Is your idea of fun curling up with the pages of Vogue or Harper’s Bazaar, studying seasonal fashion trends? Do you have a penchant for sewing - or just generally crafty and artsy? Do you have thick skin and think Andie Sach’s job in The Devil Wears Prada was a cakewalk? People who can answer affirmatively to the above may want to consider a career in the gritty and glittery world of fashion design
Beyond the mannequin: What is Fashion Design?
Fashion designers create the apparel and accessories seen in store windows and on shelves for various consumer target markets, ranging from wholesale to haute couture.
Depending on the size of their design firm and their experience, fashion designers take on varying levels of involvement in aspects of design and production (studying trends, sketching designs, choosing colors and fabrics, and seeing product placement to fruition). A designer in a small fashion house or firm may do more technical patternmaking and sewing tasks in addition to designing the actual clothing, whereas someone working for a larger house may only see one step of production. Haute couture, a small piece of the fashion design market, design custom pieces for high-budget clients.
Being a fashion designer can be glamorous...and gritty hard work!