Australia / New Zealand: Fashion Schools

[princess_nikki]

I believe the UTS one looks at both academic and portfolio? I know a girl who does it who really enjoys it, but it is a very intense course and she's constantly got assignments going on. Though through it she's got a really covetable internship. The UAI isn't really an indication of how academically intensive it is (not that design isn't academically intensive... come on you know what I mean! Design is in a different league to say, 96 UAI for Science/Commerce degrees) but really how in demand it is.

Princess_nikki if you want to go into fashion business I'd actually advise against taking a degree in fashion business. A diploma or certificate if you really want... but imho you'll be a lot more equipped if you did a straight business/marketing degree. Australia also doesn't have a lot of reputable courses anyway - FBI offer them, and I only ever hear negative feedback about that place. Fashion business isn't a field which requires that exact degree - it's not like studying law to become a lawyer, or medicine for a doctor.

If you want to own your own boutique, you could even see what it's like doing a short course in small business at a continuing education centre, I know many of them in Sydney at least offer these sort of courses.

Thanks cicci for your lovely reply!

So many options! at the moment I am tossing up between visual merchandising in the fashion field and fashion marketing/business. deary me!

 

[princess_nikki]

has anyone attended or heard anything much about the Australian Institute of Fashion Design? (QLD)

Or does anyone have any recs on shortcourses in the fashion business/merchandising field?

T.I.A xo

 

[Luna C]

Australian/NZ Fashion Business Courses

There are plenty of design courses all over OZ and the Land of the Long White Cloud, however I can't seem to find any business courses that get decent reviews..

Some are (along with common comments about them

- FBI Fashion College (Sydney unprofessional and waste of time
- Melbourne Fashion School (Melbourne bad location, too expensive

Does anyone know any others?

 

[BetteT]

It seems that a regular business degree can work to get you into fashion to, if you can't find what you need at a Fashion school. Take a look at Business Graduates in the Fashion Industry? , which might inspire you.

 

[ctee]

I am going to Ultimo TAFE this year for an Advanced Diploma in Fashion Design. My portfolio was just, my lookbook (cut outs from magazines and sketches) and I brought in a stack of clothes I made and I wore a complete outfit of things I made too. I also had this really cool bag I made and I think I impressed the panel.

I was really surprised to get accepted for the Advanced Diploma because the selcetion process is in two stages. First stage you send in two drawings and a collage and half a page about your favourite designer. Then they assess that and you get "marks" and there are certain marks for different courses. My marks for that weren't that great so I was only being offered a Cert IV.

The second part consists of you coming in for a drawing test for about two hours. At first I thought I wouldn't need al that time. But you do. Everyone when I was there used up all the time too. After that you hang around for an Interview, which only really lasts for less than 10mins.

About two week after I was being offered an Advanced Diploma so I was extremely happy. Especially hearing about how competitive it is too.

I applied for Whitehouse in Sydney too, and I got accepted (with the same portfolio, an A4 book and some dresses) but I don't think I will accept. TAFE sounds soo much better.

BUT, there are 6 places in every final year of Whitehouse for students to gain full or half scholarships to study in Italy for a year which sounded awesome !

 

[Luna C]

It seems that a regular business degree can work to get you into fashion to, if you can't find what you need at a Fashion school. Take a look at Business Graduates in the Fashion Industry? , which might inspire you.

Funny you should suggest that, I just looked at that thread That sounds like the best thing, considering doing simply a fashion business course limits options to work in other industries.

 

[Bespoke Style]

I did FBI too.... waste of money please just get a job at David Jones elizabeth street and work your way up if you must FBI is junk.com

 

[Cicciolina]

There are plenty of design courses all over OZ and the Land of the Long White Cloud, however I can't seem to find any business courses that get decent reviews..

Some are (along with common comments about them

- FBI Fashion College (Sydney unprofessional and waste of time
- Melbourne Fashion School (Melbourne bad location, too expensive

Does anyone know any others?

