Gone are the days when career options in the fashion industry were limited to designing apparel or posing in one of those exclusive, runway-worthy designs. Today, the number of prêt and luxury brands has burgeoned in the market on a global scale. Brands are no longer relying on their products and design to be local. Developing a unique identity is synonymous with staying relevant in the market – this has skyrocketed the demand for skilled fashion communicators, responsible for developing a distinctive identity of the brand they work with.
In a time when all age-old communication systems are obsolescent, it’s about time that fashion communication skills like exhibition, display design, retail experience design, graphic design, photography, fashion styling, advertising, visual merchandising, public relations, fashion illustration, space design, and creative writing get a refresher too.
Here’s a three-step guide to help brush up fashion communication skills and get brands to hog the screen-time on people’s phones, computers, and whatnot.
Enrolling in a Fashion Communication Course
The very first step towards improving fashion communication skills is to get familiarised with every nook and cranny of the profession by enrolling in a professional course. Such a course provides a human-centric approach to concept creation, product designing, brand development, and fashion illustration. The course can help enhance students’ creative thinking processes while endowing them with effective communication skills for the fashion and lifestyle industry.
Getting schooled can even help professionals from different fields get well-versed in fashion terminology, analytical thinking, and using fashion media. For a solid foundation of fashion communication, it is best to opt for fashion communication courses from reputed institutes.
Mastering the trends via practical experience
With increased emphasis on customer-centric products and services, fashion communication can help in identifying the target market for designs based on age, gender, weather patterns, and socio-economic strata.
While acquiring a professional degree, one needs to hone their skills to practice the trade in the real world. The fashion world is continually evolving, and even the most popular and here-to-stay trends change every Tuesday. This is best gained by putting their knowledge into practice by working as an intern or as an assistant to an expert in the field.
As the iconic French designer, Coco Chanel once said, “Fashion is not something that exists in dresses only. Fashion is in the sky, in the street; fashion has to do with ideas, the way we live, what is happening. It is vital to understand the niche areas existing in the market to provide the right professional solution to clients.
Getting acquainted with social media
Everything is digital now. Earlier, the gatekeepers of the fashion industry used to be editors, designers, and retailers. Also, magazines and newspapers were to fashion communication back then what Instagram, Pinterest, YouTube, and Tik Tok are now.
With almost everyone now having a social media presence, it is not difficult to understand how important it is for brand strategists, public relations professionals, and advertisers to get on-board with the social media wave. It has become important for brands to advertise and create a strong and loyal following on social media handles.
Those who opt for fashion communication skills from world-class institutes get to actively coordinate with bloggers, influencers, and digital media professionals to understand and utilise social media for brand promotion.
If anything, time has made fashion enthusiasts and professionals rethink their practices, adopt a people-centric approach, and re-learn their brand, retail, and communication strategies going forward. The only way one can sustain their brand identity now is by learning the nuances of fashion communication, trends, and the platform that connects them all: social media.
