In our review of different careers, we take a look at how to become a fashion designer and what skills and attributes you might need to become a fashion designer.
What Does a Fashion Designer Do?
As a fashion designer, you would create and design clothes and accessories. This could be anything from one item to an entire range. You could work for boutiques fashion houses, high fashion labels or high street stores.
Your day to day job as a fashion designer might entail things such as working to a brief that you are given and creating the initial designs for new accessories or items of clothing, choosing the fabrics that would be used for your design and creating prototypes, estimating costs and presenting your designs to other departments such as sales and marketing and overseeing the production until it is complete.
Primarily, the working hours of this job would be 9am to 5pm, Monday to Friday, however, longer hours are often required to stick to strict deadlines. Overseas travel may be required as part of this role to meet with manufacturers, and also for research.
Is Becoming a Fashion Designer Right For Me?
The following skills and attributes are vital for anyone wishing to become a fashion designer:
- Great artistic ability
- An eye for detail
- The ability to work as part of a team
- Confidence
- A passion for the industry
- Excellent communication skills
- Commercial awareness
- Excellent problem-solving skills
- The ability to spot developing trends
- IT design skills
How Much Can a Fashion Designer Earn?
The starting salary for a fashion designer is usually between £18,000 and £22,000. With experience you could earn anywhere up to £60,000.
What Qualifications Do I Need To Become a Fashion Designer?
To become a fashion designer you will usually need a degree in a relevant subject. Any degree that covers both the design and technical aspects of the job would be suitable. Having a degree is not a necessary prerequisite, and if you can demonstrate that you have all of the skills necessary to do the job then this might be enough to get you an entry-level position.
