In fashion colleges,
90% to 95% of students enrolled are female…
By Stacey Grant
Gender
roles of men and women have been fashioned by society. Men have been expected
to be the head of the household, bread winner and protector for thousands of
years. The roles of women were that of caregiver, pro-creator and taking care of
the family as well as obeying their husbands. In the late 1800s, these roles were disturbed as
women began to rebel against structures of norms set by society. Women felt the need to be heard and experience
equality - all this exacerbated by women in the workplace as demanded by the
Industrial Revolution.
Living in a
time where people are being laid-off and an economic recession is prevalent,
one would think that all working class people would want to further educate
themselves in order to secure the steady income they receive monthly. According
to research done by the Pew Research Centre, more women than men are furthering
their studies and acknowledge the greater value of higher education. The
research also showed that women felt that they benefited intrinsically from
tertiary education and that their quality of life had improved. Society seemed
undecided about their feelings towards the changes in the make up of the
student body. Initially, the majority of people surveyed appreciated the fact
that more female students than male students are enrolling for and graduating
from tertiary institutions but, when asked how they felt about less men
enrolling and graduating from tertiary institutions than women, their reactions
swayed.
In the
fashion industry, these statistics are concerning because both men and women
are employed within this industry. Presently, in fashion colleges, 90% to 95%
of students enrolled are female and there is a great misconception that the few
males who do attend these colleges are all homosexual. This is definitely not
always the case. In actual fact, sexuality has nothing to do with creativity.
Fashion designers think in 3-D; this is the same aptitude needed to study
engineering and architecture. Most men are born with this ability thus, one
would naturally think that more men would be in the field of design. Outside
the design arena of the fashion industry, there are many other occupations
suitable for both men and women. Some of these occupations are; fashion
entrepreneurs, fashion buyers, fashion trend forecasters and fashion
journalists to name but a few. Having so many careers available in the fashion
industry to choose from, that are suitable for both sexes, one cannot but
question the reason behind the fact that women are the majority who are
educating themselves. A good example of this is visible in the enrollments of
the North West School of Design. In the BSc Fashion Management and Communication
degree, there are zero male students enrolled. This is strange as the careers that flow from
this degree are endless - of which some are: Merchandiser, Production Manager,
Quality Controller, Clothing Technologist and Fashion Marketer. In the BA
Fashion Design degree, the percentage of females to males is an astonishing 85%
to 15% respectively.
The fashion
industry is misunderstood. The associations people often make are images of dull-looking
models, homosexual male designers and unattainable status that oddly compel
some to be a part of it. Others have found great success in this industry
through internships, networking, and extreme hard work and most importantly,
understanding that the fashion industry is a multi-billion rand conglomerate. Examples of successful men in the fashion
industry are: Simon Spurr, a fashion designer; Benjamin Clymer, the editor-in-
chief of HODINKEE; Corey Kelly, a stylist; Joshua Linam, a writer; and Eddy
Chai, store owner. These men prove that the fashion industry is not only for
women and serve as motivation for all men to further their studies and become
truly successful within this field.
Society and
the media in specific tend to ‘label’ certain occupations and restrict choices
made by the youth. Males are not
comfortable pursuing opportunities within the fashion world for fear of being
stereotyped. Unfortunately the same
applies to females who would perhaps enjoy a future in a traditionally male
dominated field. My question remains –
why do we allow society to dictate our decisions and life choices? When are we going to do what is suitable for
us? Men need to realize that even though
women have become contenders in the work place, they still have a traditional
role to fulfill and therefore should be as well educated as possible. Decide what your choice of field is and
whether associated as predominantly male or female – pursue it and be the best
you can be.
Men in fashion:
Gilt MAN Fashion Advisor Nick Wooster had been at the
forefront of fashion for the past 20 years. His unique style has been shaped
from working at fashion houses such as Ralph Lauren, Calvin Klein, and John
Bartlett. As a former Men’s Fashion Director of Neiman Marcus, Wooster
maintains a distinct eye for styling that causes him to stand out during
Fashion Week.
Photo Courtesy: Sally Ryan, New York Times
Brian Spaly is one man who sees opportunity in men’s retailing – if it’s
done right. In 2007, along with business partner Andy Dunn he founded Bonobos,
which became one of the biggest start-up success stories to come out of the
recession — especially in fashion retail. Together they created a men’s
clothing brand that became instantly famous for having the best fitting pants
on the planet.
Eric Jennings, vice president and fashion director for
men’s wear at Saks Fifth Avenue
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