Content

• Steps
• Advice
• Warning

There is no formal program or degree that can guarantee your success when entering the fashion design path. To become a designer, you need a perfect combination of drawing, sewing and design skills, knowledge of the fashion industry and persistence. You should also have an impressive design portfolio and have a general understanding of business and finance.

Steps

Part 1 of 5: Hone your fashion design skills

1. 

   Develop your skills. Famous fashion designers possess a wide range of skills, including drawing, color and material mixing, the ability to visualize designs in three dimensions, sewing and cropping techniques. all fabrics.
   • Take an elite tailoring course if you aren't proficient at this skill right now. Being able to sew a variety of fabrics that are difficult to handle in challenging situations will help you keep your career going, however, you need to practice it - it's a skill that's hard to achieve for many people.
   • Understand the softness, coolness, durability of the fabric ... A deep understanding of fabrics is essential to be able to use it properly in the design. In addition, you must know the sources to import fabrics.
   • Learn from contemporary designers, not only who they are, but also their background, their own style, their learning background, and where they were trained. These will help you become a better designer as you can borrow and develop their ideas.
   • Learn how to create concept boards and product scopes. You need to be good at researching fashion trends and finding inspiration from social media sites, comparing prices and qualities of various brands and trade show shows.
   • Start developing these skills early. Be willing to spend a lot of time perfecting your skills. A little practice each day will help you gain long-term insight if you plan to enter this career. If you try to achieve everything at the same time, it will be easy to get discouraged.

2. 

   
   
   Learn more. If possible, you should study for a degree or certificate in fashion design, or study related programs. You will learn more, make great connections and gain more opportunities to show off your skills in a less extreme environment (but you still have to be open to criticism! Do either (or both) of the following:
   • Learn for a degree in fashion design. Most programs are 3 to 4 years in length. FIDM and Parsons are two of the most famous fashion design schools in America. You will learn how to draw, match colors and layout, create textures, and design patterns. In order to learn those essential skills, you will have to work with industry experts, which are potential future relationships who can give you product advice and suggestions. .
   • Sign up for an internship or an apprenticeship. If you are not interested in studying at school, or simply want to learn from practical experience, look for opportunities to practice in fashion design. You'll need an impressive profile and are willing to start from the bottom; The interns will be assigned small tasks like going to get coffee. The relationships you make during an internship or an apprenticeship will be critical in your future career, and experience working with industry professionals will give you the opportunity to learn firsthand. skill is important.
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Part 2 of 5: Finding passion in fashion

1. 

   
   
   Decide which fashion design field you like best. You may have to start from scratch, but you should still have some design goals in mind for the type of design you will pursue over the long term. Do you like high-end tailoring (haute couture), convenience fashion, sportswear, popular fashion or towards more unique markets such as eco-fashion? Each area has advantages and disadvantages that you need to research before making a final decision. In each of the major areas above, you will also have to decide on some other sub-branches. You may want to implement lots of ideas, but when you first get into the profession, don't force yourself. You'd better complete your design in one area first, then experiment with other ideas once you have a strong foothold in the industry. For example:
   • Women's day clothes, evening dresses for ladies
   • Men's clothing during the day, men's evening attire
   • Children's costumes for men / women; youth outfits
   • Fitness / sports / athletic clothing
   • Knitwear
   • Picnic, adventure, outerwear
   • Wedding dress
   • Accessories
   • Casual dress
   • Costumes for dramas, movies, advertisements and retail.

2. 

   
   
   Lower the ego. Think about your real needs before thinking about your reputation. Gorgeous outfits won't make you enough money. If you are going to be a fashion designer, you won't be able to just make clothes for yourself or just celebrities. Doing so will not make you enough money to cover your life because those people do not make up 1% of the population. Even if you see alcohol-like names in magazines, it's just advertising, not reality. It won't work out like that. People who have imperfect bodies and still want to look beautiful are really in need of fashion designers. Disrespecting them will hinder your money. The reality is that you won't design your own outfit, but someone else's.

3. 

   Ask customers' needs. Be realistic: if you live in a country with a warm climate, you won't be able to sell ski jackets. You need to look around. What do people need and want? For example, if you were to design an entire collection, you would need to make more shirts than skirts / pants, because in general, most people own more shirts. To change the look, a shirt will be a great outfit, while a slick pair of pants will fit almost any shirt. Always be simple and realistic. The sumptuous design sketches on paper always look great, but the beautiful shirts and jeans drive overwhelming sales compared to the evening gown.

4. 

   Give in. Popular fashion may not be as glamorous as party dresses or lavish outfits, but it can get you going and making money. If you need to create an outfit that can be produced more than a hundred times, you'll have to get it right from the start. This will improve your design skills as you will need to have absolute knowledge of the fabric to be used. Bad clothing styles will be dull and make your boss lose money.

