Should I Go to Fashion Merchandising College?
Some people who have an interest in fashion just want to be designers, others want to work in textiles or in advertising. But one career path that covers almost all aspects of the fashion world -- and can be extremely lucrative and a lot of fun -- is fashion merchandising. A fashion merchandiser is someone who takes the product from the designer, all the way to the consumer, and is involved every step of the way. Because it is so fun, exciting and pays well, it is almost essential that a person attend fashion merchandising college to improve their chances of getting into the industry.
If you are planning on attending a standard four-year university, you can pretty much forget about getting a job in fashion merchandising, based on the specialties you have available to you. At a university, you can choose fine arts, advertising, or business, but there are rarely choices that combine all of them, or incorporate any type of fashion skills.
An art college, such as the Art Institute of San Francisco, has a fashion merchandising college that not only teaches you about fashion, but about the business of fashion. Instead of taking the slow route, from shop assistant, to retail shop manager, to assistant buyer, then buyer -- you can move right to the top rung as soon as you graduate. The skills you learn and the experience you will get in a fashion merchandising college will take the place of years of slogging it out in the trenches of some small fashion house.
Of course, there is the added benefit of graduating with a legitimate degree, something that can help you get a job later in life should you ever decide that fashion merchandising is not the course for you. But, if fashion is your passion, then time spent in this type of college will be well worth it.