSTL you can transfer into.
I currently major in Fashion design at otis college of art and design, and from my experience, I will tell you that you do not want to attend an art/design school unless you are absolutely 200% sure that design or at least the fashion industry is the industry you want to be in, live in, and breathe in. If you have other interests it would be better to attend a school where there are other majors besides just design/art majors. You don't want to get stuck at a school just because they don't have other majors you are interested in, if the case of you not liking fashion presents itself.</p>
<p>Some people say that it's better to pursue business majors or of the like if you want to get into fashion merchandising, as oppose to pursuing a fashion merchandising major. Besides there aren't really any great schools with amazing fashion merchandising majors except maybe FIT in nyc.</p>
<p>^^^thats exactly what I dont want to do to myself (be stuck at a design school if I realize its not for me)</p>
<p>then in all honesty it's not for you. don't go to a design/art school. </p>
<p>i happen to make the mistake because coming out of high school i figured that if I didn't like fashion design I could have easily switched over to something like graphic design.</p>
<p>but being in design school i realized that I had other interests that I would have like to pursue or at least had a chance to pursue. It just seems like a waste of time and money if I started from scratch at another school after two years already in a major. I mean don't get me wrong I love fashion, and that's the industry I want to be in, but like you I would want the option of study another major that isn't design related.</p>
<p>liek0806: Oh, why is it that some say a business major would be better than fashion merchandising?</p>
<p>well alot of the people i've spoken to who have a career in some field of merchandising have majored in business. Some don't even have college educations because getting a job is really about networking when you're getting into merchandising or are trying to get your first job.</p>
<p>Fashion Merchandising is just a big tree filled with many branches(careers and jobs) that you can't just say I'm going to be a fashion merchandiser, because in fashion merchandising theres buying, pr people, sells people, visuals, retail merchandisors, vendors, managers, etc. </p>
<p>And on top of that, a lot of corporate retail stores/department stores tend to recruit alot more from undergraduate schools with business programs as opposed to fashion merchandising majors at say fashion schools or technical college schools. You especially see that with careers in buying, and management.</p>