Fashion Designers


“Fashion is not something that exists in dresses only. Fashion is in the sky, in the street; fashion has to do with ideas, the way we live, what is happening.” ― Coco Chanel


Fashion Designing is an art that consists of the creation of clothing and accessories. It revolves around the application of design and aesthetics to make clothing and accessories beautiful and comfortable. Practitioners of this art are called Fashion Designers. Their aim is to create functional and aesthetically pleasing clothes and accessories. Fashion Designers are influenced by a variety of things including location, time, culture etc. They study current fashion to anticipate future trends and then design products accordingly.

Fashion Designing is a very profitable career if you have the passion and aptitude for it. Success in this industry generally means a lot of creative freedom, fame and a lot of money. It is a great career with a great future as people always want to look their best and Fashion Designing works towards achieving that. Fashion Designers work for big fashion companies, garment export companies or work independently. They have to deal with a lot of competition from all around the world and therefore have to keep coming up with new ideas through which they can help people express their personalities through their clothes.


What do Fashion Designers do?

Fashion Designers create clothing, accessories and jewelry. Professionals who design clothing might specialize in different types of clothing like sportswear, child wear etc. A lot Fashion Designers are now also into designing and creating footwear.


One of the most important jobs of a Fashion Designer is researching about current fashion and predicting future trends. Fashion designers research about what is in fashion currently through magazines, journals, internet, television etc. The designer who can predict future trends has great chances of becoming successful as he/she will create products not according to the ongoing trend but rather the upcoming trend. Hence his products will sell more and stay in vogue for a longer period of time.

The main job of a Fashion Designer is to create the basic design for his product. This can be done through storyboarding or stitching pieces of cloth together. This is called the first draft of the design. The Designer will then further work on this and make adjustments after making a prototype.
Fashion Designers often use computer based software like CAD to create detailed sketches. These sketches form the base of the design that is supposed to be worked on. Even though some designers still prefer to make hand – drawn sketches, most now use computer software.
Once the designer has made a detailed sketch, he gets into the details of the designing of the product. This includes modifying the product to perfectly fit and drape around the human body. Designers also work on details like colors, materials etc. at this stage.

The most important job of a Fashion Designer is to actually sew the products. In large companies, this is done by a specialized team of workers, but in smaller companies, the designers might themselves have to work on the sewing of their garments.

Fashion shows are a very important part of the fashion industry. They help designers showcase their latest collections to prospective buyers and the public. Fashion Designers have to regularly arrange fashion shows where they invite people from the rest of the fashion fraternity to showcase and discuss their latest collection.

In a lot of companies, Fashion Designers are closely involved with the pricing of products. They work with the sales and marketing teams to come up with a suitable price at which the product can be sold so that the company also makes a profit and the consumers are also able to afford it.
Fashion Designers are a part of every process that their product goes through. They normally play a major part in choosing fabrics, colors, and materials etc. for their products and constantly research and look for new fabrics and materials.

Fashion Designers who are involved with a particular company work very closely with the Sales, Marketing, Production and buying teams to figure out the status of their sales and ways through which the sales can improve.


How to become a Fashion Designer?

The recent growth in world economy and the globalization process has created awareness amongst people regarding world fashion and ongoing trends. People now concentrate much more on how they look than before. Such a scenario helps Fashion Designers satisfy their creative urge as they can come up with more original ideas that will be readily accepted by this ‘global village’. Becoming a Fashion Designer is not easy, but if you have the talent, the drive and determination then you go very far in this industry.


Even though education is not a necessity for Fashion Designers, most companies now prefer graduates with a good knowledge base in design related arts. Therefore it is important to focus on subjects like History, Culture Studies, Sketching and Painting. You should take Arts after your 10th.

Once you complete your schooling, you should join an institution that provides formal education in Fashion and related fields like Fine Arts. This will help you expand your knowledge base and know your strengths and weaknesses. You can also choose to pursue a Master’s degree after your graduation. This might help you get better jobs and more creative freedom.

Internships and assisting Fashion Designers can help you go a long way in the fashion industry. Work as an intern as much as possible during your school and college years. This will help you gain necessary industry experience and you will get to learn from professional Fashion Designers.
Networking is an essential part of the fashion industry. You should try network with as many people as possible. Establishing good relations with important people can help you get preference over others and help you rise above the competition.

To become a Fashion Designer, start studying fashion on your own. You should research about different cultures and their fashion trends. Find out more about different types of materials and their costs. Get to know as much about different types of fabrics as possible.

Most Fashion Designers now use computer based software to make sketches. Therefore, it is important to take computer classes and learn software like CAD. This will help you easily create high quality sketches and showcase your creativity to a large amount of people.


Institutions:

There are many colleges and institutions in India which offer good courses in Fashion Designing and related fields. The National Institute of Fashion Technology, New Delhi is one of the best institutions in the country that offers courses in fashion. It offers a Bachelor’s of Fashion Technology degree in Apparel production. It also offers a Bachelor’s of Design degree in Fashion and Textile Designing. The Pearl Academy of Fashion, Delhi is another important institution for fashion related courses. It offers a vast range of B.A (Hons.) courses in subjects like Fashion Design, Fashion Media Communication, Fashion Styling and Image Design, Jewelry Design etc. It also offers great Master’s courses in Fashion Textile and Fashion Marketing. You get a Master’s of Arts degree upon graduation.


What are the skills required to become a Fashion Designer?

Fashion Designers are hard working people who use their creativity to make others look better. They need to have a strong creative and aesthetic sense. They should be stylish and have the ability to solve problems through their creativity. Fashion Designers should be patient and have excellent communication skills. They need to have the ability to coordinate different departments such as production, marketing, sales etc. at the same time. They need to have the ability to manage time and money. Fashion Designers should also have an eye for detail and should strive towards perfection. They need to be able to work in a team and alone as well. Fashion Designers should have excellent drawing skills and computer skills. They should have a good knowledge base in computer based drafting software like CAD.


Is this the right career for me?

Fashion Designers lead hectic lives. They work under a lot of pressure as they have to meet deadlines and manage budgets. They often work for long hours. It is a physically and mentally taxing career. Designers have to constantly strive towards perfection and find a balance between creativity and commercialism. It is an adventurous and a glamorous career that has very little job security. It is to be kept in mind that there is a lot of competition in this industry and the probability of one becoming very successful are very little. But if you have the talent, the passion and the drive then anything is possible.

So if you’re looking for a regular job that provides you with good money and decent job security, and if you’re not comfortable with working for long hours under constant pressure, then this isn’t the right career for you. But if you have a passion for glamour and adventure, and if you want to use your creativity to come up with products that other people can use and benefit from, then this might just be your perfect job.

To know more about what it is like to work in the Designing Industry, click here.


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