For the Love of the Craft?

Just because one wants to be a designer doesn't mean he or she wants to be the next Michael Kors. What about those chain stores like Old Navy, the Gap, and American Apparel? They certainly have designers, just not world famous ones. This article from The New York Times describes the creative director of Old Navy, hired in 2007.

Project Runway

Did Bravo's hit television show spawn this obsession with the fashion industry? Each season, a group of hopefuls compete in challenges that last approximately 24 hours. Pushed to their breaking points, the contestants show the panel of judges what they are capable of. The show is hosted by Heidi Klum and judges include Michael Kors (American fashion designer) and Nina Garcia, who works for Marie Claire magazine. There are also guest judges such as various celebrities who make occasional appearances on the show. This show attracts tons of viewers each season and has become something of a national obsession. So, it can probably be determined that Project Runway has caused this huge increase in the desire to become a famous fashion designer, and provides a means to get there for a small number of contestants each season.

Why America?

(Renowned American fashion designer Michael Kors)

A New York Times blog describes an exhibit at F.I.T. of American fashion designers. The director of the F.I.T. museum explains the importance and power of fashion designers in America. Ironically, one of the designers portrayed is Michael Kors, who himself attended design school. Is design school required to make it in the fashion industry today?

A Design Student With a Big Dream

(Alexa Winner original design)

Alexa Winner is not your average twenty-something design student. Completing her final year at Parson's, Winner is on her way to the top. She has already premiered her line of dresses in an exclusive fashion show in the Hamptons in the summer of 2009. She has designed a line of trendy, comfortable scarves, with her signature mushroom pattern. She has also designed a line of ornate and eclectic headbands, which have earned Winner a lot of praise. This is definitely a girl to watch as she evolves into an even more successful designer.

The Fashion Institute of Technology

(Design by Carolina Herrera)

The Fashion Institute of Technology, also known as F.I.T., is one of the leading names in fashion design colleges in America. The school has graduated famous alumni such as Carolina Herrera, Calvin Klein, and Michael Kors. The website explains the undergraduate fashion design program, and what it incorporates. For example, unlike classes such as "intro to psych" that most undergraduate students take in college, students at F.I.T. learn patternmaking and draping during the course of their degree progress. So, besides simply having the name F.I.T. on one's academic resume, students are actually learning valuable skills that can set them ahead in their ambitious race to become successful in the fashion industry.

Fashion Colleges in America

The website http://www.fashionschools.com/ lists various fashion design schools across the United States. The website includes a variety of information about different fashion schools in America along with the different degrees that can be acquired at each school.