Fashion design is one of the most lucrative and creative professions that have seen a phenomenal growth over the past few years. Today, this career option has gone way beyond the obvious, the fashion scenario has seen the emergence of many talented and new designers on the scene. It has opened up new avenues for those who have a creative streak in them. Some of the talented fashion designers on the scene today do not actually hold any particular certificate/degree required for designing, it is their sole creativity that has seen their designs being a rage amongst all the fashion conscious people. Fashion design therefore can be termed as applied art that is solely used to create stunning designs in the clothing as well as the accessories sector.
Skill Required to Have a Career in Fashion Design
Having the appropriate qualifications would help you in this highly competitive field. You would need to approach various institutes that offer courses in fashion designing. These courses have broad categories within the particular course. The basic structure would include apparel designing, knowing about the retail market, clothing technology, textiles, etc. A course can help you scale heights on the fashion map with ease, as you can learn the ropes faster in an institute.
To be a successful designer doesn't mean you need to always have a certificate as mentioned before. It is all about creativity, so remember it's about breaking rules and setting trends. The core job of a fashion designer is always to find new and creative ways to plan the specific attires and use his/her knowledge to select the right kind of fabrics as well. On an average, the role of a fashion designer would be to make the person look good and portray him/her in a more appealing way. This does not always hold true for designers nowadays. Most designs sometimes veer dangerously on the not-so-wearable kinds as well. This itself has opened up a whole new avenue in this market segment.
If you are looking out for a career in fashion designing, you also need to have a natural flair for illustrating and putting your thoughts first on paper. This is time when your drawing skills and the art of selecting appropriate color schemes would come into use. An ability to sketch can help you create a good portfolio and these designs can then be transferred on to the computer for further modifications. Having an artistic sense of color coding with a natural know how about choosing the appropriate fabrics can serve as a bonus point for you. The ability to visualize also depends upon the individual self. These things are inborn and visualizing is strongly connected with fashion design. This is the first step that will help you to create a stunning portfolio and can also help you handle clients in the later years since you would have the ability of knowing which kind of a particular design would suit what kind of a body type. Basically, a fashion designer needs to have an eye for detail. Being a keen observer in your daily life can help you conceptualize your ideas in a better fashion.
Is Fashion Designing a Craze or an Obsession?
How would you know if you are cut out for the fashion industry? Fashion designing is more than just studying the patterns and thinking of fabrics, it's about how you feel for this very interesting and creative field. The beauty about this profession is such that it offers you a blank canvas to work upon each and every single day and meet new challenges along the way.
You know you are meant to be a fashion designer when:
You can only think about clothes all the time. You are obsessed with the silhouettes and the flow of the fabrics at a very young age much to the annoyance of your parents.
You have doodled all over your walls, your cupboards and the neighbor's walls, etc., images that are related with fashion!
You are highly creative from your childhood days and have an exceptional hand at sketching human figures and creating new designs without really being trained for it.
You have already decided in school where your career would be headed!
Career Options in Fashion Designing
Here are the many faces of the fashion industry -
- Fashion Designer
- Fashion Writer
- Fashion Merchandiser
- Fashion Photographer
- Fashion Stylist
- Fashion Illustrator
- Fashion Co-ordinator
- Fashion Model
- Fashion Retail
- Fashion Buyer
- Store Owner
With the large numbers of fashion designers that are launching themselves along with their specialized outlets, it is definitely easier said than done that you have to make a mark in the fashion industry. The fashion scenario is about getting the right break at the right time. So how do you go about this once you have just had your first baby steps in this industry? Well, here are a few ideas that can give you an edge over the others.
Use your college days to plan a good portfolio that would display your creativity within a few flip of the pages.
Make a note of some of the well-known fashion designers in your area. A difficult task would be to approach them with your portfolio, but this is one thing that needs to be done. You can even work as an assistant during your college days to gain more knowledge and know all the loopholes about this field.
You can even approach garment companies that can offer you lucrative jobs in this field.
Read and be up-to-date with the latest buzz in the fashion industry. This will help you to know what are the latest trends and it can also help you to create and set your own trends as well.
You can even start off on your own and tackle a few known boutiques to showcase your work. Start with a small team and work your way up the ladder.
You must also do a market survey because this would be necessary when you want to tap the market. It will give you an idea about the things that target crowd would be expecting.
Clients will behave exactly how they please, so do not be uppity about a particular fussy client. This is just the beginning folks! Take your time and know the likes and dislikes of the client. You must also realize that now is the time you can try your skills at convincing and coaxing to persuade the client to choose what deems best for him/her.
