Chicago, the "windy city" is known for its multicultural population as well as its dramatic architecture and love for the arts.
In detail, Chicago has:
1. at least 3 million people
2. harbors, parks, beaches, clubs, and ethnic restaurants
3. 29 miles of lakefront, museums, neighborhood festivals, and cultural attractions
People visit the city as often as winds do. Also, tourists favor the mid-western hospitality of the people. They also share stories of their enjoyment in going to exhibits in museums like Degas, Monet, and the whimsical "Cows on Parade" of Summer 1999.
The businesses blended with the multicultural aspects of the city are said to be the driving "winds" that spur creativity among people who visit or study in Chicago. As always, it is inevitable to have fashion schools within a city that celebrate and support the arts and dynamism of culture.
The following are some featured fashion design schools in Illinois:
1. The International Academy of Design and Technology is located in Chicago.
The institute offers the following degree programs:
• Bachelor of Fine Arts, Major in Fashion Design and Marketing
• Associate of Applied Science in Fashion Design and Marketing
The curriculum of Fashion and Design assimilates the study of new trends and innovations in the thriving international industry of fashion with the mastery of traditional skills, thus providing a holistic background to both fashion amateurs and masters alike when it comes to designing.
• Bachelor of Arts, Major in Merchandising Management
• Associate of Applied Science in Merchandising Management
The program of Merchandising Management provides students and professionals as well as with the opportunity to contend within the job market by integrating theoretical concepts with practical implementations. However, students can rest assured that after graduation their skills on developing suitable visual displays, and utilizing appropriate business practices and scales are honed to help them achieve profitability in the long run.
2. The Illinois Institute of Art is primarily situated in Schaumburg. The degree programs they offer vary by location.
The Illinois Institute of Art is, basically, an association of schools in different locations. Collectively, the Art Institute is considered as a leader in the area of applied science education.
Their courses such as Fashion Marketing and Fashion Design are restructured on a regular basis to reveal ideas garnered from industry advisors, leaders, and employers for relevance and practical applications in the marketplace.
The Art Institute also possesses seasoned faculty members who are also affiliated to the local community of functions. Thus, this provides students with plenty of occasions for consultation with industry professionals and practicing designers. As students' knowledge and skills improve through the programs, they are required to plan an initial design and execute it into a finished product to cap their stay in the institution.
3. International Academy of Design and Technology
The school has campuses in Chicago, Los Angeles, and Orlando. They provide program areas and a variety of degree levels designed to fit your unique career track. In detail, they offer:
• Diploma in Fashion Design
• Diploma in Merchandising and Fashion Marketing
These are only three among the plenty list of schools in this city. The decision now lies in your hand. Within the "windy city" are competitions and strict trainings from various places in the job arena. Where do you think the "will of the wind inside you" will bring you and your high hopes of hitting it big in the fashion industry?
The fashion world has long been filled with glitz and glamour. The ramp for models is always long, dramatic, and well-lighted. The walk is certainly a walk for fame, fortunately for aspirants but sometimes leading to a walk for shame. Who is behind all these promises and/or even breakdowns? No less than the fashion designers.
What, exactly, does a fashion designer do?
Basically, with streaks of talent, creativity, and sensitivity, fashion designers, as if influenced by Rumpelstiltskin, craft accessory and clothing sketches. They usually concentrate in one nature of accessory or garment such as women's or men's apparels, swimwear, lingerie, children's garments, handbags, and even shoes. They, sometimes, lead the groundwork of the creation and promotion of their creations.
Famous fashion designers prefer to be self-employed and they cater for the request of their clients. Some cater to high-fashion department stores or to specialty stores. They establish fashion statements by setting the colors, silhouette, and type of materials that are worn each season.
There are also some designers who are employed by manufacturers of clothes. These designers just adapt fashion statements set by other designers for the market. However, there are small manufacturers who just purchase or copy designs.
Both designers sketch unique garments and follow certain trends in fashion. Likewise, both need assistants who should get used to the fast-paced schedule of the fashion business.
In detail, these designers execute the following tasks:
• Draw their unique designs.
• Create patterns for sample garments.
• Choose textile and add-ons (accessories).
• Apply tailoring and basic dressmaking principles along with draping techniques and flat pattern works.
• Fit and alter the completed product, if necessary.
• Set-up a fashion show.
• Compare the performance of the merchandise against the competitors.
• Keep self up-to-date of latest fashion trends thru magazines and other fashion shows.
• Have frequent trips to fabric showrooms to keep self updated of latest type of fabrics.
Actually, fashion designers can be categorized as follows:
1. Lead or Head Designers
They take care of the executive and creative tasks.
2. Assistant or Apprentice Designers
They usually make patterns and sample garments. They may also teach sample makers how to make patterns and designer garments.
3. Specialty Designers
They coordinate with other designers about special lines of garments.
4. Costume or Theatrical Designers
They usually create costumes used in theater and movie productions on a contractual basis.
The foundations for their creations are their knowledge, skills, and abilities honed in fashion schools and trainings in the long run.
• Basic Design – This refers to technical know-how included in the creation and use of technical blueprints, drawings, plans, and models.
• Idea Production – This is the ability of designers to approach problems creatively and resourcefully.
• Dynamic Learning – This is being able to analyze implications of new information and materials at hand.
• Operations Scrutiny – This is considering requirements of products to execute a design.
• Uniqueness – This pertains to unusual cleverness vis-à-vis trying situations.
• Harmonization – This is being able to having good coordination with others.
• Visioning – This is being able to see how an organization works under real conditions.
The talents and skills of these artists are really important in the fashion industry. The work requires an eye for a striking creation and business management. Thus, aside from the portfolio of their usually creations, formal education help these designers acquire the secrets of the trade in this business. In fact, graduation from a college or school that provides training on fashion and design is highly recommended in the industry, to keep incoming designers updated on the advent of new techniques and technologies.
However, some leaders of this industry view vocational training schools and community college as more capable of producing competent artists because these institutions work along with clothing industries.
Vocational schools provide trainings in sketching, draping and grading, pattern making, garment construction, textiles and trimmings, costume history, principles of design and color; and how to plan and market seasonal fashion lines.
High school students inclined in fashion and design should finish basic courses in arts, sewing, mathematics, speech, English, and business.
Usually, vocational institutions provide a two-leveled program with certificate that is consonant to the degree in Associate of Arts. For those who want to enter the fashion field immediately, a first level certificate of proficiency is provided. The next level of proficiency, the second-level requires a greater time of completion. But upon graduation, artists are considered competent enough to aim for positions as Assistant Designers. After all the necessary formal trainings and specializations, those who have the guts and high hopes spin gold fabrics!
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