I'm often amazed to see the how grand and bizarre the fashion industry has become. For some reason it's difficult for me to fathom people and their utter love for clothing. Don't get me wrong! I like a decent pair of jeans as much as the next guy, but you won't catch me forking out hundreds of dollars for a pair. Forget that. Not that my taste has any effect on the fashion world whatsoever. Oodles of young people are flocking to fashion design and merchandising colleges to better learn the business. Hey, I can't say that I blame them. There is plenty of money to be made there. I'm pretty sure Tom Ford is starving these days.
When I asked my teenage daughter what field she wanted to pursue, she started rambling on about fashion design and merchandising. Hmm, big surprise! What teenage girl isn't interested in the fashion world? As far as I can tell, they all go gaga over clothing, shoes, and accessories. Anyway, she began taking a high school course in fashion design and merchandising her senior year. Unfortunately she hated it. Now she is a bit torn regarding her future plans. She still dreams of a job in the fashion industry, but is naturally worried about whether or not she'll like it. I told her to give fashion design and merchandising another shot when she heads off to college next year. And no one said she had to delve into this particular aspect of the fashion world. There are a few choices out there.
It's certainly a tough business. If you truly want to see how things work, check out the Style network on occasion in order to see real fashion designers in their element. Or you can catch that little reality series "The Hills." Although the main character in this show has plenty of money coming in from her folks, she's getting a fine dose of the fashion design and merchandising world. You can see her work as an intern for "Teen Vogue" and get an idea of what's expected of her. It's definitely not all glitz and glam in the beginning, but I'm sure any successful fashion designer can tell you that. You have to be willing to work hard and vie with the many. The best place to start is a highly recommended fashion design school.
