Fashion Design Careers

Congratulations on choosing a fashion design career. You are joining a growing field that, as of 2004, employed 17,000 people according to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. But, before embarking on your new career, you need to do some research. But don’t panic! Most of the research has been done for you…just read on.

What IS a Fashion Designer?

Fashion designers not only design clothes, they design images. Have you ever noticed how different clothing styles make you feel a different way? Well, you can thank fashion designers for that feeling.

Along with artistic talent, a good fashion designer has his or her thumb on the pulse of the fashion needs of society. They not only design the high fashion clothing that you see on the runways in Paris or New York City, but they also design “average” clothing like sports wear, lounge wear, and children’s clothing.

Fashion Design Skills

As unglamorous as this sounds, fashion designers do not spend all of their time actually designing clothing. Rather, a lot of their time is spent studying fashion trends, sketching their fashion ideas, selecting fabrics, attending fashion shows, and marketing their ideas. The skills needed to be a fashion designer, therefore, are quite varied.

To be a good fashion designer, you will need:

• Creativity with Fashion Flair. Fashion styles are in a constant state of flux. To keep up with these changes, fashion designers must continuously monitor the state of the fashion world. They need to be able to look at an “old” fashion with “new” eyes, and be able to create new styles out of that.
• Fashion Industry Smarts. As previously mentioned, fashion styles are in a constant state of flux. In order to keep ahead of these changes, a fashion designer must thoroughly know the fashion industry. They must have a knowledge of past trends and a knowledge of current trends in order to create clothing that the pubic will want now.
• Business Acumen. Along with their knowledge of the fashion climate, they must have knowledge of the business climate. Fashion designers do not create their fashions in a vacuum. They must be able to find the probable market for the clothing that they create and then find a way to actually market them to that particular demographic.
• Grace under Pressure. Fashion designing is a very fast-paced, pressure-filled occupation. You need to be able to work under, and meet, tight deadlines. You must be able to work as part of a team amongst many varied personalities. You must be able to change certain aspects of your designers—or even the entire design—in an instant.

Becoming a Fashion Designer

Although not a requirement, a college degree in fashion design can help you to succeed in this competitive field.

There are many fashion design schools around the country. Some of these programs can be completed within 1 year (certificates and diplomas), in 2 years (associate’s), or in 4 years (bachelor’s). The certificate and diploma programs are more job specific, in that their curriculums focus on the actual task of fashion designing. Associate’s and bachelor’s degrees in fashion design, by contrast, will give you an education that extends beyond fashion design.

Before enrolling in any fashion design program, make sure that it is accredited by either the National Association of Schools of Art and Design (NASAD) or by the Accrediting Council for Independent Colleges and Schools (ACICS) or one of six regional accrediting boards. Such accreditation ensures that you will receive the education that meets the fashion industry standards.