Leaving college for starting a clothing line?

[madeline20]

Hi! I have only done a year in a good college and I have realized that what I'm studying (history and geography) is nothing that I want to do in the future. The job market is really bad with history graduates in general (I don't want to be a teacher or a scientist) I am basically in the school because of my parents, I have tried really hard to 'get interested' in studying, but I feel like being creative and artistic is so much in my core personality that I really need to do it for the rest of my life. So I have thought about leaving school and starting my own fashion label. I have a good business plan, I've already created a collection and been talking about it with a few people on the field, and they have encoureged me to do this... But my question is, is it really worth it? is the field really superficial and would I get bored with it after a few years? From my thinking style I guess I'm more on the deep side... But I am very very visual in everything I do, and I can't concentrate on reading and facts in school right now. I am also very independent and always doing my own thing, that's why I feel like I could also succeed in business. Anybody else in the same position? Should I just follow my intuition and jump in?

 

[juanpyx]

I think you feel that way because maybe you didn't think very well when you were in school about your future, but I understand that you feel like "I can't do nothing else except draw, design things, ....". Well, my personal though is you should start to create your fashion label, but at the same time, don't leave college because, if something gets wrong in your fashion career, you can in someway defend because you have a paper that said that you were in college.
I mean, at this time is so risked to leave college, because there're thousands of people in the same place like you, so except you are 10000000% creative, you will have a lot of problems, and let's be honest, people prefer someone with "studies" than someone who never went to college, not for the "creative thing", because people will see you like you are lazy, you are going very easy comparing with some other people who studies something with fashion.

I recommend you to show us your work, I'd love to see your creation, but also you must think is your are successful you will have to leave the field, and blah blah blah blah.... Hope you make the right decision.

 

[madeline20]

Thank you for the advice It's true, competition is crazy. But if I will put up my own line, nobody will ask about my education cause I will be the boss! There are a lot of examples of successful entrepreneurs who quit college... I am totally aware of the risks and I am planning to do a course in fashion and entrepreneurship and study everything I need to know myself. I am very hard-working on my own, but bad at following others rules.. And if this won't work out, I can always go back to school later and study something else. Life is full of options, but my intuition tells me to try business for now. It can later be called as work experience as well, even if I went bankruptcy. Hope i won't though! Steve Jobs said it too: 'stay hungry, stay foolish' or something like that. And if you don't try you'll never know...
If i'd continue in college, it would basically eat up all my time, so I couldn't get this business thing starting until after 4 years. I just don't want to waste that many years... and, honestly, i don't believe i would get a job with history. I'm from Scandinavia, and the jobs from a liberal arts education seem dull and very low salary

 

[juanpyx]

I can see you are 100% on this, so you must try!, if something goes wrong you can come back to college, but that is not the state of mind you should have. In life you have to take risks and decisions for your future, center in what you want, break all the barriers and you will make it, do intelligent collections, remember that those who appear very quickly are the first ones in disappearing.

in tFS Fashion Illustrations thread I posted part of my work, (only sketches) (the remaining post), you should post yours too.

Now you must think how to start, get inspirations by some things, have a portfolio, star to talk with people, there's a thread where there are posted a lot of fashion contest where they buy your sketch and they give you money, etc..

keep talking about your thoughts, about your next step, and keep dreaming

 

[juanpyx]

BTW: look at this, it may help: http://forums.thefashionspot.com/f9...titions-contests-here-4867-5.html#post6122521

 

[Laurianne]

I was asking myself the exact same question a year ago.
Then I decided that I had to make sure that if my business was not a success, I could get a good job. Then I chose to do a Business School, a Master.
Like you I'm very creative, I spend all my free hours playing music, drawing, singing, creating everything and nothing, and I always loved fashion. And even if I like what we learn in business school and what I do in the company I work in (I do 50% school, 50% work) my brain always think about creating.

So I decided that I do not quit what I'm doing, I finish school, 2 years left, and meanwhile I deveop my project with my friend, who has done a fashion school. We have drew our first collection, now we need to go to Paris to buy some cloth... But I don't take the risk to stop everything, it's too risky.
But I probably think that way because I like what I learn, and because I have un pretty good job in a very big company. So, I don't have nothing to loose. But I know what it is to have something in mind, an idea that you can get out of your head.

Just don't act on impulse, take the time to think about it, in 3 months a lot can happen...
My advice would be to start creating your own label without quiting school, you will see, at first it's very slow, so you will have the time between your school and your project, and the time pass by very fast.
Do your collection, ask for help, learn everything you need to know, do your business plan, go talk with the bank ect...
And in a few months, maybe you will not be able to combined school and fashion brand anymore, and then you will take your decision...

Well, this is my advice, but we both know that at the end of the day, you will choose what you think is best for you, and it will probably be your first though ;-)

But whatever, I hope everything will go according to plan for you!! Keep us in touch!

 

[BetteT]

Here is a thread that might interest you: Starting a Fashion Design Business / Launching Your Own Label or Line

 

[couturecouture]

Fashion lines cost a LOT of money to start. I wanted to start a line (and still do) but the startup costs are so expensive that I don't know how I could ever get the financial backing to do so. . . and many designers don't make a profit until 5-10 years in the business... if you think you would get bored with it in a few years... you really need to think about it because you have to really want it and be passionate about it to succeed. I recommend reading the book The Fashion Designer Survival Guide. Good luck!

 

[frankievw]

I say if you are committed to it, then go for it! I personally would never have the guts to do it, I'm too afraid of failure

 

[RocknNeedle]

I didn't carry on my studies and I set up my own label which was around a year and a half ago. It is extremely difficult but it has huge rewards potentially. Be prepared to give up everything for it, work non stop but most importantly make sure your products sell. My clothing is stocked in London and other parts of the UK , which makes it all worth it to me Good luck, Looking forward to seeing what you do!

 

[Luda]

Don't just start a fashion label. Fashion is like any other job, you need to learn how to be a good designer before you start trying to produce a clothing line. Study it in school, or do internships or apprenticeships or preferably both.
If you really want to be a fashion designer and this is what you have to do, you will be dedicated into perfecting your designing technique. You need that criticism and feedback off your tutors or bosses which you won't get from just starting your own label right off.