- Develop skills in drawing, sewing, and design. Honing these skills through a degree in fashion design or an internship can be beneficial to your career.
- Narrow your interest to a specific design field, such as haute couture or ready-to-wear.
- Practice your craft as much as possible by creating original designs. This will help you develop a better sense of your unique stylistic vision.
- Learn about the business and marketing aspects of the fashion industry by researching successful fashion houses and designers to give yourself a competitive edge.
Honing Your Skills
Develop your skills. Successful fashion designers have a wide array of skills, including drawing, an eye for color and texture, and an ability to visualize concepts in three dimensions. Most importantly, aspiring fashion designers should be able to cut and sew all types of different fabrics. Even if you’re already an exceptional sewer, keep honing and practicing your skills by experimenting with a multitude of different designs, patterns, and fabrics. Being able to sew with difficult fabrics under challenging conditions like limited time will serve you well in this career path. Start learning about how fabrics move, drape, breathe, react when worn, etc., as well as where to source them from. Your in-depth knowledge of fabric is essential to understanding what fabric works best for specific designs. Learn from existing designers you admire by researching their backgrounds, signature styles, and where they studied. Knowing this will help you become a better designer yourself, as you can borrow and build on their ideas. Learn how to create storyboards and product ranges. Research fashion trends by paying close attention to runway shows, popular looks on social media, and displays at retail outlets. The earlier you can start honing your fashion designing skills, the better. A little bit of learning every day will help you gain a deep understanding of the fashion industry over time—trying to learn everything at once will be overwhelming.
Consider getting a degree in fashion design. Earning a degree in fashion design or a related program can benefit you greatly by allowing you to hone your craft and gain contacts in a supportive, well-connected environment. Access to skilled professionals' expertise and critique of your designs can help you become an exceptionally skilled designer. Do one (or both) of the following: Get a degree in fashion design. Most programs are 3-4 years long. FIDM and Parsons are two of the most popular design schools in the United States. You will study drawing, color and composition, pattern-making, and draping, among other useful skills. In addition to learning practical skills, you will also be working with industry professionals who may serve as important contacts in the future and can give you first-hand advice and feedback on your work.
Apply for an internship or apprenticeship. If school isn't for you and you feel that real-world experience could benefit you more, find a fashion internship. You will need to create an impressive portfolio to apply and be willing to start at the bottom—interns are often given menial tasks like getting coffee. Don’t be discouraged by seemingly small tasks— the connections you make through your internship or apprenticeship will be vital as you pursue your career in fashion. Plus, working with industry professionals will allow you to pick up important skills first-hand.
Choosing a Design Field
Decide which design field is your principal interest. It’s important to start with a good sense of what aspects of the fashion industry interest you most. Each design sector, such as haute couture and mass market retail, has unique advantages and disadvantages you'll need to explore before deciding which pathway to pursue. You don’t have to be dead set on only one type of design, but it’s a good idea to try one thing at a time and not over-extend yourself. As you learn and grow as a fashion designer, you’ll have plenty of opportunities to determine what you like designing best. For example, you might be interested in: Women's daywear, women's evening wear Men's daywear, men's evening wear Boys' wear and girls' wear; teenage wear Sportswear/fitness/leisure wear Knitwear Outdoor, adventure, outerwear Bridal wear Accessories Costume design for theaters and the film industry
Prioritize a passion for the craft over a desire to become famous. If you’re planning to become a fashion designer, keep in mind that it takes time, hard work, and a great deal of effort to succeed. While most aspiring fashion designers aim to have their clothing worn by celebrities, successful designers keep the average consumer in mind first and foremost, as they’re the ones regularly purchasing the clothes. Typically, celebrities are gifted items from fashion brands for publicity and don’t have to purchase them themselves, so it can be hard to sustain yourself without appealing to the mass market.
Ask your customers what they need. Be realistic: if you live in a very warm climate, you'll have a tough time selling ski jackets. Pay attention to what people wear to determine what real people need and want. For example, the average buyer is more interested in practical clothes they can wear every day, like shirts and bottoms. Keep it simple and realistic—extravagant sketches are nice on paper, but great tops and jeans will likely sell more than daring evening dresses.
