This question places third after “Where’s Andrae?” and “What are you doing, now, after Project Runway?”. I wish I had an easy answer for you. There are many reasons to pursue a career in fashion, and it’s important to figure out why you, personally, think that might be a good idea. Fashion is like modelling. Although it helps if glamour comes to you naturally, it takes a lot of hard work to turn that glamour into a paycheck. If you are just a really good shopper, save all of us, and yourself, some trouble and just forget about design. There are already too many people out here masquerading as fashion designers, who haven’t an idea in their heads, and they all think that they can design. Knowing what looks good is not the same as knowing how to create it, or better, predicting it. All design is conversation, so make sure you have something to say besides “isn’t this hot?” Oh, yeah, and like one of my bosses once said to me “decide whether you want to be rich OR famous, the twain rarely meet”. There are lots of really hard days in this business where you say to yourself, “God, this completely sucks!”. Now, as long as you follow that statement with “But at I’m still a FASHION DESIGNER!” you are truly doing the right thing. If you can think of anything that might give you the slightest bit more joy, then do it, because fashion is full of the world’s most beautiful, ugly people. Life is way too short to deal with their shit, if you can think of any other possible way to be happy. Now that I’ve given you all the doom and gloom, you are forewarned and forearmed, and I can go on to the three things that you should keep in mind, as you weigh the next step.

The first of these, is “try to work backwards”. Ask yourself what you really want. This is hard because usually a designer, like a ballet dancer, has to begin training long before they have a fully developed sense of themselves. It is very hard to know what you “really want” when you don’t know who you are. The good news is that “choosing” is definition, even when the choice is wrong. So, if you actively choose something, you’ll find out by default, who you are. It’s not important what you choose, but rather, THAT you choose. It took me nine years to get a BFA in fashion design, but I never had an “undecided” major.

Next, “Get Educated”. Education is the only thing that time will not take from you. Many of you will probably get jobs in fashion because you look good. Yet, although looks will get you through the door in this business, your education, and a strong work ethic will keep you from jumping out the window, or getting pushed off the ledge. Also, “education” does not mean just going to design or sewing school. Education is interning. There is no substitute for time spent working in an actual company. I never had an internship that was a waste of my time. And, the bad companies are sometimes the best places to learn. It’s an enormous luxury to observe, first-hand, someone else making a big mistake.

Finally, when choosing a school, pick one in the city where you ultimately want to start your career. It’s a lot easier to move down-market in fashion, than it is to move up-market. No matter how globalized the fashion industry becomes, it is still a very regionally-defined business. You will work more in London, if you go to school in London, because you’ll meet people that work in London. You can get a good sense of the value of a particular school’s program by their “job-board”, and its alumni. Who are your heros? Who’s career would you like to have? Go visit their alma maters. You’ll also know where you want to be by the kinds of clothes you’d like to design. If you are a big sewing nerd, and you are interested in tailoring, and enjoy “the craft” of dressmaking, think about going to Europe or New York. These regions place a high value on “the craft”. If you are interested in denim or the active-sport/surf lifestyle think about going to Los Angeles. Spring clothes and premium denim trends are driven by LA celebrities, and nobody does warm weather and casual clothing as well, or as much, as LA fashion designers. Those three locales are probably the best bets, as far as jump-starting your career. You can get fantastic design/fashion knowledge all over the US, but the business is concentrated in Europe, NY, and LA. If you can afford to be ambivilant, and few of us can, then just go to school in Europe. Fashion is still very Eurocentric, and if you really don’t know what you want, a European education is the best way to hedge your bets.