Fashioning Finance
The Cost of Couture: Navigating Funds, Fabrics, and Financial Aid in Fashion School.
To summarize: being a fashion school student is expensive with a capital “E.” If that’s all you were looking to confirm in this post, you can stop reading here. However, keep reading if you want tips on budgeting, student loans, and scholarships.
Tuition varies based on program and education-level. University-level programs are on the pricier side because the programs are longer as is the extent of the education. If you’re in high school and your GPA is over a certain amount, there are entry-level scholarships based on the institutions you apply to. Easier said than done, but do your absolute best to achieve whatever grade points you need to receive the most amount of money because once you’re in school, it’s a lot harder to obtain.
I’m not well-versed enough to talk about pre-schooling finances, but obviously there are lots of ways to apply for government loans, grants, and more. This post is more about how to save after you already identify as a fashion student. Once you buy all your (basic) supplies, books, and your tuition is paid off, you might think to yourself, phew the worst is over. But like my mom when she asks if I remembered to thaw the chicken as she walks into the house after a long day, you are also, going to be disappointed.
Luckily, at least for my stream of fashion, I don’t remember having to buy books. As in those big, chunky, university-aesthetic, LSAT-looking books. There were weekly readings of course, but 9.9 out of 10 profs will link those for you in addition to you having free subscriptions for the best fashion resources. So there’s a tiny little thing that you can look forward to saving (but don’t hold me accountable if that’s changed). I would say the biggest surprise expense for me were the little supplies that really racked up.
I didn’t have many of my own supplies before starting the program. The fanciest thing I had was a $4.50 sketchbook from Dollarama and gel pens I got for Chanukah in 2015. Come syllabus week for classes such as Illustration, Collaborative Studio, and Intro to Textiles, I was in for a shock when my profs told everyone they wanted specific materials used for their classes essentially down to the brand. On one hand, yes I understand them wanting projects being completed with high-quality supplies, however, on top of the price of tuition, these supplies, if you don’t have any to begin with, quickly rack up in cost.
Some things I suggest to save money are as follows:
Ask your professor if they offer a borrowing program for their own supplies.
Ask friends in the program if they have any lightly-used or old supplies you could borrow or have.
Ask around for the best art supply shops in your city. These are often cheaper than big companies like Michaels.
Buy in bulk: if you are going to bite the bullet and buy supplies, it’s worth it to buy a lot at once since chances are you’re going to need lots.
Wherever you shop, ask for student discounts. Lots of stores have discounts for students to save on supplies and even more if you’re buying bulk. You can also look for student-specific websites like UNiDAYS or Student Beans, which partner with stores to offer discounts.
The worst thing you could do is not ask and end up paying for something unnecessarily. On the topic of not doing everything in your power to save money is scholarships, loans, and grants. Most if not all post-secondary education institutions offer tons of money that goes left unspent every year because people are too lazy to apply for it. The saddest thing is either a.) people don’t know about this money or b.) they think that so many people know about it, that it’s not worth the effort to apply. Look around on your program website, ask your profs, guidance counselors, and friends if there are any grants/loans you can apply to for your situation. Just applying to anything puts you one step ahead of those who are too lazy to win free money.
Money is a really tricky situation in fashion school. Everyone looks like they have it, and although you’ll come across people who definitely do, most people are doing their best to ration what they have and still have an equal fighting chance to be successful in an industry that favours those already on top.