How to Become a Fashion Designer
Fashion design is a creative field that involves working with pattern, fabrics, and textiles and creating clothes and accessories for stores. Fashion designers need to have a love for fashion and an eye for detail. Only serious prospects should consider becoming a fashion designer because the field is highly competitive.
Becoming a fashion designer requires a lot of hard work, but here are some steps to get you moving in the right direction.
- Develop skills in high school – Since fashion design is a highly creative industry, it is best to start early by taking art classes in high school to learn how to sketch and draw. Fashion designers work with patterns and fabrics quite often. Taking a class in home economics can provide you with sewing skills as well as knowledge about fabric.
- Further education – There are many programs available in fashion design, but those who are serious about becoming fashion designers and making it big in the fashion world will be better off attending a prestigious school that is well known in the fashion industry. Only a handful of these exist, and admittance into these programs is very competitive. Some of the best fashion schools are the Academy of Art University in San Francisco, the Fashion Institute of Technology in New York, and Parsons School of Design in New York.
- Alternative route – Sometimes school doesn’t work for everyone, and it can be costly to attend. Those who still want to work in the fashion industry as a fashion designer have a chance if they start at the bottom and work their way up. Those choosing this route can apply for an internship at a fashion house or work as a seamstress for awhile. This route may take a little longer, but you will gain lots of skills and hands on training along the way.