Singer Fashion Academy aims to uplift Sri Lankan talent in fashion industry

The global fashion industry continues to gain traction at the moment and with the current stance of evolutionary change we see becoming almost a norm worldwide, it is no doubt an industry that brings with it a lot of innovative creativity and opens doors to more talent from across the world. 

Looking at the fashion industry from a global context, the fashion market is valued at $ 3 trillion and represents 2% of the world’s GDP. With women’s fashion being in the forefront of fashion globally, its sector-wise value is recorded at $ 621 billion alone, followed by men’s, luxury wear and children’s fashion tagging along respectively. 

The fashion industry is vast and vibrant and is full of opportunity, which takes creativity and talent into a realm of consistent development. Human beings will continue to wear clothes and trends catch up even faster than ever, thanks to the penetration of entities such as social media and influencer marketing, which only continues to seep their way into everyday civilian life. 

With Sri Lanka already denoted as a trusted source of apparel production for many reputed global brands, the country has managed to step into the world of designer fashion brands just recently. The key is consistency and staying relevant with the global trends of fashion and being able to enlighten youth who embrace creativity as a trait and offer them the chance to broaden their horizons in the field of fashion. 

Every major city in the world for instance has claim to their own fashion-focused sense of the industry, attracting tourists and hordes of fashion conscious people to visit such outlets and shop to their heart’s content. 

If we talk about New York City’s (NYC) fashion industry alone, it is valued at $ 98 billion and helps to generate tax revenues of up to $ 2 billion. The NYC fashion industry also allocates $ 10.9 billion in wages alone and boasts 180,000 employees in this sector. If we take into context other brands in other cities and countries focused on fashion, we will find that over 900 fashion companies have their head offices based in NYC itself. 

Singer Fashion Academy offers working ground for prospective fashion students

The industry is ever-growing and people need to learn about this sector and understand that when there is a boom in the industry, then they should go ahead with the leap and take advantage of the situation. In Sri Lanka, many fashion students look towards becoming fashion entrepreneurs. This is where institutes such as the Singer Fashion Academy comes in. 

Holding position as a much revered organisation that has been in operation for over 60 years, the Academy understands and takes into great consideration the importance of offering students with the chance to recognise their potential and fulfil their future aspirations in the industry. However, their focus is not limited to the fashion sector alone.

Through their range of short courses and diploma courses on offer, they have ensured that a level of variety and creativity is maintained that would suit other industries such as tourism and hospitality. 

For instance, a student has the chance to enrol in a Certificate in Interior Décor and this would guarantee opportunities in the hospitality sector, wherein, with the current boom in tourism, more roles in creativity open up from up and coming hotel and resort chains and even boutique hotel entities that require interior décor advice. 

The Singer Fashion Academy offers over 20 different programs, which include three diploma programs, eight certificate programs and 11 short courses. They also offer a new fashion design program with a degree pathway at an extraordinarily affordable cost. 

Their programs are available across 62 strategic locations islandwide and this offers a level of convenience for students from across the country to follow their course of choice. A highlight of the courses they offer is the inclusion of both, academic and industry based knowledge incorporated into these courses.

The academy recently was named the first and only institute in the country to receive course validation status from the Chartered Society of Designers (CSD) in the UK. The CSD validation also means that courses namely, Certificate in Fashion Design, Certificate in Scientific Dressmaking, Certificate in Machine Embroidery, Certificate in Saree Jacket, Diploma in Scientific Dressmaking and Diploma in Machine Embroidery are recognised globally. 

So, students who follow any of these courses will automatically receive a certificate from The Chartered Society of Designers (UK) apart from the certificate they will already be getting from the Singer Fashion Academy. Such credentials greatly assists the student in carving a pathway into fashion sectors worldwide. 

Countries such as Australia have already shown demand for fashion designers and people to fill jobs in the sector and these prospects help attract youth who are exposed to the latest trends and showcase fresh ideas and creative traits. Today, there is open demand for job variants in this sector alone. Some examples are Apparel Production Assistant, Assistant Fashion Designer, Assistant or Senior Patternmaker and Small Custom Clothing Business Manager to name a few. 

There are also research opportunities in higher education for those who look forward to step into an even broader side of this industry. These elements call for opportunities for migration and a name such as the Singer Fashion Academy helps provide more value addition to an applicant’s migration process. 

Singer Fashion Academy has also taken into consideration the great requirement for manpower, experienced within the garment sector in Sri Lanka. Taking into account these needs, Singer helps people join the workforce as skilled workers, in areas such as Machine Operators for instance. Even though such positions may not sound as ambitious, the need is great and job opportunities for such a job scope is widely available. 

Apart from that, the academy also caters to helping people penetrate into multiple other segments of the industry such as dressmaking, patternmaking etc. Roles such as these indirectly help uplift the country’s economy whilst ensuring that people receive the exposure they require, get the experience and even consider migrating to countries such as Australia where demand in this sector is rife.  

Singer Fashion Academy continues to revise and update their syllabi based on global industry requirements and keep on expanding their program portfolio in line with changing trends. Acquiring a certificate or diploma from a trusted and globally recognised entity such as Singer ensures a fruitful future for fashion students from Sri Lanka who especially look towards penetrating into the global job market.