The world of fashion often leaves us amazed, with its exotic photoshoots featuring glamorous and well-dressed models. Yet, in reality, all that glitz is a result of a lot of the professionals’ hard work within the fashion designing industry.

If you have a keen eye for high-quality fashion, you should consider a bachelor’s degree in fashion design. Read on to find out some useful tips on how to become a fashion designer and the opportunities awaiting you when you become one.

What do fashion designers do?

Fashion designing involves crafting and remodelling new clothes from different fabrics and textiles. As a fashion designer, you need to have an innate sense of what would look good on a customer, being able to assess which colours and shapes complement their body type.

Fashion designers usually imagine a design, sketch it on paper and then assemble the outfit based on that sketch. They can also create designs for footwear and accessories such as belts, hats or jewellery.

Tips for becoming a successful fashion designer:

Making it big in the fashion industry can be difficult, often requiring a lot of patience and hard work. These tips can help your journey to become a successful designer:

  • Pursue a course on the subject: While pursuing a degree is not mandatory to start to your career, it can certainly help you get a foot in the door of this glamorous world. Degree programmes allow you to hone your skills and network with important industry professionals through lectures and internships. You will also gain an overview of the different branches of fashion designing such as textile designing, jewellery designing, pattern making and fabric designing. It also provides a perspective of the business aspect of the industry.
  • Obtain hands-on experience: In the creative world of fashion design, theoretical knowledge is of little use without practical experience. Therefore, you should take time to practice your craft outside the school curriculum. Try to obtain paid/unpaid internships with local boutiques, small design firms or personal stylists which will allow you to continuously improve your design skills. You can also offer to volunteer for fashion houses if you cannot gain work experience.
  • Learn what goes on behind the scenes: Designing great clothes alone will not make you successful—you need to market them successfully and focus on business specifics such as customer satisfaction, financial management of a fashion house, marketing and sales. It is therefore important for you to focus on and develop your business plan that will help you sell your designs.
  • Create a portfolio: It is vital to establish yourself in the fashion world and get your name out there. Portfolios are a useful way to demonstrate your creative skills such as sketching, sewing and pattern making. You can fill your portfolio with your coursework or any projects from previous internships. The more organised your portfolio, the higher your chances of it impressing prospective clients and employers.
  • Keep up with the trends: The fashion industry is one of the most dynamic industries in the world. Popular fashion styles change within days and, with big brands continuously changing their top management, it is important for you to stay informed on the latest trends in this sector. Make sure to keep checking each update through fashion blogs, magazines and industry journals.

 

Career scope of fashion designing courses:

Whether you pursue BA Hons Fashion Design in New York or fashion designing courses in the UK, it is always useful to understand the scope of an academic qualification. With a degree, you will gain a multitude of opportunities to showcase your talents. Here are a few interesting roles that you could pursue with a degree in fashion design:  

  •       Freelance textile artist
  •       Home furnishings textile artist
  •       Product develop for interior design
  •       Fashion textile designer
  •       Fashion associate in a fashion house
  •       Freelance textile artist
  •       Home furnishings textile artist
  •       Product develop for interior design
  •       Fashion textile designer
  •       Fashion associate in a fashion house

 

Fashion design can be a financially and emotionally rewarding career, but it takes time to establish yourself. Irrespective of which branch of fashion design you choose, you most likely face many challenges such as irritated customers or some negative reviews of your designs. It is important to maintain a level head and keep trying.

If you are exploring options to pursue a fashion design degree in London, then the BA Hons Fashion Design degree offered by the London College of Contemporary Arts is a great choice. This degree can help you take your talent to the next level while learning from industry experts. The course allows you to showcase your own collection in the final year which will train you in all aspects of putting together a successful fashion show. Enrol in the course today to kick-start your fashion career.

 

This article is written by Sweha Hazari and edited by Amelia Hayward-Cole.