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Fashion and design students would benefit from learning more about the "business side of things" during their degree, an industry expert has insisted.

Laura Butler, the designer of independent fashion label Ringlit, recently emphasised that such teaching would provide students with a better idea of what goes on in the industry as a whole.

She said: "Fashion courses should teach more about the business side of things and provide a better idea of what happens in the industry as a whole rather then just focusing directly on the clothes."

This, Ms Butler explained, would make it easier to set up a career in the fashion industry, particularly for graduates keen to set up their own labels.

Ms Butler gained business experience by taking a free course through the Designer Forum.

She continued: "I think the Government is recognising that there's a gap - and that's why there are more opportunities to take part in these business courses which are free and cover the things that universities miss out.

"Essentially they have been set up because graduates leaving university don't have a clue about what to do if they want to set up their own label."

A recent study by Natwest and the Royal Bank of Scotland (RBS) found that the desire to be independent and in control is the chief motivating factor influencing entrepreneurs.

The results suggested that fashion graduates setting up their own labels - and other graduates starting up on their own - typically do so because they want to gain more control over their lives and avoid being told what to do.

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