Testimonials

My name is Kelli and I am 28 years of age. My desire was to pursue studies in millinery and a career in fashion so I moved to Melbourne from Queensland at the end of 2007. After finishing a bachelor of business, I spent most of my 20's running a business. In my late 20's I had the chance to study at the Melbourne School of Fashion and move into an industry I am passionate about - fashion!! I have now graduated with a Certificate in Millinery Construction and Design.

At the moment I am working in accounts but I also operate my own online store with millinery and accessories. I also supply boutiques with my hats across the Spring Racing season.

The course content was really broad and enabled the students to work with a complete range of millinery materials and techniques. Millinery is a design field that works with mediums that can be manipulated in so many ways. Our lecturer Sandy Buchanan encouraged the students to experiment and develop their own ideas, whilst still remaining true to the traditional techniques. It was a lot of fun!

My favourite topic was felt hat making. I enjoy working with the material and perhaps the novelty of a winter hat having grown up in Queensland! Throughout the whole course I enjoyed the challenge of designing to a brief. It's very relevant, particularly with custom made designs where often you don't get full creative freedom as your purpose is to follow what the customer wants.

Since completing the course I have been designing and making headpieces and hats for race and bridal wear. My designs have won a few regional race day fashions on the field. I also won a competition in 2008 and was listed on www.ragtradejobs.com as an upcoming designer.

The course definitely met my expectations and I learnt a diverse range of skills. The course is really hands on with a relaxed and friendly learning environment.

I would love to keep designing hats and I love all accessories. My ultimate career path would be to become an accessories buyer within a large fashion company.

Hi my name is Sophie . I am 21 years of age and I come from Melbourne. I graduated in December 2008 with a Certificate in Fashion Business.

The course was very informative thanks to the skills of the industry based lecturers who were able to deliver the course content with factual examples that illustrated the content. The subjects I enjoyed most were Visual Merchandising and Start Your Own Business where you had to write up a business plan.

Due to receiving high marks in my subjects, my self esteem has helped me become more confident at work as it has improved my analytical and problem solving skills. These skills are constantly used in my job role as an Assistant Stock and Visual Merchandise Manager at Forever New.

I feel totally confident about finding a full time position in a retail company where I can use my skills learnt from the course to pursue a successful career in management.

The course definitely met my expectations as the lecturers worked one on one with the students and offered quality information that related to the subjects being taught. This made all of the assignments very easy to complete. All of the staff were very easy to get along with and were very compassionate towards all the students.

Over the next five to ten years I would like to start a family and also have a career in Visual Merchandising for a successful children's wear company.

My name Kimberley. I am 19 years of age and I live in Melbourne. In 2008 I graduated from the Certificate in Fashion Business.

Studying at the Melbourne School of Fashion enabled me to take my first step into the fashion industry, with no prior fashion experience. I was taught by dedicated lecturers who are still working in their particular fields within the industry. This made me thrive with their wealth of knowledge, experience and willingness to assist with any questions… and trust me I had plenty.

Throughout the year we attended several excursions to places such as the JUST GROUP head office, and KCX + -International. We were also lucky enough to have the Marketing Manager from RUSSH magazine as a guest lecturer, which motivated us to achieve all that we could throughout the course to get to where we want to be.

All of the subjects taught entwined together to produce a Business Plan at the end of the course. Although I must say out of all the subjects, I enjoyed Merchandising and Buying the most.

This course has definitely paid off for me as I originally had no experience, but I left with knowledge of the fashion industry, along with the experience of working in fashion parades, dressing and fitting models for companies such as David Jones and Fashion Exposed thanks to the schools connections.

As for the future I hope to find a job as a Visual Merchandiser.

Currently I am living and working in Chicago, Illinois. My job is in sales and marketing for a specialised printing company. I am hoping to move into a marketing position with a fashion company in the next couple of years.

The fashion business course was really well run and the lecturers were not only knowledgeable but had the industry experience to back it up. My favourite topic was marketing (surprised), but I think I learned a lot from buying and writing a business plan. The business plan at the end of the course is great because you really get to write something that you might use someday. Also writing the business plan allows you to really get out there and see what it takes to start up a fashion business.

The course exceeded my expectations and helped me get into the fashion industry. The school is full of great people that are willing to help you out; all you have to do is ask.

Since completing the course I have started to put my own clothing label together with hopes to launch it in the next couple of years. I don't think the world is quite ready for the stuff I am about to show it, but they will be someday.

My one piece of advice to future students is ask questions about everything and get involved in as many things as you can. As a student, people are really willing to help you out and give you a chance.

