- Consumer demand for fresher fashion concepts to drive employment
Fashion designer jobs are expected to increase 5 per cent through 2016 as consumers continue to seek innovative apparel concepts, according to the French Fashion University Esmod (FFUE) in Dubai.
The Princeton Review, a US-based standardized test preparation and admissions consulting company, reports that 92 per cent of all fashion designers stay in business after two years of working professionally. It adds that around 2.8 per cent of all working designers in the US are fashion designers, and that nearly one quarter of fashion designers are currently self-employed.
Budding fashion designers are attracted to the allure of the international fashion empire, with its trendy red carpet premieres, eye-candy window displays and big-time trademarks. Around a quarter of all fashion designers are self-employed, setting their own hours and choosing their customers to come up with their own niche market. Consumers, especially those from growth markets such as the Middle East, remain attracted to fresher fashion designs, thus sustaining demand for new talents.
Tamara Hostal, Director and Founder of FFUE, said: “Many of our graduate students have found their place with renowned global fashion brands including Yves Saint Laurent, Paco Rabanne, Elie Saab, Victoria’s Secret, Givenchy and Swarovsky, while others have opted to establish their own fashion brands. The Middle East has remained an important market for fashion brands, boasting some of the world’s best fashion malls and fashion minds. Dubai in particular is rapidly evolving into a fashion hub, so we can definitely expect demand for fashion designers to continue climbing in the coming years.”
Today’s fashion experts need to hone more than their artistic abilities to stay on top of the industry, though. They also need to develop their business smarts and have a firm grasp of the trade as it gets more corporate driven. Designers need to work hard and stay regularly updated on the latest and returning consumer tastes and trends; this requires constant checks on commercial and professional fashion literature. Their profession runs the whole gamut of designing, showing and producing all types of clothing, from bathing suits to evening wear.
There are many career paths available for fashion designers to choose from. They can opt to work for established fashion houses, join mass-market apparel manufacturers, or start their own business and imprint their distinctive style from concept to manufacturing and distribution. The illustrious list of designers who rose from humble beginnings includes luminaries such as Ralph Lauren, who was born into a middle-class family in the Bronx and bought suits with his pocket money at the age of 12. Lauren is now one of the richest and most famous fashion designers in the world.
Upstarts should not expect to land glamorous positions at the outset. Even job candidates with two or four years of college education normally start at entry level. As they gain valuable experience in the field, then they acquire the necessary leverage to compete for better positions. Fledgling designers should note that this very lucrative industry is actually run by a small circle of fashion elite. A lot can be had in the fashion universe, but only if practitioners put in more that their due.
Since its inception in 2006, a steadily growing number of students have been joining Esmod Dubai, which aims to tap into the region’s booming fashion industry and the steady drift of the Middle Eastern consumer towards haute couture. The number of students is expected to grow further this year as the university has planned several initiatives to help its graduates find attractive job opportunities with globally known fashion names.
