Fashion Schools in New York

New York is the Fashion Metropolis of the United States, such is Milan for Italy, Paris for France, Düsseldorf for Germany and London for England. Tommy Hilfiger started his marvellous career there and is now one of the bestselling designers in the World. It took him a long way to find his place next to Europeans like Giorgio Armani, Wolfgang Joop, Karl Lagerfeld, Donatella Versace and Yves Saint Laurent.

But the american approach to designer wear was slightly different from the european. Whereas european fashion designers have long put their emphasis on clothes that are worn at special events and mainly aimed at customers of the upper classes, american designers put the stress on casual wear, clothes that could be worn at any occasion so one never feels either over- or underdressed. They were inspired by sports such as Golf or Polo and also by the college style of the early eighties. A bit upper class maybe but not arrogant, not snobbish they wanted their new style to look. Thus Ralf Lauren, Gant, and most of all Tommy Hilfiger started their stories of success, sell their clothes worldwide at moderate prices compared to labels like Chanel, Gucci or Prada. Thus they took the other road, the one less traveled by as Robert Frost said it in his famous poem 'The Road not Taken'.

While the Europians slowly descended from the realms of haute couture in order to survive the economical decline that didn't start only yesterday, after the subprime crises, the Americans started with casual wear, making big money with the middle class customers as long as the middle class still existed and then also designed fashion for the happy few in addition in order to strengthen the renommé of the label and not because big money was to be made with the icing of the cake. So their position on the market is stronger than ever, while many haute couturiers in Europe are suffering badly from the effects of the current crises. It seems there are a lot of good ideas to be handed down to the students in fashion schools in New York. A success story to be continued is waiting for new protagonists and the schools to recruit them are in New York - it is one of the capitals for fashion schools in New York. So get your tag sewn into your own collection one day but make it casual so everyone will be wanting to wear it.