My name is Diana . I am 24 years of age and I come from Melbourne. I am currently the store manager of Green with Envy on Flinders Lane.

I began studying at the Melbourne School of Fashion in 2005 and graduated from the Certificate in Fashion Business that same year.

I found the course to be amazing! Having previously been in the industry for 4 years, there was a lot of knowledge that I held, however I was able to grasp and focus on much more information that was new and interesting. The extra knowledge helped in my career advancement and will continue to so for many more years to come.

My absolute favourite subject was Small Business Planning. There was a lot of work but the completed business plan was rewarding. It involved a wonderful creative side but also all the crucial business elements that you need to be able to start your own business.

Being a retail manager meant I also enjoyed the retail procedures section of the course. I was able to broaden my knowledge and apply it in my day to day life.

Whilst undertaking my course I was promoted to Assistant Manager at Green with Envy. Since completing the course I have taken the position of store manager at their new boutique on Flinders Lane.

The course did meet my expectations. There are so many different aspects of the fashion industry and I am now lucky enough to have a snap shot at majority of these.

The next step for me is to hopefully find myself in an area management position. One day I would love to own my own boutique and having completed a course like this has put me in a better position to do so.

My name is Stacey and I am 21 years old. I grew up in Shepparton and moved to Melbourne to study design at the Melbourne School of Fashion.

I completed Fashion Design in 2007 and enjoyed all aspects of the course. Throughout my 3 years, I was astounded at the broad selection of subjects offered to students. I also found that all of the classes are well structured, informative and up to date with industry practices.

As well as a fantastic course content, all of the lecturers at the school were amazing. The knowledge and expertise passed on by them is priceless and the extra help and support all students receive is invaluable and a credit to the school.

Whilst the creative side of the design subjects was by far my favourite part of the course, surprisingly enough, I found the business module in my final year one of the most rewarding subjects I've undertaken.

Since graduating I have moved to London and am working as a personal stylist for Banana Republic Menswear. This has given me the opportunity to work one on one with high profile clients, build up an international fashion network and put into practice so much of what I learnt in my 3 years at the school.

Studying at the Melbourne School of Fashion gave me not only the knowledge but the confidence to take on this role.

Whilst still unsure of what the future may hold, I hope to further my styling career and continue travelling the world.

My name is Maja . I'm 24 years old, living in Melbourne but originally from Denmark. After working in fashion retail for a year and contemplating the thought of becoming a fashion designer for decades I decided not only to study Fashion Design but to study it abroad. The Melbourne School of Fashion appealed to me and I began studying Fashion Design in 2006.

I was looking for a school which would teach me the theory but also be hands-on, so I could again have a realistic understanding of the fashion industry and better my chances to get a job. The subjects offered at the Melbourne School of Fashion are diverse which means I can choose between different career paths when I graduate.

My favourite subject was Styling and Couture as I enjoyed being able to make more complicated and intricate garments and learn about couture sewing. The fact that my teacher was really knowledgeable, helpful and funny just made stressful days seem so much brighter.

The close relationship between teachers and students has made a huge difference. Because of the small class sizes it is much easier to get help and the teachers are professional and friendly. Being taught by people who work in the industry is interesting and you really get an insight of how it is out in the real world.

During my second year of study I entered the Australasian Wool Awards in Hamilton, winning equal first in Daywear. I was also presented the Melbourne School of Fashion Student of the Year Award, where I won computer software by ‘Fashion Matters’.

Once I complete my third year I hope to get a job in a company where I can develop my skills further.

My name is Katrina. I am 27 years old and I am originally from Sydney, but have been living in Melbourne for the past two years.

I began studying the Certificate in Fashion Business at the Melbourne School of Fashion in March this year. My main objective for studying was to gain an insight into the fashion industry and to really focus on pursuing my dreams to work as a Buyer.

It has been an adjustment returning to study full time at the ripe age of 27, however, Nagia and the team at Melbourne School of Fashion really made it a smooth and enjoyable transition.

The subjects offered were diverse and very helpful, however it was the Buying, Merchandising and Marketing subjects that I enjoyed the most. Each subject offers a different lecturer that actually works and specialises in that particular field giving you the real insight into the industry. We also had several successful industry guest speakers come to our class and offered us yet more information on how the industry works. This really motivated us to want to succeed.

This course has definitely paid off for me as I have been working in the Buying department at Jeanswest Head Office for the past six months. I really enjoy my position and feel that with both this course and work experience under my belt I will only further advance my career.

Fashion is my passion and this course will arm you with the necessary knowledge to really follow your dreams and become successful in the fashion industry.