The thought of attending classes which revolve entirely around clothing or accessories, sounds like a dream for every fashion-obsessed individual. Many have fantasized about studying fashion abroad—New York, Paris or Milan, perhaps?
If someone told me years ago I would be in fashion school, my younger self would have laughed. I couldn’t sketch to save my life. I simply couldn’t sew and more importantly, I had no interest in clothes.
Fast-forward 15 years, and now, with a love of fashion, I find myself standing outside one of London’s fashion schools at London College of Fashion, about to start my new life as a fashion student.
After more than a decade in “traditional” schools, I braved this unexplored territory with a bit of hesitation. However, the minute I first walked into my new school and was greeted by this petite girl in an amazing vintage fur coat (in September, mind you), my doubts faded and I knew that I was going to love it.
One semester in and I have to tell you, while it is not everything I expected it to be, here are some reasons why you should consider going to fashion school.
As one would expect, every day is a catwalk. The vintage maven in her latest thrift find—check. The boy looking dapper in his tailored tweed blazer—check. The chic chick in her lust-worthy leather jacket—check. The trendsetter toting the latest “must-have” purse—check. While not everyone may be dressed to the nines, a majority would be in outfits that would make raiding their closet sound so appealing.
I’m still attempting to recreate my classmate’s unique way of wearing a scarf! Getting dressed every day gives you a chance to go a bit crazy. In fact, I think they expect you to go a little loco. I’ve seen students who are able to pull off what could have been a fashion disaster— print on print on print on print. Yup, I’ve seen that and more.
It’s not surprising that London College of Fashion, or any art school, breeds inspiration. Given the environment filled with studios, sketchbooks, photography exhibits, guerilla fashion shoots, and a library stocked with issues of Vogue, creativity is one thing I’ve found fashion schools to have an abundance of.
Combine that with the mix of talent within the student body and the faculty, and you get something incredible. Designers, stylists, writers, artists, photographers, people from different backgrounds are able to come together to create, collaborate, and learn from one another. Being around a like-minded bunch, who use fashion as their creative outlet, is definitely exciting.
Passion makes learning fun
Overall, as cliché as it may sound, studying something you’re really passionate about makes learning fun. Coming from the fashion management cluster, most of my classes involve a lot of theory, case studies and lectures. While the idea of all the readings may sound quite daunting, I surprisingly found myself to be really interested in all of these, since they still focus on fashion—from the evolution of Prada to the theory behind luxury. Where else can you talk freely about your obsession with Givenchy, or the democratization of fashion through mass retailers?
On the plus side, a number of our lecturers are established figures in the industry, including the woman who discovered Alexander McQueen. Learning from these stalwarts helps us gain an insider’s perspective on the fashion industry.
In the end, fashion school isn’t all the glitz and glamour one would imagine it to be, because after all, it is still a school. In the flurry of sketches, mood boards, piles of books, and final presentations, fashion students would still have to cram, meet deadlines, and pull off all- nighters that don’t make them any different from the average co-ed.
However, it does have its perks. Rumor has it that you gain access to some shows during Fashion Week—something I’m definitely looking forward to!