Job Description: Fashion designers conceptualize and create new clothing and accessory designs. They analyze fashion trends and work closely with production, marketing, and sales departments to design, produce, and promote a finished, ready-to-wear product for apparel manufacturers, specialty and retail stores, and individual clients. Fashion designers usually specialize in a specific line of clothing such as women, men, kids, maternity, bridal, sportswear, and so on. In larger fashion houses, individual designers may work in very specialized areas, such as t-shirts, evening dresses, maternity clothes, baby outfits, or denims.More experienced designers may be required to travel to promote their fashion lines. Fashion design is a demanding and unpredictable job with long hours, especially when deadlines approach for launches, shows, or individual jobs, an example being tailors who produce custom designs for weddings and other special events. Within the broader field of fashion design, there are a number of specialty occupations such as technical designer, pattern maker, cutter, and textile designer. Potential employers include retailers, haute couturiers, textile and apparel manufacturers, and fashion studios.
Salary Range: $14,400 to $200,000+
Entry level salary may range from $14,500 to over $17,000
Experienced salary may range from $20,000 to over $40,000
Top level salary may range from $75,000 to over $100,000
Median salary for all fashion designers in May 2004 was more than $55,000
Outlook: Demand for fashion designers should remain strong as consumers constantly seek new styles and fashion, and the population is growing, which creates more overall demand for clothing and accessories. The best opportunities will likely be in apparel wholesale companies and mass-market design firms. With enough talent, determination, and patience, one can be successful as a fashion designer. As with many sought-after careers, expect long hours in the beginning and be prepared for seasonal slowdowns.
Qualifications: Education - a 2-year or 4-year college degree in Fashion Design, Fashion Merchandising, or a related field is recommended but not always required. Obtaining a degree is a great way to start building up a fashion portfolio, and it often helps with the initial networking necessary to break into the fashion design industry.
Experience - several years as an intern, junior designer, or design assistant to build up a professional design portfolio. The portfolio is critical to a fashion design job search.
Personal Characteristics and Skills- ability to discriminate between colors and judge fabric quality; above-average ability for creative expression; sewing skills; drawing and sketching skills; computer skills (especially with the use of CAD - computer assisted design); knowledge of fashion trends and forecasts; persistence; knowledge of manufacturing and production process; a good eye for style, shape, and color; ability to deal with ambiguity and rejection and to handle stress due to deadlines; good business and marketing skills.
