Pop culture lures US students to design careers

NEW YORK, Sep 9 (Reuters) Fashion, it seems, is the latest fashion. More and more people want fashion careers, sending enrollment at design schools to new highs, which experts say will dramatically influence clothing styles for years.

''Fashion will become more 'pop' and accessible with this influx of new designers,'' Irma Zandl of the trend-forecasting Zandl Group said of the new design talent.

Enrollment in fashion-related majors grew by about 45 per cent in the last two years at the Art Institutes, a coalition of US art programs, which added ten new fashion programs in the last three years. At New York's Parsons The New School of Design, the number of students enrolled in fashion design grew to 489 from 291 in 2001, a 68 per cent increase.

Experts say pop culture is a huge impetus behind the fashion explosion, from the popularity of Bravo's reality TV show ''Project Runway'' to this summer's hit movie ''The Devil Wears Prada.'' Fashion Web sites and online stores present the latest looks at break-neck speed. Every celebrity fashion misstep is dissected in the media, and professional athletes play in eye-catching designer outfits.

''It's everywhere now. People are very conscious of the message they're sending in what they're wearing,'' said Tim Gunn, a star of ''Project Runway'' and chairman of the department of fashion design at Parsons.

But interest in fashion is a two-edged sword, he added.

''The industry is so eager to embrace and support young innovative design work. At the same time, it's just as eager to topple people,'' he said. ''The outlook for these increasing numbers of graduates, I think, has never been better. On the other hand, it's also never been more competitive.'' More Reuters AB VV0942