I’m sick of people telling me Fashion Design isn’t a real degree

I’m fed up of the looks I get when I say I’m studying Fashion Design.

I’m fed up of the comments: “Oh so you like sew clothes and stuff.”

I’m really fed up of people asking, “Is that a real degree?”

Yes. Fashion Design is a real degree and a hard one at that. While a large selection of courses have a lack of contact time, us Fashion students are in almost every day nine till four. And this doesn’t include the large amount of time we have to set aside for independent study.

So when you see the vast majority of us leaving the studio at 8pm, most likely we’ve been in there since nine with a break for lunch.

Pattern pieces have slowly integrated themselves into every part of my life

For most people their loans stretch to cover their food, nights out and a shopping trip here and there. I find my loan going on paper, art equipment, printing and magazines of every kind – Elle Collections magazines are seven quid. I spend at least a quarter of my student loan at least on essentials for this degree.

This alone took me two hours… and I have forty more pages to go

My first semester project counted for 300 hours minimum, and this was mainly independent study, so when my friends were heading out I was having a romantic date with my sketchbook and watercolours.

I’ve spent almost every day of first year in the studio or doing hours and hours of illustrations at home which means I get pretty pissed off when people question the legitimacy of my degree.

When was the last time you made a shirt?

I’m fed up of lads on nights out asking me what subject I do because as soon as the word “fashion” is mentioned they swarm around me like bees to honey. Though us Fashion girls do have the best nights out when we actually get to go out.

We party hard when we can

Fashion isn’t just about drawing and design work, there is theory behind it too. We have history of fashion lectures every Wednesday and a different designer each week to study thoroughly. Every designer label you pick up when you have a “cheeky” shopping trip has a history. Do you know the background of the designer? Well I undoubtedly do.

All I’m asking for is the next time I say that I take Fashion Design is for you to not smirk and treat me like I’m stupid.