How To Become A Fashion Designer

There are two skills which any good fashion designer possesses: sewing and drawing. Sewing is obviously of vital importance, but it helps to be able to draw/sketch your ideas on paper. These are perhaps the two most fundamental skills required in order to become a fashion designer.

You can always learn both drawing and sewing in fashion school (actually, those are typically mandatory classes), but creativity and a passion for fashion is something you must have in your blood.

But becoming a successful fashion designer requires a lot more than simply being able to sew and draw. Becoming a successful fashion designer requires determination, commitment, and equally important, a comprehensive understanding of how the fashion industry works.

Knowing the business side of the fashion industry can literally mean the difference between a highly successful and completely unknown fashion designer.

A Fashion Design Program at a reputable school can prepare you with the skills and knowledge you’ll need to break into this exciting, competitive industry. You’ll learn firsthand from professionals in the field in a structured and practical setting. You’ll learn how things are done in the industry and how to do them efficiently so you can make the most of your time. You’ll be guided through the exact steps you’ll need to take in order to start your career as a fashion designer and you’ll be well prepared and ready to face the challenges that await you.

Hey guys! I just want to give you some information I think is great for you guys to know before entering college and give you an idea of the type of stuff taught in a fashion design program. It’s called The Design Process. It’s the process you go through from conception to execution for any garment. The process includes: getting a target market, researching, choosing your fabric, sketching, taking measurements, drafting patterns, sewing muslin, checking the fit and start sewing the actual garment. These are simple yet important steps for every aspiring fashion designer to follow. Let’s break it down.

1)      Getting a target market: when designing it’s not only what you like – but incorporating what your target person likes and feels comfortable in. Interview your target market, take notes and try to make them feel comfortable with you, and try to understand their needs.

2) Researching: seasons change, trends change and color stories change. You need to know what’s in and what’s not. Use trend forecasting sources like style.com or stylesight.com. Write what you like and mix it with what your target likes. Remember you are designing for them not for you!

3)      Choose you fabric: before starting to sketch choosing your fabric is really important. Your designs depend on your fabric; if you are designing something that flows and is sheer then you would get chiffon or a silk. If you are making a suit you have to get wool or heavy cotton. Fabric also depends on the season you are choosing.

4)      Sketching: now you know what your customer wants, what is “in” for the season you have chosen and the fabrics you will use for your garment. Use your imagination still following your customers guidelines.

5)      Taking measurements: take measurements, it’s an important step to accomplish either by standardized sizes or for a specific customer.

6)      Drafting patterns: in order to sew a garment you will have to develop some patterns. There are books that will help you develop basic patterns and then show you how to modify them to fit your design. Ex: Patternmaking for Fashion Design.

7)      Sewing muslin: muslin is the standard fabric used to make garments for fitting tests. It is very important to sew a muslin first incase our patterns have to be modified.

8)      Checking fit: if it doesn’t fit you will have to redraft your patterns and make another muslin garment.

9)      Start sewing actual garment: when your muslin looks exactly like you wanted, celebrate and start sewing your actual garment with the fabric chosen in step 3.

Found this information useful and/or interesting? A Fashion Design Program might be right for you!

A look at how my drawing skills have evolved this past year.

A)   Represents my drawing level when applying to Fashion Design School.

B)   Represents drawing techniques learned in Drawing I.

c)   Represents drawing techniques learned in Drawing II.

D)    My level at present

- hope to post more soon!