Graduation Term

Fall 2024

Degree Name

Master of Science (MS)

Department

Department of Family and Consumer Sciences

Committee Chair

Dr. Micheal Rowley

Committee Member

Dr. Jennifer Banning

Committee Member

Dr. Yoon Jin Ma

Abstract

Is the acquisition of fashion education and fashion training for career success a compulsion or a choice? Many designers came and left their legacies to inspire future generations, yet their journeys have often been overlooked in academic research. The purpose of this study is to investigate the impact of education and training through core facets of lifelong learning —formal, non-formal, and informal education —over the past century on achieving career success in the fashion industry. A mixed-method content analysis, utilizing triangulation, was conducted to understand the educational and training experiences of prominent designers. Two research questions guided the analysis: RQ1 What are the education and training backgrounds of the selected fashion designers? RQ1.1 What are the common themes in their education and training backgrounds? and RQ2 How have the selected fashion designers perceived the role of education and training in their designs and achieving career success in the industry? A total of 40 prominent fashion designers were investigated by analyzing the content of 29 Bloomsbury Fashion Central encyclopedia entries, 20 personal websites, 9 autobiographical and 23 biographical books. The findings revealed that only 17.5% of fashion pioneers have completed formal education in fashion-related courses or degrees. The most significant education types for the selected fashion designers’ career success were identified to be education through family and family connections, apprenticeship experience, ability to network, and self-study. The study documented a frail involvement of formal fashion education in acting as a roadmap for fashion professional success and emphasized the importance of nonformal and informal education-linked skills.

Access Type

Thesis-Open Access

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