Content

• Steps
• Method 1 of 5: Hone your craft
• Method 2 of 5: Choosing a Direction
• Method 3 of 5: Willingness to Enter the Fashion Industry
• Method 4 of 5: The Path to Success
• Method 5 of 5: Build a portfolio
• Tips
• Warnings

You don't need to have a special education or qualifications to become a fashion designer, but it is still not easy to be successful in this area. You must have good drawing, sewing and design skills, as well as being good at fashion and being very tough. In this article, you will find some tips for aspiring designers.

Steps

Method 1 of 5: Hone your craft

1. 1 Develop your skills. The successful fashion designer has a wide range of skills, including drawing, the ability to combine colors and textures, the ability to think in three dimensions, and the technical skills in cutting and sewing all types of fabric. ...
   • If you do not yet possess these skills sufficiently, sign up for courses or study yourself. As a clothing designer, you have to be able to sew something special from complex fabric in any situation. You should be comfortable using sewing machines, including industrial sewing machines, and be good at hand sewing.
   • Learn to make patterns and sketches. Throughout your career, you will need to be able to come up with your own style and recreate it in accordance with your desires. Some people find this skill difficult.
   • Understand how the fabric moves, drapes, breathes, deforms during wear, etc. Your in-depth knowledge of fabric is essential to create a worthy outfit. You also need to understand the types of material.
   • Gather information about existing designers, not just who they are, but their past, corporate identity. This knowledge will help you create yourself as a designer, because you can borrow some of their ideas.
   • Learn to create a theme and clothing line. Explore current trends through the media, shopping or attending fashion shows.
2. 2 Start developing skills at a young age. Be prepared to devote a lot of time to honing your craft. Constantly learn. It would be nice to get a diploma and degree in fashion design or take specialized courses. You will learn a lot, make useful contacts and get the opportunity to demonstrate your skills to a small audience (be prepared for criticism!). So you can:
   • Earn a fashion designer degree. Most programs last 3-4 years. You will learn how to draw, combine colors and compositions, make sketches and drape fabric .. In addition, you will work with professionals in their field who can provide you with patronage in the future or give feedback on your work, so to speak, firsthand.
   • Apply for an internship. If you think that nothing can replace real practice, look for an internship in fashion. To apply, you will need a good portfolio and a willingness to start from scratch. Trainees are often used as handymen, such as bringing coffee. Again, you will be working with professionals and making a lot of good connections.

Method 2 of 5: Choosing a Direction

1. 1 Choose your field of work based on your main interests. Perhaps you will start from scratch, but already now you should have a good idea of ​​what kind of clothing you want to design. What do you like best: haute couture, ready-to-wear, sports and leisure equipment, entering the mass market or choosing a specific niche like sustainable clothing? Each point has its own merits and demerits, which you must study before making a decisive choice. Within each sphere there are subdivisions, which you must also take into account and choose. Of course, you can start with several, but it is better to achieve excellence in one area and then move on to another. For example:
   • Womens casual wear, womens evening wear
   • Mens casual wear, mens evening wear
   • Clothes for children, clothes for teenagers
   • Clothing for sports, fitness, leisure
   • Knitted products
   • Outerwear
   • Bridal clothing
   • Accessories
   • Costumes for theater, cinema, advertising or for retailers.
2. 2 Moderate your ambition. Think real needs first, fame second. It's fashionable to look great, but the clothes won't sell by themselves. If you are planning to become a designer, you will be dressing more than just celebrities. This is less than 1% of all people - this is not how you make a living. Yes, famous fashion houses are written about in magazines, but this is advertising, not real life. In fact, designers are most needed by ordinary people with ordinary figures who want to dress beautifully.Therefore, do not look down on them, otherwise you will never make money. The reality is that you are not creating for yourself, but for others.
3. 3 Ask buyers what they want. Be realistic: If you live in a hot country, it will not be easy for you to sell winter jackets. Look around. What do people need? What do they want? For example, if you plan to design a whole collection, there should be more "tops" (tops, blouses, shirts, jumpers) in it than "bottoms", since there are more of these things in the wardrobe of an ordinary person than skirts and trousers. Tops and shirts are a great way to diversify your wardrobe, while simple, perfectly fitting pants can be paired with any. Be simpler and more realistic. Whimsical sketches are fine on paper, but cute blouses and jeans will sell better than evening dresses.
4. 4 You might think mass-market items aren't as glamorous as luxury wear for the rich or evening wear, but they'll keep you paying the bills. If you want to create models that will be released in hundreds of copies, you need to make the right decisions from the very beginning. This helps to develop your design skills as you need to have a perfect understanding of how the look and cut should be. Unsuccessful models won't sell and your boss will lose a lot of money.
5. 5 Get inspired by your competitors. See and note what fabrics they use, what size of zippers they sew in, what properties of fabrics matter (density, comfort, breathability, ease of care), what colors are popular in your country. Starting by studying your competitors doesn't mean copying; it means watching. After analyzing all the best, you will understand what makes a thing attractive (and subsequently loved). These are usually bestseller products. Your customers - shop buyers or ordinary people - want to buy clothes that suit them. Extravagant things are worn only a few times a year. They are beautiful, but they won't let you make a living.
6. 6 Pick a few key details. What are your strengths? Perhaps you have a talent for making accessories, or you are a genius at making yoga pants. Combine your passion with your skills. However, do not forget about the market requirements. A fashion business is both the ability to convince the market that it needs your design and the ability to notice what is in demand in the market.

