ABSTRACT
Many professionals of the Fashion and Textile industry have decided to take the risk to create fashion-related businesses, generating a new dynamic in this field. With the growth of fashion design higher education programmes, many professional outcomes are possible, including careers as fashion design entrepreneurs. However, the lack of information regarding business creation can be huge obstacle, as fashion designers are not prepared in that sense by higher education studies. Fashion education is still very focused on hard skills, instead of encouraging students to be pro-active and forward thinking. Nevertheless, a new generation of fashion designers has transformed past experiences and professional vision to become entrepreneurs. This study provides results obtained through interviews with fashion professionals in Portugal and abroad. This work observes this ever-changing industry and suggests the rise of a new entrepreneurial reality in fashion design, as well as the multi-disciplinary people who are changing it.
