The Business of Fashion Design - Admission/Application Essay Example

Admission Essay: The Business of Fashion Design Fashion design, as an applied art in the academic and commercial communities, is brought to the public through business acumen rather than any other medium. It is because of this, the nexus between fashion design and business that I now wish to follow up on my fashion design studies at the community college level with a complementary course of study in business. It is generally accepted that individuals trained in fashion design either work as freelance designers, as in-house designers for a fashion company, or as proprietors of their own fashion design business enterprise.

My goal is the third career option; more specifically, I am highly motivated to open my own boutique retail fashion store. It is therefore imperative that I complement my knowledge of fashion design with business principles and skills. In this essay, I will more clearly elaborate on how my background in fashion design will assist me in being successful in a business program, how I believe that a business program will help me to attain my career aspirations, and how I have arrived at the decision to pursue a business program.

As a preliminary matter, my interest and background in fashion design is wonderfully suited to an in-depth program of business education. Fashion design is, in many ways, a product of business-oriented analysis. There are fashion seasons, which are analogous to quarterly reports in business; there are in-depth marketing studies to determine what social and cultural trends might properly inspire or influence fashion trends; there are niche fashions and mass market fashions; and, finally, no fashion design will be successful unless it conforms to a careful business plan.

I have, in short, already developed some of the analytical skills, such as marketing and research that will be more fully examined in a business program; more specifically, my fashion retail background has already exposed me to the types of endeavors which a more rigorous business background would complement. The business program, in this way, is a continuation rather than a divergence from my previous course of study. In addition, the benefits to be obtained from a business education can be directly and practically applied to my specific and well-defined career aspirations.

As my greatest objective is to create and to operate my own boutique fashion store, a business education is imperative; it is simply not enough, for example, to open a competitive commercial enterprise with fashion design knowledge alone. The business will have its own life-cycle, from formation until its end, and it will not be able to survive unless its owner understands the nuances of the business environment as well as the fashion design business. A business education will provide a useful overview of such topics as accounting, marketing, finance, and other issues of relevance to a business owner.

It is these specific skills and knowledge, such as the principles of marketing and accounting that will benefit me the most. Finally, my decision to pursue a business education has been the product of much planning and thought. From an artistic point of view, I am absolutely devoted to fashion design; from a more practical and personal point of view, however, I recognize that I am more inclined to being my own boss rather than pursuing a career as an employee. Consequently, there is no real option other than complementing my fashion design background with a sound business education.

In conclusion, I believe that I would be an ideal candidate for a business program. This is because I have already formulated career goals, because these career goals involve setting up a business, because I have a background in the type of business I am interested in creating, and because these factors will force me to be a proactive and actively engaged student.