CAO Choices: Why Study Fashion?

Wednesday, January 14, 2015

“Fashion is not something that exists in dresses only. Fashion is in the sky, fashion has to do with ideas, the way we live, what is happening.”

- Coco Chanel

CAO Course Choice – Fashion Design

Despite the current global economic downturn, today’s multi-billion global apparel industry continues to grow at a healthy rate.

“The global fashion industry is estimated to be worth over 1 Trillion Euro, or about 2% of the value of the world economy. To put it in context, the global pharmaceutical industry, which supplies all the medicines in the world, is valued at about €600 Billion, making it just over half the size of the fashion industry!”

- CareersPortal.ie

If you’re a Leaving Certificate student considering taking a CAO course in Fashion Design then Design houses, high street stores and fashion magazines offer opportunities to designers and creative individuals to make their mark in the fashion industry through various career paths. The opportunities for college graduates and school leavers, range from the highly creative to the more marketing driven and sales roles. Opportunities also exist for new talent start-ups.

Recent statistics show that good employment opportunities do exist with the Fashion if you do decide this is the industry you want to work in:

“There are few statistics available for Ireland, but a detailed survey of the UK's fashion industry commissioned by the British Fashion Council (BFC) in 2011 concludes that the UK fashion industry is now worth £21 billion a year to the economy, and as much as £37 billion when related businesses are taken into account. These figures make the fashion business the 15th largest industry in the UK. The sector directly employs 816,000 people, making it the second biggest employer in the UK.”

- CareersPortal.ie

Are You Ready To Work Hard?

Do you have the drive and desire to turn your passion into a profitable and rewarding career? Working in fashion can be extremely hard graft. There’s a façade of luxury and glamour but there’s plenty of hard work going on too.

You need commitment and talent to pursue a career in fashion design and for those who have a strong passion their first step on their chosen career path will be to get a place on a coveted degree programme.

Tips for Aspiring Fashion Design Students

A good starting point is to contact the colleges you are considering and find out about any specific entry requirements. Read our Portfolio Tips For Fashion and Design Courses at College.

Students who successfully graduate from a Fashion degree course can pursue postgraduate study in specialist areas or a career within the fashion industry, as fashion designers, buyers, trend forecasters and other roles involving the application of design creativity supported by strong technical skills. Also, students who spend their summer vacations up-skilling by interning in fashion houses tend to find employment quickly on graduation.

Questions To Ask Yourself

- Are you creative?

- Are you determined?

- Are you hardworking?

- Do you have a passion for fashion?

Fashion Careers

There are many exciting and diverse job opportunities in the fashion world and the industry needs people with many different skills, from designers to photographers, business strategists, new media specialists, and even accountants!

There are many career areas that Griffith College fashion graduates find themselves working in:

In House Fashion Designer

Own Label

Pattern Cutter

Costume Designer

Fashion Forecaster

Fashion Stylist

Fabric And Trims Purchaser

Fashion Buying

Fashion Journalist

Fashion Editor

Fashion Content Editor