Class Dismissed!

When I started The New School Parsons "Fashion Industry Essentials," I took it hoping to get some technical design training. I realized quickly this was more of a theory-based class that took a broad view of careers in the fashion industry. I had to decide whether I would finish the course, especially since I had found more technical tutorials with Seamwork.  But I decided to finish what I started and take away what I could from the remaining modules. 

It took me longer than I anticipated to finish the class. Training for Ironman Alaska took 12 to 18 hours a week, plus some downtime while I recovered from COVID. I completed the assignments for the first two modules quickly. But the last three took a bit more work. Though I had experience with micro-blogging fashion on FB, IG, and Twitter, those posts were mostly to show finished clothing I had sewn. There wasn't really any discussion about the process of sewing a garment. I also highlight other content on my personal blogs, such as cooking, athletics, and my dog. None of my accounts are dedicated only to fashion, which would have made many of these assignments much easier.

Writing has always been my strongest professional skill. I started this blog as part of this class and will probably keep it up. I continue learning new sewing techniques and intend to learn pattern design within the next 5 years. If any of that turns into a new professional career, I will make accounts dedicated to fashion; however, I already have enough social media accounts between my personal accounts and my marketing company.

Speaking of marketing, a lot of what I learned in this class, I've already applied to my existing clients. In a recent discussion with Frosty Feet Running Company, I recommended the owner create an intern position for a design or fashion student next summer. Either one can gain experience creating retail displays, placing product orders, and working with customers. Likewise, they could assist my company by providing event and product photos used throughout the week.

I wrapped up the class with a portfolio. Despite many design, writing, and web projects, I have managed to get through a 20-year career without a serious portfolio. My professional portfolio is a hot mess; honestly, I'm still unsure how to build a strong one. I pulled together a basic 4-page portfolio using the most basic Powerpoint Template possible. The portfolio featured some background about me, my experience with garment design, and photos of some garments I had completed. I knew that the portfolio would be reviewed before receiving my certificate. I didn't know I would actually get feedback on my portfolio review. If you're really interested, you can view that portfolio review on Venmo. The short of it, I needed to use a more exciting design template, dive more into what led me to a career in fashion, go into further detail about my experience in the field, and expand on the process behind the creation of each garment. By next year, I plan to implement many suggestions made during the review.

Will I take future fashion classes from Parsons? Possibly. I have looked at online courses at FIT as well. However, I would like to take time to take in-person classes too. Of course, this increases the cost massively since I live way up in Alaska, and renting a place to live for an entire semester is expensive. I don't know many people in larger cities anymore. Maybe that will change in the future.