Career Blog Post: Fashion Designer

A fashion designer creates and develops original clothing designs by finding inspiration, consulting market data, and sketching out ideas. Many fashion designers collaborate with other departments in a fashion company to create samples of garments and then work with manufacturers and suppliers to bring the original designs to the consumer market.

Most fashion designers obtain either an associate's degree or a bachelor's degree in order to receive technical training in garment instruction and experience with industry-grade supplies and software. While fashion design is the most common major for the field, others follow specialized majors like menswear design, knitwear design, and textile design that can open doors to specific job opportunities. Many of the world's top fashion programs reside in the four fashion capitals of the world: London, Paris, Milan, and New York. New York in particular is the home to three of the best fashion schools in the world, as ranked by Vogue. The Fashion Institute of Technology is in Chelsea and is recognized for fabulous internship opportunities, industry-level materials and instruction, and a distinguished faculty, many of whom also work in the fashion industry and bring valuable experience to the classroom. Parsons School of Design is not far from FIT, residing in Greenwich Village, and offers a comprehensive fashion design program that emphasizes new technologies and conceptual art. The Pratt Institute, also in NYC, is, too, often recognized to have a great fashion program that highlights avant-garde designs and the true art of the industry. VCU is another great choice that is closer to MLWGS, offering a fashion design program and fashion merchandising program for students who are more interested in the business side of the industry.

In terms of day-to-day life, many fashion designers start their day by dissecting pieces of inspiration, whether that be from books, movies, or right outside on the street. As designers consult more and more inspiration, they start to sketch out key ideas to further develop or discuss with other designers. Many companies prefer for designers to be able to use computer software like Adobe Illustrator to further their designs on the web. Before lunch, fashion design companies hold meetings with employees of different areas, from textile design to marketing, so the entire team can ensure that the given collection will be a success! In the afternoon, designers oversee the production process by sourcing fabrics and consulting with patternmakers. Although fashion designers may not draft patterns themselves as a part of their job, experience in pattern drafting and pattern programs like CLO3D is often essential. Most designers end their days by attending events like fashion shows and meeting clients to prepare them for the next day of work.