Could the ‘business of fashion’ be taking centre stage at fashion academies across Australia? Melinda Oliver explores the new study options available to students.
Launching a directional independent label in the footsteps of Akira Isogawa, Dion Lee or Kym Ellery is the ultimate dream for many fashion students. However, the emergence of new fashion business courses, as opposed to fashion design courses, is providing the opportunity for many others to have a career in fashion without ever cutting a piece of cloth.
RMIT University program coordinator for merchandising and management, Robyn Lyons, says the new fashion business courses are reflective of the changing pace of the international fashion industry, led by major retailers such as Zara.
She says a new focus on competing internationally and sourcing product from manufacturers all over the globe is altering the skills that graduates of fashion colleges need to obtain employment.
"It is the whole buying side, the allocation side – responding a lot quicker to the market, so you really have to have excellent planners and allocators for that,” she says. “They are the essence of the business, so they have to look at what is selling, in what quantities, sizes and colours etc., and when.”
In response to this need, RMIT University is launching a new two-year Associate Degree in Fashion and Textiles Merchandising in 2011. The program will replace the university’s current Advanced Diploma in Fashion and Textiles Merchandising, which was a TAFE-level option.
Lyons says it aims to supply Australian fashion businesses with versatile employees, preventing the need to hire experts from overseas. Key subjects in the new program will be marketing for fashion and textiles in an international arena, fashion distribution and logistics, sourcing materials, product ranging, visual merchandising and product specifications.
“We have bought in a whole lot of focus on fashion branding online and promotions online and social media as that is a big growth area,” she says.
“In second year, it goes a lot more into using the advanced CAD information technology, so Photoshop, Illustrator and Excel. It also has a huge emphasis on product development.”
At Sydney Institute of TAFE's St George College, a new Diploma in Fashion and Textiles Merchandising was launched this year, which also aims to equip students with business skills. Course coordinator Helen Oo says it caters to those who have a broader view of the fashion industry beyond design.
“We get people that are really excited about fashion and want to be in fashion, but they don’t want to pattern-make and they are not all that good at designing either,” she says. “But the fashion industry has so many areas, with accessories, showroom displays and merchandising, so they shouldn’t have to go through the pattern-making and garment- making if that is not where their love is.”
Oo says the course has a focus on industry work placement and developing networks. Possible roles it leads to include fashion and textile merchandising planner, production coordinator, design room technical supervisor or textile supply chain coordinator.
Gold Coast-based Australian Institute of Fashion Design (AIFD) also launched two new courses this year to cater for growing fashion business needs. These are a one-year Diploma and a two-year Advanced Diploma in Fashion and Textiles Merchandising. AIFD co-director Sonya Saywell says this field of study does not exclude students from becoming a designer if they choose.
“Even designers are looking at this option,” she says. “The production skills, international sourcing and product development knowledge will all be of benefit to people starting a label.”
This inaugural year of the course attracted a full enrolment of 12 students and Saywell is confident the interest will continue. She says some of the students in the first intake wish to join big fashion brands, others wish to start their own labels and some are considering fashion marketing and public relations careers.
“I think the course has been needed for a long time. There are a lot more people needed to look after the business side of things now.”
FBI Fashion College in Sydney is increasing subject options for fashion business students. College coordinator Amelia Rae says personal management skills, assertive communication, selling, customer relations and event management are areas which the school explores.
“Our most popular subjects are fashion buying, styling PR and publicity,” Rae says.
The college currently offers a Certificate IV and Diploma in Fashion Business which it has been running for some time. It has also recently launched an Introduction to Fashion Business workshop so that prospective students can spend an evening learning about the courses before enrolling.