Education/training
Project runwayThe dizzy whirl of fashion is to die for. The top name designers are treated with the same deference that young hoods show Tony Soprano. Everyone earns enough money to buy yachts and castles in Spain. DAVID CHILTON |
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 [ 2006-10-04 ] |
The reality is different. It's tough to get into a fashion design program at any of the Toronto area schools and just as tough once a student has been accepted.
Linda Lewis, chair of the School of Fashion at Ryerson University, doesn't gloss over what can seem a glossy business. "In general it's hard work; it's intense," Lewis says about the four-year full-time program that leads to a Bachelor of Design.
At the Art Institute of Toronto, assistant director of admissions Ayesha Esteves is equally candid. The private career college offers an 18-month full-time fashion design diploma that requires students to put in at least 40 hours a week, Esteves says. And applicants are interviewed for an hour or more before they're considered for a place at the Art Institute. "We're really trying to see if there's a fit," says Esteves, whose program began last year.
Other schools in the GTA that offer fashion design programs include Seneca College, George Brown College and Sheridan College.
Lewis says most of her students join the program right out of high school. They come from Ontario and other provinces as well as the U.S., Mexico and Hong Kong. This year, Lewis says, there's even one student from Azabaijan, a south central Asian republic.
Ryerson takes about 85 students a year, mostly women, Lewis continues, and they tend to be high achievers. The must be able to draw and sew, of course, and they also need math, particularly geometry. An aptitude for computers -- or a willingness to learn -- is also desirable. "It's very computer-driven," Lewis points out. "They all take CAD (computer aided design)."
At the Art Institute there are four intakes a year -- in October, January, April and July -- Esteves says. Since each intake differs, admissions limits are hard to estimate, she continues, although the average class size is about 18 students. About 50% of her students come from local high schools. The others are from outside the GTA and there's a high percentage of international students too. Esteves puts the makeup of her classes at about 65% female and 35% male.
Constructive criticism
Art Institute students don't need a set high school graduation average, Esteves says, "and we don't expect our students to have experience." What the school does expect, however, is passion for fashion design, a strong work ethic and the ability to take constructive criticism.
Although Ryerson and the Art Institute don't differ in the basics -- drawing, sewing, colour theory and so on -- there are significant differences in other areas. Ryerson requires students to complete a 400-hour work placement that's usually paid and liberal arts courses are mandatory. At the Art Institute, Esteves says there's no work placement requirement because the school can't control the quality of what its students will learn.
The other major difference is cost. At Ryerson the tuition fees are about $5,000 a year. At the Art Institute the 18-month course costs $22,500 but can be paid quarterly or even monthly. And since fashion would be nothing without fabric, graduating students at both schools will have to finance the material and supplies necessary to create their final collections.
Art Institute students can expect to tack on another $2,000 for books, supplies and material. Lewis can't give an estimate for Ryerson, but allows her students get "creative" about sourcing fabric, which given the program, is not surprising at all.
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