5. 

   Inspired by competitors. Observe and pay attention to the fabric they use; the size of their zipper (so that their clothes are durable in use); fabric quality and its properties such as absorbency, comfort, and airiness; color is prevalent in the area you live. Competitor reference is not copying: it is observation. By learning the strengths of each product and analyzing them, you will learn more about the characteristics of a "popular" outfit. They are often the best-selling suits. Your customers (whether they buy them for resale or are just regular retail buyers) will want clothes that make them more beautiful. Gorgeous outfits are worn for only a few occasions a year, and they cannot provide you with enough income.

6. 

   Plan for key outfits. What is your absolute strength in design? Maybe you design a very skilled fashion accessory, or you are a genius in making yoga pants. Passion and skills are a necessary condition. Of course, the sufficient condition is that they match the taste - which in fashion one part of taste is to convince the buyer and the other to recognize the needs of the market. advertisement

Part 3 of 5: Does the fashion industry welcome you

1. 

   Honestly evaluate skills and personality before pursuing a career in fashion design. You may love clothes, but that is only part of your pursuit of fashion design. You also need good communication skills, willing to work hard (usually 24/7), have the courage to be criticized, the ability to deal with stress, and open up to many other customers. each other and / or superiors, sometimes accepting loneliness or isolation (depending on how you start a business) and the ability to adhere to discipline and independence.
   • You are suitable for this job if: You want to dedicate your whole life to this job (your "lifelong career"), you do not care about the uncertainty or instability of the job, you want to protect your trust. You have different ideas about what's important in fashion, you listen to your customers, you know the fashion industry very well, and you eat, sleep, and breathe fashion.
   • You are not suitable for this job if: You are not good at dealing with stress, you do not like the uncertainty or instability of the job, you want a low-volatile job, you need others to praise all your efforts, you need a lot of guidance, you hate being preoccupied with finance and you have so many other interests.
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Part 4 of 5: Equipment for success

1. 

   Get formal education in the fashion business. To be a successful fashion designer, you not only need talent and creativity, you also need a deep knowledge of business and marketing in the fashion world. Stay on top of the latest fashion news by reading magazines like Women's Wear Daily and Daily News Record.
   • Many fashion design programs include a marketing course. Some programs / specialties promote marketing more than others, so find out about the subject plan in the program of your choice. If you've taken a course that doesn't cover finance or marketing, sign up for short courses in that area.
   • Learn about the things that are out of design. There is a whole supply chain related to the fashion industry, and you need to understand the work of each department, so you will understand their point of view so that you can compromise. and understand how to organize things. Find out about the work of other people, for example buyer, trader, cutter, fabricator, quality manager, sorter, assistant worker, salesman, PR officer, professional journalist. fashion segment, retailers, event organizers, stylists ...
   • Know your customers. This is a basic skill and very essential, every fashion designer should not ignore this skill. Know how much customers are willing to pay, their lifestyle, how they shop, what they like and what they dislike. Know what are urgent needs and what items can only be purchased when a customer's after-tax income is abundant. If you have studied marketing, you will have a solid understanding of customer needs.
   • Understand your competition. Always observe what fashion designers are doing in the industry you love. At least, always keep up with them. However, it is best to stay ahead of them while still meeting the needs of your customers.
   • The trade fair is a great place to get a deeper understanding of how the fashion market works, as well as what it is right for you to meet the needs of your customers and stay competitive.

2. 

   Looking for fashion designer jobs. There are many ways to find this job, depending on the type of design you like. In some cases, being flexible will help you a lot, so you can learn from the experience that you will later enter into your true passion. And in most cases, you will have to persistently apply in many places before entering the profession. For starters, you can apply at:
   • Reputable fashion design centers - look for internships, paid-in-experience jobs, assistants for designers ...
   • Position in charge of costumes for film crews, troupes, costume shops ...
   • Advertise online through online job agencies
   • Referrals - get recommendations from people in the industry or at school for a suitable job. In an industry that takes seniors' words so seriously as fashion, this is a great way to get started in your career.

3. 

   If you plan to start a business, always spend it wisely. You may be extremely creative, but make sure that if you are going to create your own brand, you need to be business savvy. You need to understand the numbers and invoices on your desk. If you hate those things, there are still other options like accounting tax to take care of your finances, but it's best to keep an eye on things. And if you really hate having to take care of your own finances, work in a fashion shop instead of running your own business.
   • How will you do business? There are many possibilities, including: independent business, partnership, partnership ... Each form has its own advantages and disadvantages that you should discuss carefully with financial and legal advisors before proceed. Make sure you have legal protection in all circumstances, especially if you live in a particular culture.

