I can't believe it's been nearly a month since I started the Fashion Industry Essentials course. The weeks are just flying by! Today I start topic three which is all about fashion production and leads on nicely from the work I have just done around fashion design and getting into that designer mindset...

Now I will be honest, this is the topic that daunted me the most and is the one I was not sure I'd get along with. I love fashion but designing items just isn't for me. For one; I cannot sketch to save my life. I prefer to admire fashion from a safe, non-sewing machine and fabric filled distance. In saying that, this module really has given me a much greater appreciation for all the work and craftsmanship that goes into design and fashion collections. One point that really stood out to me was that while ready-to-wear collections are extremely important, designers often generate the most profit from their accessories that sit alongside collections or their wider brand. So while it's important to think about collections, it's also key to make sure your accessory lines are just as strong. 

The assignments for this topic were much more creative and for those who want to get into fashion design I think they will have been really beneficial. That isn't to say I haven't found the assignments in this part of the course helpful, I did enjoy getting my creative hat on. I was just a bit intimidated by them because I know that my drawing abilities are lackluster but hey, we cannot all be good at everything right? 

Each topic in the Fashion Industry course has a careers section where we get to hear from designers, people at Parsons and Teen Vogue sharing their insights into how they got to where they are. Unsurprisingly, the Teen Vogue staff are my favourite to listen to but they all have really useful advice for everyone looking to break in to the fashion industry. Maybe without stealing the goods from the beauty closet though.... We got to check out their LinkedIn profiles and then explore job listings to start thinking about what credentials we'd need among other things. It's also a way for us to connect with our classmates too. Speaking of, if you want to read more about this course, head on over to Louise's blog. She's also doing write-ups for Teen Vogue about the experience too.

*As always, if you have any questions about this course, feel free to ask them. I've had a couple of emails from people and some questions on my last post as well.

So for those of you who follow me on Social Media might know, and I am sure my excited tweets aren't giving it away whatsoever *ahem* I'm currently doing an online fashion course. Not just any online course, but the Teen Vogue+Parsons Fashion Industry Essentials one. To be honest this would've passed me by if I hadn't seen somebody else tweeting about it. I stumbled upon it at the perfect moment. Anyway, I am having the best time doing this and am finding it so valuable+interesting so I thought I'd do a series of reflective posts all about it. Whether you're interested in doing this course yourself, or just want to know what I am up to, I hope you find this useful...

The Fashion Industry Essentials certificate is a ten week course consisting of five modules. It is recommended you complete each one within two weeks in order to stay on track. The best part is though, as it is all online you can sign in whenever suits you to watch the videos, complete assignments etc. Thank goodness, because who knows what kind of crazy hours I'd be pulling when the campus is on the other side of the world. You don't have to complete the assignments within those two weeks though, they can be done whenever during the ten-week period. So far though I'd say to set yourself aside two weeks per topic. I have only done one but I did find myself wanting to spend a while on the assignments and also some of the discussions so naturally they did take longer. It's also a lot of work to be doing all in one go so spacing it out makes it more doable. 

The first module was all about Visual Style. We had a bit of a mini history lesson, looking at what iconic fashion looks from America+around the globe have made an impact on the fashion industry. This was really interesting actually and I've made a few notes of designers I'd not heard of who I want to go back and look into. We also learnt about how important visual style is to all aspects of the fashion industry and how vital it is to keep your aesthetic consistent. Side note: visual style is all about the aesthetics and what comes to represent a brand/person. 

All the assignments so far have leant more on the creative side of things which I've loved. We also got to make some Pinterest boards too. The first, was making a mock moodboard of sort for a fashion story/editorial. I was channeling the era of the nineties supermodel and all those classic, American, laidback vibes we know and love. The second was about us and our stories. This involved finding things we own and photographing them+considering the connotations behind each. I was skeptical that I'd be able to see similarities between each one but looking at them now I can see how they all contribute to my aesthetic.

So far I am loving this course and I'm looking forward to seeing what the next eight weeks bring. The next module is entitled Thinking Like A Designer which I'm not gonna lie I am a little nervous about but I will update you on that in two weeks.

*I hope you found this post useful! It's a bit different from what I usually do but I've had a few questions across social media so I thought it'd be a good way of answering them+a nice lil' reflective thing for me to look back on. If you have any questions, feel free to leave them in the comments or on Social Media somewhere and I'll answer them for you.