SAVANNAH , Georgia ( CNN ) -- What does it really take to dress someone as fashion-forward and in the spotlight as Michelle Obama ? Designer Yigal Azrouël talks with students at the Savannah College of Art and Design . `` Bravery , '' says Isabel Toledo , designer of the first lady 's attention-grabbing lemongrass yellow wool and lace ensemble that she wore for the inauguration of her husband President Obama . But along with bravery about their fashion sense , new graduates at the Savannah College of Art and Design ( SCAD ) will need courage in the face of the current recession . `` Fashion is being hit particularly hard in the new job market . Fashion as a whole is feeling a greater level of lost revenues and in turn has lost opportunities for sustaining volume and even more so for growth , '' said Marshal Cohen , chief analyst and expert fashion analyst for the NPD market research group . `` The ironic thing is that new ideas and creations are just what the industry needs but is too cautious to react to it , '' he added . Full of new ideas , student designers say they are aware of the challenges as they head out into the work force , but they 're optimistic they can make it in these tough times . `` After I graduate , I 'm going to New York , I have an internship lined up with a trend forecasting company , Promostyl , '' said Shelby Simon whose designs made it into SCAD 's annual fashion show . See the runway fashions » . `` Everyone needs an assistant so hopefully I 'll be able to find something pretty easily , '' said Caitlin Clarke . She would like to land an internship in New York and has interviewed with New York & Co. and applied for positions at Oscar de la Renta , Calvin Klein and Zac Posen . Toledo , a world-renown designer , knows it can be tough to make it in fashion . She and her fashion illustrator husband Ruben Toledo did n't have much money when they arrived from Cuba in the late 60s as political refugees . She says she found inspiration in the little things . Experts ' advice on getting to top of fashion business » . `` Go out there and look at things , look at things well . Study them ; the smallest things can inspire you . That will make you able to do what you want on any level . Many times kids think you have to have all this backing coming into a big industry . I did n't do that , I started from the bottom and as a matter of fact you can only go up , '' said Isabel Toledo . Toledo was at the school last weekend to accept the 2009 André Leon Talley Lifetime Achievement Award . But for six months , two other top designers , Yigal Azrouël and Lars Nilsson , have been mentoring and critiquing 23 students to help them develop their designs for the runway . Azrouël , a self-taught designer , says it 's a tough industry and students have to pay their dues . `` It 's not what people think it is or what it looks like from the outside . If you want to be a fashion designer you have to carry fabric on your back , you need to learn how to cut and sew . The fame is going to come later . '' More known for his expert draping techniques , Yigal Azrouël taught students more than how to incorporate intricate folds and pleats in their designs . `` If you love something , go ahead and do it , but , be very consistent with it , '' advised Azrouël . SCAD senior Caitlin Clarke says working with Nilsson really helped her create new silhouettes and structured angles with interesting seams . `` Lars was so helpful . I remember this one time when he came in and said 'Ah , there 's something not right with this dress ' and then he helped me cut it up and fix it , '' said Clarke . Nilsson enjoyed the process . `` I really tried to spend a lot of time seeing what they [ the students ] had to say , giving them advice and push them forward to express themselves , '' said Nilsson . `` It 's been a great collaboration , and I must say that I 've learned a lot myself , too . '' The visiting designers give the students an edge in their job search , says SCAD president Paula Wallace . `` It 's very important to bring in the top professionals because they inspire the students and they provide contacts and networking for the students after they graduate . '' Students are also using social media sites such as Twitter , Facebook and MySpace to reach out to their peers and other industry professionals . In order to succeed you have to have innovative approaches to market , sell and sustain your product lines , said retail analyst Hitha Prabhakar . Right now retailers are in `` survival of the fittest '' mode and a handful of designers including Mui Mui , Allessandro Del Acqua , Allegra Hicks and Krizia have had to shut their store doors on Madison Avenue , she said . SCAD senior Shelby Simon feels some students went into fashion because they like to shop , but she warns there is so much more to learn about the craft.. `` The truth is hard work , nose to the grind stone and learning . All the people I know who became great designers did n't do it over night , '' said Vogue magazine 's editor-at-large André Leon Talley , who has been involved with SCAD students over the years . `` Jason Wu , a wonderful designer , a young designer , was making doll clothes for years . He was saving his money then opened his own company and look where he is today , dressing Michelle Obama . ''
The Asian job market is being hit very hard , analyst says . Students at Savannah College of Art and Design get advice from Wu . Savannah 's André Leon Talley says Jason Wu designed doll clothing for years . Designer Isabel Toledo says when you start at bottom , you can only go up .