ADD ADVICE TO FAVFashion designer
Fashion designers design clothing and/or accessories for the designer ready-to-wear or high-street markets.
What fashion designers do
- take a design from a sketched idea through to the production of a sample and the manufacture of the garment, whether a one-off or a run of thousands
- liaise with trend forecasters, fabric buyers, range planners, production teams, and retailers or customers.
Key skills
- cutting and sewing fabric, and making up patterns
- creating / visualising an idea and making a sketch, either by hand or by using computer-aided design
- must be highly perceptive about what is going on elsewhere in the market
- an understanding of what is happening in garment technology, textile technology and production management
- confidence in their own judgement (and in their own appearance)
- good interpersonal skills.
Training to be a fashion designer
Because the industry is concerned with expression and interpretation within a narrow range of possibilities, training beyond the basic skills tends to be on the job or is limited to business and technology skills.
Salaries
Starting salaries are between £14,000 and £20,000.