If you want to get into the business of fashion... I think it'll be much better to study business/commerce at uni (I'm biased btw - I'm at Usyd doing Commerce) plus it'll give you a more general insight to all aspects of business. Plus, it's a good fallback...

 

[tessa484]

I'm going to be start Diploma of Fashion at RMIT this year
Has anyone or is anyone currently studying at RMIT? What are your experiences??

 

[GWOD]

Not sure if this has already been mentioned in this thread, but ESMOD (l'Ecole Supérieure des Arts et techniques de la Mode) has just established a campus in Surry Hills in Sydney. it has campuses in over 16 countries around the world, and is based in Paris. Apparently it was the first fashion school ever established worldwide!
I'm applying there very soon.

 

[Crimson C.C]

Im doing Applied Fashion Design & Tech at Nambour TAFE (QLD)...
Loving it! It is also apparently better then mt gravatt only because of being able to have a teacher one on one.

 

[Luna C]

Not sure if this has already been mentioned in this thread, but ESMOD (l'Ecole Supérieure des Arts et techniques de la Mode) has just established a campus in Surry Hills in Sydney. it has campuses in over 16 countries around the world, and is based in Paris. Apparently it was the first fashion school ever established worldwide!
I'm applying there very soon.

Really? Where did you find the info on this? I had a look at their website and didn't see anything about a Sydney campus. Do they do the business courses at this campus? Lots of questions..

 

[GWOD]

^^ I just heard about it from a family friend, I think it might have been in the newspaper.
Here's the website:
http://www.esmod.com.au/

 

[Cicciolina]

Wow looks interesting. Does ESMOD in Paris run it or have any thing to do with it, other than the name?

 

[snowcat]

I've heard some people say that Melbourne School of Fashion is bad, but what exactly is bad about it? Does anyone know? Is it the price, course structure or?

The ESMOD sounds promising.. I'm in London now (normally live in Melbourne) and they've got lots of fashion schools around but unfortunately I just can't afford it.

 

[GWOD]

I just got home from my interview at ESMOD.
The campus is very nice, it's in a great location (Surry Hills) and is a refurbished, renovated electric switch factory! It's got 4 levels of very spacious, sunlit classrooms with huge tables, mannequins, overlockers, heaps of Bernina sewing machines. Computer labs with all new macs, a computer design room with programs like in-design all hooked up to the lecturer's computer. They also have this wonderful exhibition of vintage clothing on display at the moment which they had for the opening, with dresses from the 1800s to 1900s by designers like Christobel Balenciaga, Gianfranco Ferre and Hattie Carnegie.

After reading through the curriculum it just seems so much better than the other Australian fashion schools I've researched and interviewed at. At ESMOD they really value the importance of being able to MAKE clothes and understand and appreciate them, not just design them and learn the theory of fashion. They have fabulous international connections and different types of accessible exchange programs on offer.
I got in so I can't wait to start!

 

[Cicciolina]

Congratulations GWOD!

Wow I'm quite impressed with what they've already got and they've just started. The cost of just to establish themselves already would be quite high, and then to layout that much for all that equipment (though, they should obviously) and vintage archive sounds impressive.

 

[priss]

what about raffles bachelor design in fashion marketing?? its in sydney.. anyone done this?

 

[Crimson C.C]

Wow ESMOD, when is the course starting... i would love to do it next year after my tafe course???
EDIT: Its got the exact same course in it...

Question: Can the difference between teachers really effect how good we are, assuming we are dedicated??

 

[GWOD]

I'm about 6 weeks into the ESMOD course now and it's going fantastically.
The majority of the students in the class (it's a nice, intimate class of 9) have actually already completed fashion degrees at places like Whitehouse, TAFE and East Sydney Tech, but just felt that they didn't get what they paid for from an educational perspective.
The great thing about ESMOD is that it's really internationally hooked-up and recognised; you're instantly connected to a worldwide network of schools just by attending in Sydney. The teachers are very thorough and exacting. Our Pattern-making/ construction teacher is an old school pro who used to have his line stocked in one of Paris' leading high-end department stores! And one of them (can't remember which/ might have been sewing teacher) used to work for Alexander McQueen!