You know you love to design... but do you want to become a professional fashion designer? If so, where should you begin? How can you make fashion design your career?
This career guide provides a simple reference depicting what most professional designers say about their fashion design training and their career. Where should you begin? Where should you study to undergo extensive fashion design training? Are there shortcuts? What do well known professional fashion designers say about their path to success? What do designers make and what is the career outlook for fashion professionals? Get your questions answered here.
The sections in this guide are:
Fashion Design Education: Most fashion designers attend an accredited fashion design school. It is helpful to attend a school in an area where you will live and work as most local companies respect and know the programs. Most designers say attending fashion school is critical as well as rewarding. Please see our list of recommended schools on the left-hand side -- all of them can provide information on their fashion design programs, degrees, and locations.
Fashion Designing Compensation Depending on the position compensation can vary substantially. An assistant starting position in New York City currently earns $25,000 a year right out of school. But a head designer typically earns a 6-figure salary, depending on the company. The more corporate a company, the more standard the compensation will be, whereas smaller companies provide a greater depth of learning. It is also true that smaller companies are sometimes the most famous and prestigious.
Typical Fashion Design and Fashion Merchandising Positions Include:
Apparel Buyer
Buyers often work closely with fashion directors to help decide the styles, colors, patterns, and sizes of clothing and accessories to put in the stores. Apparel buyers may visit vendors at fashion showrooms and markets in order to view and discuss collections. Buyers need to be able to evaluate garments and negotiate terms of sales.
Fashion Director
Fashion directors are always very busy and "on the go." Their daily activities are varied and exciting, and may include forecasting trends and producing fashion shows. Fashion shows could involve supervising set designers, hiring models, and directing makeup artists and dressers.
Independent Clothing Designer
Some designers choose to work directly with independent clients, designing styles that suit their clients' unique personalities. Designers may create styles for special events or for everyday-wear. Check out www.localpatron.com to see examples of talented independent clothing designers.
Manufacturer's Representative
Representatives of apparel manufacturers and designers often travel from market to market to show the season's new lines to prospective buyers. A representative must be able to set up samples, set up showrooms, promote their products, interact well with past customers, and acquire new ones.
Personal Shopper
Solid communication skills, a keen sense of taste, and a service-first attitude are needed for this one-on-one career. In a private setting, personal shoppers help customers choose clothes and accessories and sometimes an entire wardrobe. Personal shoppers could work in a private designer salon within a larger store, and may show clothing at a client's home or office.
Specialty Manager
Some managers may be in charge of a specific line of merchandise, such as handbags, lingerie, jewelry, or furs. Possible tasks include setting up displays, supervising employees, pricing goods, coordinating sales, and helping customers. Each day of a manager's career may be filled with a different schedule of activities that keeps them on the move.
Where to Start:
Professional fashion designers need to go to a design school for training and certification.
Click here to see a Complete Listing of Fashion Design Schools near you.
Fashion Design Career Resources: |