Method 3 of 5: Willingness to Enter the Fashion Industry

1. 1 Be honest about your skills and personality before embarking on a career as a fashion designer. You may love clothes, but clothes are only part of the profession. You also need excellent communication skills, the willingness to work hard and hard (often 24 hours a day, 7 days a week), the ability to accept criticism and deal with pressure. You should be open to communicating with a large flow of clients or bosses, realize that at times you will have to be completely alone and isolated (depending on the manner of doing business), and also have strict self-discipline.
   • A career as a fashion designer is for you if: you want to devote your life to a career (this is your vocation), you are ready to defend your beliefs, you have a clear understanding of the main criteria of fashion, you know how to listen to the client, know the fashion industry from the inside, live and breathe fashion ...
   • Fashion designer careers are probably not for you if: you don’t know how to deal with stress, don’t want the ups and downs in your career, you need other people to encourage your success, you need mentoring, you hate financial instability and you a lot of interests in life.

Method 4 of 5: The Path to Success

1. 1 Learn to do business in the fashion industry. Being a fashion designer requires not only talent and creativity, but you also need business knowledge and marketing fundamentals to be successful.Stay up to date with all the events taking place in the fashion industry by regularly reading specialized magazines. For example, Women’s Wear Daily or Daily News Record.
   • Most fashion design courses already include marketing courses. In some programs, marketing is covered more fully, in some not particularly, so always do extensive and in-depth research as part of the course assignments.
   • Think beyond design. The fashion industry has an entire supply chain and you need to know the specifics of each job and understand many details in order to find compromises, meet requirements and have an idea of ​​where it comes from. Find out what buyers, merchandisers, cutters, technologists, quality controllers, appraisers, salespeople, PR managers, fashion journalists, retailers, trade fair organizers, fashion stylists, and many more do.
   • Be clear about your target audience. This is a basic and necessary skill that should never be lost. You need to know how much money shoppers are spending, what their lifestyle is, what stores they prefer, what they like and what they don't. You must know all their needs, and marketing courses will help you with this.
   • You need to know your competitors. Always be aware of what fashion designers are doing in your area of ​​interest. At the very least, keep up with them. Know your competitors.
   • Trade shows are the best place to develop a deep understanding of how the fashion industry works and what will help you meet your consumer needs while staying competitive.
2. 2 Look for a job for a fashion designer. There are several ways to find work in the fashion industry as a designer, depending on your area of ​​interest. Your flexibility and versatility can play into your hands, you will have a good experience, and in the future you will do what you like. Or you may need to be very persistent in sending out your resume to different organizations. Where can you look for work:
   • Modern fashion houses and design studios - look for internships, low-paying positions, assistant jobs, and more.
   • Work for film studios, theaters, costume shops, etc.
   • Online classifieds
   • Word of mouth - use your college connections. Connections are of great importance in the fashion world.
3. 3 If you are starting your own business, you will need financial skills. You may be exceptionally talented, but you need an entrepreneurial spirit to run your own brand. It is your responsibility to understand the bills, numbers and invoices that accumulate on your desk. Of course, you can hire an accountant, but you still have to figure it out yourself. If you are completely unable and do not like to deal with abacus, it is better to look for a job in one of the fashion houses, instead of running your own business.
   • Decide if you will have a private enterprise, partnership, corporation, or something else. There are advantages and disadvantages in everything, which you should discuss with your financial analyst before the registration procedure.
4. 4 Be realistic. You may be following all the market trends, but it all depends on how you operate and sell. Selling haute couture in the countryside is pointless, just like offering bikinis to an Eskimo. You need to focus on what is suitable for your area and living conditions, and what will be in high demand.
   • Take a closer look at your surroundings. As a creative person, you need to constantly be in a creative environment, around creative people from whom you can borrow some of the ideas. It will be much more difficult for you to work on your own without having people from the fashion industry next to you.
   • Keep in mind the seasonality of your garments by paying attention to what type of clothing you make and where you want to sell it.
   • Consider selling online.This way, you can sell your belongings all over the world and minimize dependence on your place of residence and natural conditions. This option is especially good for those who are satisfied with a small business.
   • Many designers aspire to live in cities where the fashion industry is thriving. The main fashion capitals are (in descending order):
     • London, England
     • New York, USA
     • Barcelona, ​​Spain
     • Paris, France
     • Madrid, Spain
     • Rome, Italy
     • Sao Paulo, Brazil
     • Milan, Italy
     • Los Angeles, USA
     • Berlin, Germany

Method 5 of 5: Build a portfolio

1. 1 Collect a portfolio of your work. You need it to apply for a job or internship, because this is your chance to sell yourself and your work. Your portfolio should include the best work that showcases your skills and creativity. He will put everything in a beautiful folder to show his serious intentions. Include in your portfolio:
   • Hand-drawn sketches and their photos
   • Computer-made designs
   • Summary
   • Pages with your concept
   • Pages with fabrics and flowers
   • Something else that reflects your personality.

Tips

• Whenever possible, always wear your own clothing. This is the best advertisement for your clothes.
• If you have your own business, design a good logo. It will reflect your style and you will stand out from the start. You can hire a graphic designer to design your logo.
• Get in the habit of bringing food and snacks with you. You can work long hours without leaving your room.
• When starting your business, choose a permanent lawyer, financial and marketing analysts who you can pay only as needed for their services, not including on permanent staff.
• Read a lot. Find biographies and life stories of style icons in your area of ​​interest. Study their experience and think about what you can learn from it.

Warnings

• The fashion industry is very competitive: you can only succeed in this industry if you fully devote yourself to it. You also need to be able to deal with and accept criticism by being able to identify constructive remarks and jealous jabs. But in any case, the main thing is to believe in yourself.
• Once you decide to design catwalk clothes, you will enter the toughest circle of the fashion industry. You will have to deal with very skinny models during fittings, cope with sarcasm from other designers and the elite of the fashion industry, and do everything in no time.
• A designer's job requires a lot of physical stamina. You will have to work many hours to meet the deadline.