As Winter Break quickly approaches, a new year does, too — along with new resolutions and maybe even a new outlook on life.

For me, the end of this semester has drastically changed my outlook on fashion and what it stands for. Behind the models, celebrities, fur coats and runway shows is just another business striving to make it in the world.

Most people looking at fashion from the outside in may see it as a glitzy and dramatic scene that’s all about front rows and free swag. The media, the entertainment industry and even a lot of blogs and magazines portray fashion in this light. True, there is a part of this business that holds up to that pretentious lifestyle. Just reread my past column on celebrities playing ‘pretend designer’ — these people put the fashion lifestyle to shame. But the other 95 percent of people in fashion will wholeheartedly disagree with the stereotypes. 

In reality, fashion is just like any other industry. If you want to make it, you need to work your bottom dollar off like there is no tomorrow. You need to put in long hours, find a way to stand out from the crowd and, most importantly, accept that it’s nothing like what Vogue told you all those years. 

This business is a lot about working as a team and taking on integrated responsibilities. What many people fail to realize is that a brand is not just the designer. Most of the time, designers don’t even create the designs for their line but act more as the overseer of their company’s daily operations. They hire teams of unknown designers to do the hard work instead. Other departments often overlooked in fashion are communications, creative services, production, licensing and textile, among others. Together, these layers of building blocks are what truly make the industry. 

When you look at how far fashion has come — from the acceptance of social media to foreseeing China as its future to even admitting leggings were a huge fashion mistake — it’s extraordinary to observe how many facets there are in keeping up with the fashion times. Fashion is constantly evolving, and brands, designers and consumers who slow down are the ones who fall behind. At the end of ‘The September Issue,’ Anna Wintour said, ‘Fashion’s not about looking back. It’s always about looking forward.’ 

If there’s one thing I want you all to learn about fashion, it’s that it is a legitimate trade that should be taken seriously. 

Yes, there is glamour and great parties, but there is also a lot of blood, sweat and tears. Fashion won’t be saving lives, but it can change the way people think, act and feel about themselves and about others. It connects globally, and it manages to find connections between even the most extreme cultures.

The industry is a subtle art form. It speaks softly but carries a meaning worth listening to, and that is what I love about fashion.

Vicki Ho is a senior public relations major. Her column appears every Wednesday, and she can be reached at vho@syr.edu.

 

Published on December 7, 2010 at 12:00 pm