Boutiques spur demand for fashion graduates

Dozens of fashion boutiques have popped up in Jeddah in recent years. Not all designers at these boutiques are qualified enough to run them as they lack an academic background in fashion. This is despite an increasing number of Saudi female students who want to study fashion academically and pursue a career in this field.
Nabila Nazer, a 29-year-old local designer, said: “Having interns who did not study this major properly makes it harder for boutique owners to reach their expectations.”
Nazer graduated from King Abdulaziz University with a bachelor in marketing. Later, she launched her own fashion boutique that sells evening gowns and Islamic clothing. “Since I am interested in fashion, I was motivated to take courses in this field. I’m experienced in sewing but I wanted more,” she said.
Nazer traveled abroad to get a diploma from the London College of Fashion, besides a couple of courses in fashion design from the Future Institute in Jeddah.
Many Saudi students in Jeddah say there are not enough colleges that teach fashion design at bachelors level. They say they have to study abroad if they want to pursue a career in fashion.
Razan Alsharief, a student in Dar Al-Hekma College said: “One of the reasons I’m studying fashion design, besides being passionate about it, is because I want to develop this field for the upcoming generation.”
Alsharief took fashion design diploma courses at the Millennium Institute for Technology and Management (MITM) and the Future Institute in Jeddah. When Dar Al-Hekma College first launched the Fashion Design Department in 2010, Asharief applied to get a higher education certificate.
Noora Alharthi, another DAH student, said: “There are not enough teachers in this field at a higher education level, since the department is new.”
Dina Kattan, director of Fashion Design at Dar Al-Hekma College, said the curriculum is still under construction. “We are currently looking at improving the curriculum by incorporating lectures on mass production for manufacturing, marketing and by including photography as an elective course,” she said.
The shortage in teachers makes Kattan turn to her students. “I observe when I teach,” said Kattan. “You can see how some students have the talent to teach, and others have the talent to become a designer.”
To test her theory, Kattan let her students take the stand to lecture their classmates. “We encourage student presentations. I don’t spoon-feed them the information. We share and exchange knowledge,” said Kattan.
Kattan said DAH could offer bachelors graduates a job as a class assistant. “If I sensed a student had strong teaching skills and would be passionate and motivated by it, they could be accepted.”
Alsharief said she is content with the experiences that Dar Al-Hekma offers. “The drawings and history of arts classes are definitely strong. The trips abroad to museums offer students a wealth of experience.”
Alharthi appreciates the inspiration and creativeness the college cultivates in their students. “They always let you know what competition lies ahead and the workshops they provide help us in many ways.”
Kattan does not only want to generate graduates. She aims to refine the strength of knowledge of pioneers and leaders. “When we launched this department, the faculty and I agreed that we don’t want students to graduate with insufficient knowledge in any way. Unfortunately, a lot of people think that by studying fashion design, one will end up in a boutique.”
“DAH approached me for a teaching job three year ago, when they were initiating the Fashion Design department,” said Nazer.
“My immediate answer was that I support and encourage the youngsters who want to pursue fashion design, especially at a higher education level.”