4. 

   Be realistic. You may have to make changes to your market, but that depends on how you work and sell. Sticking to reality means you have to realize that: it's no use trying to sell high-end tailor-made fashions to people who just want to buy convenient clothes in a small province, likewise, you won't be able to. selling swimsuits to people living in cold countries. You will need to focus on the geographic location of your target market, whether you should live and work in that region, or how to distribute products from your current location to the location. the easiest product to consume.
   • Consider external influences. Part of your fashion creation process is working with similar people and shedding light on their ideas and suggestions.This will become more difficult if you work alone or with people who do not share the same fashion sense.
   • Also keep in mind that weather affects your fashion design, and can affect both the type of clothing you're making and where you want to sell it.
   • Consider the possibility of selling online. As long as you use good quality holograms that customers can zoom in and view from a variety of angles, it's also possible to sell clothes online everywhere today. It gives you flexibility in choosing where to live and work. In addition, your daily commute will also be minimized. This is also ideal if you are going to create a small fashion brand. However, in the future, you should still earn enough money to go to famous fashion shows.
   • Living in a city with a thriving fashion industry will be of great help to many fashion designers. According to Global Language Monitor (GLM), the following cities are fashion capitals in 2012 in descending order:
     • London, England
     • New York, USA
     • Barcelona, ​​Spain
     • Paris, France
     • Mexico City
     • Madrid, Spain
     • Rome, Italy
     • Sao Palo, Brazil
     • Milan, Italy
     • Los Angeles, USA
     • Berlin, Germany
     • Mumbai, India
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Part 5 of 5: Creating a portfolio

1. 

   Create a profile for your jobs. Your resume will be essential when applying for design and internship positions, because it is your opportunity to promote yourself and your work. In it, you should highlight the most outstanding jobs, highlight your skills and creativity. Use a good quality clipboard to show your design seriousness. Your profile should include:
   • Hand-drawn sketches or photos of them
   • Designs you draw on your computer
   • Autobiography
   • Present ideas
   • Display colors or patterns
   • Any other information that shows your ability to work
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Advice

• Wear your custom clothing whenever possible. What better way to promote designer outfits than to wear them yourself? When people ask about them, explain things short, easy to understand to be interesting.
• You can get more creative with your designs by adding colors.
• Capable of accepting offensive words. No one is perfect. Take advice from friends and family. Never give up, you cannot give up your passion.
• If you're going to show off your fashion drawings to people, think about what you would look like in those designs.
• If you're going to create your own brand, design a beautiful logo logo. It will define your style from the outside, so it should be beautiful itself. You should hire a professional graphic designer if you are not good at this.
• Learn how to prepare healthy meals and snacks. In the fashion design field, working hours can be lengthened, sometimes you will not be able to leave the work area. Your brain still needs to get enough nutrients, so always bring healthy meals with you so that you can maintain alertness and health while working, avoiding hunger and exhaustion.
• Internships and practical apprenticeships in any department of the fashion studio, whether small or reputable, will also help you learn business tips before starting your own career. You also need good advice on everything from the start. Always have a reliable team to advise on financial management, legal and product promotion. They can be friends, family or professionals who you pay them based on what you need, instead of hiring them as employees in the company.
• Read a lot. Look for narrative books and real stories about fashion icons in your favorite industry. Learn from all their experiences and see if you can apply them to hone yourself. For example, if you want to switch to eco fashion, there are many good designers in the profession whose experience has been documented, like Blake Mycoskie's "Start Something That Matters", or whatever. Any book by Anita Roddick about the beauty industry.
• Design wherever you are as a way to find inspiration and show your progress. This will help employers see your ability to learn and grow.
• Focus on yourself. Don't be jealous of other people. You should accept their advice.
• Do what you can. Don't do things like others, listen to your heart.
• Note down your reviews for better review and design.
• If you are going to create your own fashion line instead of designing a fashion studio, start with an online business. You can then popularize your designs on sites like ASOS (where designers sell their clothes) and Etsy.com (where people sell crafts like clothes, jewelry, candles and other works of art).

Warning

• Fashion design can be a very physical job. You will have to be willing to work hard for extended periods of time to meet the project deadline.
• Designing for fashion and couture catwalks will bring you to the dark side of the industry, including the use of underweight models (making you an complicit in using women as well. and the unhealthy men), the jealousy of coworkers and industry elites, demanding demands including rushing deadlines. If you are an assertive person, take the time to improve your communication skills and uphold your principles.
• The fashion industry is a place of fierce competition; You should only pursue this industry if you really want to contribute. You should also train your brains from the start and learn to be receptive to criticism - most of them are not constructive, and if you are confident, you will know when they are useful and when. Only for personal attack.