Funkylala have a decent range of workshops running from April - August

::: How to start a fashion company (boutique and e-commerce website)
::: How to start a fashion company (accessories & clothing line)
::: How to do your own P.R/Publicity and Marketing workshop
::: How to manufacture your clothing and Accessories Line
::: How to produce a fashion show
::: How to become a stylist

and are available in NY, L.A, Atlanta, Chicago, San Francisco and Miami.

Check out Funkylala to find a date in your city….

Let’s say you are the next Marc Jacobs, young, talented, charming. Or a budding Guy Trebay, Kate Betts, Constance White, Richard Martin with bon mots bursting in your brain. Or the next Anna Wintour, Grace Coddington, or Andre Leon Talley. But you have no connections and no idea how to get them. You want to get IN, into the industry, into the fashion shows. How do you do it?

1. GET A JOB - Andre Leon Talley started his career sweeping the floors of Andy Warhol’s Interview offices. Marc Jacobs worked at Charivari while attending high school. Anna Wintour assisted Carrie Donovan at Harper’s Bazaar.

Want to be a stylist? Find a photographer and develop imagery together to build a portfolio from which you can get paying work.

If you write create your own website or xerox your own ‘zine.

2. GET CONNECTED - Find out what’s going on. The bible of all bibles in the fashion world is Fashioncalendar.net

3. AND NETWORK - Fortunately or unfortunately connections count for a lot in any world and especially the world of fashion. Make a powerful enough network for yourself however and it can even compensate a lack of talent. If you are not the daughter, son, niece, nephew, friend, then you must make your own connections.

View the complete article from Lookonline

Another competition looking to discover young talents, and promoting and rewarding creativity and inventiveness is the parisian competition entitled The ARTS OF FASHION. One of the most prestigious student contests, its open to any student studying in Fashion or Design in the United States, during the academic year 2005-2006.

Fashion illustrations based around the theme Fashion - The Way to Express The Body & The Mind (La Mode - un moyen d’expression du corps et de l’esprit) must be submitted by the 26th of April.

The first 3 laureates will receive Awards and a Certification for their creative and original work based on themes chosen each year by the Paris organization. (Coherence with the theme, skills level, and art expressiveness). The first 10 laureates in the Fashion category and first 5 in the Accessory category will represent the United States for the Final of the 24th International Competition for Young Fashion Designers (Concours International des Jeunes Createurs de Mode - Paris) at the Carrousel du Louvre, in Paris on December 14, 2006.

For more details visit arts of fashion

The competition that launched Basso & Brooke is back again! Created in 2004 by Fashion historian and senior fashion writer for the Sunday Times style mag, Colin McDowell, Fashion Fringe aims to find the hottest undiscovered British designers.

Best aspect of Fashion fringe is it allows for applicants to have no previous fashion experience, just passion and creativity. Applications are narrowed down to 4 finalists who will each get 3 months to work on a collection. During those 3 months Fashion fringe will provide studio space, technical assistance and most importantly, funds to get a capsule collection together which will be shown at London fashion week in Sep’06.

Tom Ford will be honorary chairman of Fashion fringe for the next 2 years after the departure of Burberry CEO Rose Marie Bravo. Deadline for applications is 28th April 2006 for entry details visit www.fashionfringe.co.uk

Known as the industry bible, Fashion monitor provides up-to-date info re fashion events, media contacts, photographers, stylists, beauty and lifestyle etc. It’s only availble through annual subscription but is well worth it. Subscription includes access to an online service updated daily, a seven section planner plus monthly updates. Best of all Fashion monitor also provides direct acess to a team of experienced fashion researchers through a hotline helpdesk.

Also available from Fashion Monitor is The Little Black Book , a handbag-sized contacts directory containing a selection of the key dates and contacts from our extensive database.

I often meet alot of designers and always ask for their website address, unfortunately 9 times out of 10 I’m told, “It’s coming” or “I don’t have one”. It’s surprising but there are so many fashion designers who don’t have a site and can’t see the point in developing one.

Aside from being a great way of communicating your work to a global audience it also allows the option of selling online. If cost is an issue but you’d really like to sell on the net, then check out fashion capital’s boutique service.