The life of a fashion designer can be a busy but rewarding one. Learn more here on succeeding in this high-stakes world.
Overview
Fashion designers are very busy bees. It’s their job to create the latest designs for upcoming seasons, whether it’s for men, women or children and one of these will be your speciality. This could even be shoes, bags, sunglasses or anything else.
You can be self-employed or work as part of a larger company where you’ll have briefs to work upon, covering everything from budget to fabrics you can use.
There are three main areas to find work in:
High street fashion: the majority of fashion designers are hired here and work on mass-manufactured garments.
Ready-to-wear: also called Pret-a-porter. The manufacturing process here is much longer than in the fast fashion high street world.
Haut Couture: this is the most lucrative field.
Typical tasks
Creating designs using computer software or through illustration
Working in a team of designers/forecasters to create new clothing
Working with sales people and business developers to conduct research on future sales.
Working conditions
It’s likely you’ll be working regular hours in an office or even a design studio. Travel may also be a part of your job description whether it’s national or international.
Qualifications
A degree in fashion design is a great start. If you wish to study further, MA’s in fashion design are also common as are the number of fashion colleges/institutions where you can study at. Graphic design is also a good area to consider to improving your illustrative techniques and knowledge of creative software.
Other important skills
It’s important to have a good eye for colour and to take note of latest trends so you’re aware of what’s on trend and what’s not.
You need to be able to sell what you create and have confidence in your creations.
If you believe this is the dream job for you, check out LCCA’s BA (Hons) Fashion Design course.