March 14, 2007
by Eneida Alcalde
Local Education Columnist
In 2004, New York City had 66 different runway shows held by top designers, including Betsey Johnson, Ralph Lauren, and Calvin Klein. The city's celebrated Fashion Week generated an estimated $253 million for the city's economy. With so much to offer for aspiring designers, no wonder New York is one of the most popular places to pursue a degree in apparel and fashion design.
Thanks to this year-round fashion frenzy, NYC is one of the few cities that can claim to be the fashion capital of our world. Certainly, the Big Apple has made its mark on the international fashion industry in a big way and, for this reason, attracts thousands of students every year to study fashion design at one of its many schools.
Local Colleges, Universities, and Fashion Schools
Many of New York's local colleges, universities, and private art and design schools offer degrees in apparel or fashion design, which can take anywhere from two to four years to complete (depending on whether you earn an associate's or bachelor's degree). A fashion design degree will boost your competitive advantage, developing your eye for color and attention to detail as you learn about:
- Textiles
- Fabrics
- Ornamentation
- Fashion trends
If you're interested in eventually owning a business or running a retail store, you'll be happy to know that many schools will let you combine your fashion design studies with a business, marketing, or fashion merchandising degree.
By studying fashion design in one of New York's many schools, you can take advantage of the city's fashion scene in hot spots like SoHo, the Upper East Side, and Greenwich Village. You may even have the opportunity to visit the city's bi-annual Fashion Week or intern at a top designer's boutique. You'll also join a high-status list of former New York fashion design alumni, like Anna Sui and Donna Karan, who both studied fashion in New York.
Sources
About the Author
Eneida P. Alcalde works in Washington, DC and has written several grants, educational manuals, and promotional material for development organizations. Eneida holds a B.A. in international politics and Spanish from The Pennsylvania State University.
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