Learning process in fashion design students: link with industry and social media

Portugal is today an important player in the European fashion industry. The Portuguese footwear industry, “low-tech”, mature and traditional, dominated by SMEs, is also a success case in the Portuguese economy. With own brands, own collections and own products, the quality, innovation and international image of the Portuguese clothes, accessories and shoes is increasing year by year in the most sophisticated markets worldwide. The new information economy and social media presents a new set of opportunities and threats to established companies, new challenges and new markets, and demanding to all the companies to rethink their strategy and to prepare new business plans. Portuguese companies in the fashion industry are starting to perceive that the brand’s transition to social media means a transformation of the customer relationship, wherein social media and the community members is an ally of the brand and not an “audience”. Also the universities are preparing new professionals to the fashion industry and the learning process has to be managed according these new challenges. And the University of Minho has the Bachelor in Fashion Design and Marketing, an excellent course to prepare new skills to these fashion companies: textile, clothing and footwear industries.FCT -Fundação para a Ciência e a Tecnologia(POCI-01-0145-FEDER-007136)