The following statement of purpose is written by an applicant who got accepted to top graduate programs in fashion designing and textile. Variations of this SOP got accepted at Pratt, Kent State, and New School. Read this essay to get inspiration and understand what a top fashion design school SOP should look like.

You might also be interested in reading this Sample Personal Statement in fashion design that got admitted to Parsons, the London school of fashion, and the Royal college of arts.

Sample Statement of Purpose in Fashion Design

Country XYZ, a hub of color, culture, and diversity, represents a nation with beauty and potential inculcated in its roots. However, these roots need to be nourished and made more potent because mental illness is terrible at eating them away. Almost 20% of the people in XYZ suffer from mental illnesses, with a ratio of only one psychiatrist available to every 400,000 patients. Depression and anxiety, found in different forms and severity, are the most prominent mental health issues.

Unfortunately, women in XYZ fall victim to depression and anxiety the most, owing to societal conditions and influences. Most women in the country have limited access to activities that keep them busy, entertained, and fulfilled. As such, clothing is one of their little joys; it is more of a lifestyle than a basic need.

With my future studies, I plan to empower the women of XYZ by integrating color therapy with fashion. I aspire to help them cope with their depression by fighting it back with art and color. In a society where a significant part of a woman’s life is her attire, I want to create affordable products that not only make her look beautiful but also remove negative emotions and make her feel mentally healthier. I wish to design a complete philosophy; clothing that doesn’t just fill a wardrobe but also strengthens the wearer’s confidence.

Clothing has the potential to influence mood and self-esteem. Dressing up in uplifting and soothing colors is scientifically proven to trick our brains into feeling better and more confident. Color therapy is about understanding a color’s potential to evoke certain emotions. For instance, green is a perfect color to balance emotions and assist the healing process, whereas black and grey signify invisibility, provoking depression.

I also worked on a similar topic for my final undergraduate thesis, “Adaptive Clothing Features for Children Suffering from Cerebral Palsy.” My research incorporated the basic concept of my interest – integrating art and color with clothing to treat illness. Unfortunately, in XYZ, there is a shortage of literature on color therapy and modern design techniques that can be used to treat mental health concerns.

The idea of improving mental health with art and fashion is comparatively new to XYZ. However, that’s precisely why it needs to be addressed. In XYZ, mental health has long been neglected due to the lack of awareness. I have already worked with special children and helped aid their treatment with design, and I’d like to take my work to the next level.

For my future project, I’d like to build a systematic review based on existing literature to dig deeper into the association between color and mental health and the significance of color in fashion clothing. I aim to use my research to design therapeutic clothing that’s affordable and locally accessible to the mainstream public and has a positive impact on their mental health. I’m also working with one of the world’s leading fashion clothing brands, Zara. My work experience has also given me extensive knowledge about the local fashion industry and the immense potential of clothing to impact the lives of women.

Previously, I have studied psychology and how it relates to fashion. Now, it’s time for me to take it further. A specialized degree will equip me with more knowledge, better design techniques, and a global perspective. By studying in a classroom brimming with cultural diversity, I’d be able to polish and broaden my ideas and understand how this works for other cultures. A diverse classroom enables you to get out of your comfort zone and think out of the box, which forms the basics of fashion and design.

Upon graduation, I plan to utilize my global skill set by working as a fashion retailer for popular local brands. Working for Zara has opened many opportunities for me to connect to other brands. I aspire to use my advanced learning to create beautiful, healthier clothing lines for the women of my country and eventually help XYZ grow economically.