Perfect your designs. If you plan on creating a style that will be produced more than a hundred times, ensure it’s perfect before sending it to production. The more you work with the fabric, fit, and draping of the piece you’ve designed, the better it will become, and the more quantity you will sell. Poorly designed styles that don’t fit right or are simply unappealing will get you returns and result in a loss of profits. EXPERT TIP David Reeves David Reeves Bespoke Tailor David Reeves is a Bespoke Tailor and the Founder of Reeves: Modern English Tailoring, based in New York City. David has been in the bespoke tailoring business for over 25 years and specializes in designing and creating custom, high-end suits. David has worked with influential names in the United Kingdom and the United States such as Richard James of Savile Row, Prada, Commes Des Garcons, and Timothy Everest. David Reeves David Reeves Bespoke Tailor Keen observation is crucial in fashion design. Really immerse yourself in the textures, movements and colors you see in the real world around you. Draw inspiration from the nuances you observe, and think about how your designs will translate from sketch to actual fabric.
Get inspiration from your competitors. Note the type of hardware (like zippers and buttons) comparative designers are using, as well as the comfort, breathability, and care of the fabrics they’ve chosen. Using your competitors for inspiration is not copying, but rather, product research to better your own designs and influence your style. Pay particular attention to best-sellers. These “favorite” items are a success for a reason. It’s up to you to determine what makes these items great and employ those characteristics in your own designs.
Play into your strengths by focusing on what you design best. Ask yourself what your strength is in design. Perhaps you're a whizz at accessories or a genius with yoga pants. Great fashion designers capitalize on their passions and skills while also focusing on what the market wants. To do this, pay close attention to current trends and look for opportunities to expand upon a current trend in a new and exciting way through your designs.
Setting Yourself Up for Success
Get educated about the business side of fashion. Being a successful fashion designer requires talent, creativity, and a sound knowledge of the business and marketing aspects of the fashion world. Keep yourself updated on the goings-on of the fashion industry by regularly reading trade journals like Women's Wear Daily. Many fashion design programs include courses in marketing and financial literacy. Some programs/majors highlight these helpful courses more than others, so be sure to do ample research on the coursework involved in the program you choose. Learn beyond design. There is an entire supply chain involved in the fashion industry, and you need to understand each person's job so that you can see things from their perspective too, to make compromises, meet demands and understand where things get held up. Research what others do, such as buyers, merchandisers, pattern cutters, garment and fabric technologists, quality controllers, graders, sample machinists, salespeople, PR and marketing people, fashion journalists, retailers, event organizers, stylists, and so forth. Know how much your customers spend, their lifestyles, where they like to shop, how they like to shop, and what they like and dislike. This will make you a more competitive designer because you’ll know what the customer wants. Always keep an eye on what other fashion designers in your area of interest are doing. Trade fairs are an excellent place to better understand how the fashion industry works behind the curtain, like supply chains and manufacturing plant operations.
Look for a job in fashion design. There are various ways to find work in the fashion industry as a designer, depending on the type of design you're interested in. Be willing to take a job that isn’t exactly in the sector of design that you’re interested in for the experience alone. Being versatile will help you land the job of your dreams as you gain more experience. You'll need to be persistent and apply to many different job listings in order to get your foot in the door. For starters, some places to apply to include: Existing fashion houses and designers with open listings like internships, entry-level paid positions, assistants to designers, etc. Costume positions with movie studios, theaters, costume stores, etc. Online advertisements through various online job platforms like Linkedin. Word of mouth––use your college or fashion industry contacts to get you through the door. This is a good way to get started in an industry that values what well-positioned people have to say.
Keep on top of your finances. The fashion industry is very expense-heavy, so you’ll need to pay close attention to the money your spending and making each month. If you’re not good with numbers, hiring an accountant to handle the financial aspects of your business is an excellent idea if you can afford to do so. Don’t forget that you can always work as a designer for a fashion house instead of running your own label if you don’t want to run your own business.
Design for your market. If you have a passion for designing bikinis but live in an often freezing climate, moving where the climate suits your designs might be beneficial and make them more likely to sell. Designing for your market is all about playing into the area's lifestyle. For example, cold climates sell a lot of jackets, whereas warm climates sell more shorts and dresses. By designing for your market or sending your designs elsewhere, you’ll be better able to sell the most product possible. Consider the power of selling online. With great stock photos and a user-friendly webpage design, you can sell to anyone, anywhere. Living in a city with a thriving fashion industry is a great way to kick-start your career. The following cities are among the top fashion capitals of the world: Paris, France London, England New York, US Milan, Italy Tokyo, Japan Barcelona, Spain Madrid, Spain Seoul, South Korea Toronto, Canada Sao Palo, Brazil Berlin, Germany Mumbai, India
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