Difference Between Fashion Designer And Fashion Stylists

Fashion as a scope is ubiquitous and the number of job opportunities generated with every change in trend provides many windows for people to explore and dwell. In this wide array of chances, there are few prominent fields that many people are attracted to or dedicate their life to. This article will look at fashion stylists and designers and their key differences. A designer and a stylist can work in unison, but their requirements and skill sets are different concerning one.

Role of a fashion stylist

A fashion stylist is a person who is responsible for creating a look for their client. They understand the needs and wants of the client that they are working for and try to come up with a concept look that goes well with their style and how they carry themselves. There can be a freelance fashion stylist or someone who professionally works with a consulting agency. 

The scope and view of a fashion stylist are broad. They can style models for photoshoots, Ads, commercials, and celebrities for their red carpet events, movies, music videos, etc. They are needed in almost every industry to make use of the skill that they have to offer. 

The style at the end of the day has to look visually balanced and appealing.

The body type of the client, his/her personality traits, the occasion for which garment has to be chosen, everything is studied in detail and then only the stylist picks up the garments and makes the client try and see what suits them the best.

An in-depth understanding of fashion trends, silhouettes, and colours must be adequately studied and analysed before coming up with options. Every celebrity that you see when they come out for a red carpet premiere event or any party that is happening, each and everyone is dressed to their absolute best. Everything from hairstyle to the colour of makeup has to be decided beforehand so that the entire ensemble looks balanced and in harmony with the wearer. 

All these are the work of a stylist. Some of them would have worn a garment but it doesn’t look like they tried.

But the important thing to understand here is that the styling has been taken to a place where it became very sophisticated that it doesn’t even look like the person tried to be stylish.

Role of a fashion designer

A fashion designer creates and designs a garment from scratch. Consumer buying behaviour and research on the latest trends are crucial for a fashion designer because what he/she plans has to sell. A fashion designer is concerned with the culture and heritage of the market as well. Every state has its own way of dressing which is always in sync with its tradition. So, as a designer, it is important to analyse the trends and traditions also before designing a garment. 

Applying designing principles and elements to a 2D sketch, converting it to a pattern, selecting fabrics and trims, cutting and sewing are in general, the most generic job description of a designer. 

A designer can do all the above jobs, but for sewing generally, there would be a master who would handle that forte. 

Every fashion brand has its own in-house designer responsible for designing and implementing their collection range. 

Fashion is a trillion-dollar industry. The market size is so huge that many up-and-coming designers are starting up their own labels while some are into freelancing. 

Comparison and differences

First, we will look at some of the skill sets that the fashion stylist field demands.

A fashion stylist should have good interpersonal skills and be fashion-conscious. 

The way a stylist communicates with their clients should essentially be an optimistic, encouraging, and pervading talk, that makes a stylist understand more about their clients and make them feel at home. After this is achieved, it is essential to bring forth the ideas and knowledge and make it executable for that particular person.

A stylist should always be at the edge of their seat. They should be really capable of the crisis handling situations. This is because fashion is a field where everything can go haywire in no time and professionals are always tested when such a scenario occurs. Last-minute garment changes, demand from the client can change, negotiations regarding fees and many more might happen for a stylist on a day-to-day basis.

A clear picture of customer lifestyle and their wants and needs. Understanding the needs from a customer's perspective gives the stylist a clear pathway of what to suggest and what not to. Not everyone is comfortable with different styles of clothing. 

Fashion is not just about Haute-couture garments, even a minimal piece of clothing when styled properly with accessories is going to look just perfect and the client will also be very satisfied. 

Now, we will look at some of the skill sets that fashion design demands.

Business acumen and strategy This is a generic skill that is needed from people in business industries. But many people do not relate this to a fashion designer. Fashion is also about making sure that the designs do well in the market. That would determine whether the brand is doing a good job or not. Understanding the depth of the market, the demographics of the customers, their buying patterns, trends, brand’s philosophy as well. Everything integrated, the output is going to be accepted by the target market. 

Innovative and eye-for-detail is something that we can see clearly for the past 10 years, many designers have broken the rules that have been set forth previously and they went about creating really unique and one-of-a-kind clothing that would forever be a part of fashion history. What makes a fashion brand different from other brands is the innovation and versatility that they bring to its collection range. This is called product differentiation.

Trying different things and making things out of the box is a key attribute or feature of a fashion designer. One should not be afraid of taking risks. They should always be ready to take the necessary calculated risks. Only when this happens, will they be able to increase their bandwidth of creativity and explore different arenas and possibilities. 

Competition or union between a stylist and designer

Fashion as an industry, as we have looked at it earlier, is very vast. There are many components in this broad field that need to collaborate and work with each other. And stylists and designers absolutely need to work together cohesively to promote fashion in a bigger way. Designers make the garment, stylists put them efficiently, make an ensemble for a brand or for an individual. So, a seamless transaction between the two will ensure that the work culture is positive and creative at the same time. 

A fashion brand always has a designer and a stylist. For example, if a dress is designed by a designer and a photo shoot have to be done, it is the work of a stylist to choose the location for the shoot, decide on the accessories,  makeup, and other things as well to create the proper look that is envisioned by the designer, stylist, and the brand. 

So, there is absolutely no competition between these 2 fields existing in fashion. They are interdependent on each other and both are needed to make sure that the output is exactly like what they have planned. 

In fashion magazines, we would have noticed that under a picture, both the designer's and stylist's names will be mentioned. Even on blogs online, there are many influencers who work and collaborate with designers and style their garments in different ways.

Modern education now is trying to bridge the gap between fashion stylist and a designer. Since, fashion is becoming more and more popular, universities and other colleges have specialised fashion courses which teaches both the designing aspect and fashion designing to the students. This would create a hybrid knowledge wherein, one person is capable of doing both the job. He/she could apply to become a designer or a stylist based on what kind of opportunities are available. This is only because of the advancements in the educational facilities that we are able to get more exposure about different scopes that are available for one to devote their life to.

Endnote 

This article dealt with two big concepts in the fashion industry, simplified them and portrayed the key differences that exist between a fashion stylist and a designer. We looked at the different skill sets that are needed to operate in both these fields but also how they are interlinked to one another in a big way. All the social media freelance designers are looking for stylists who can dress up with their products and post on social media platforms in the form of articles, videos on youtube, etc. 

This article would help someone who wants to choose between the two and would guide them in understanding how the fashion industry works. It is also intended to inspire the reader to update themselves about the latest trends that are taking place in the industry. Technologically everything is becoming more advanced than ever before. Therefore, it is necessary to train our intellect in adapting to different paradigm shifts and make sure we are always ready to face anything that comes our way!