Things To Know About Becoming a Fashion Designer

The career opportunities and established course fields, universities, and colleges have diversified their education stream into multiple new facets. The opportunities that we get today are in no way similar to the opportunities that were available 10-15 years ago. One such field that has emerged in the last few years and gained popularity everywhere in the world is the World of Fashion - Fashion Designing. 

These creative courses are what the young generation is seeking right now. 

Gone are the days when people wanna work in a 9 to 5 job, look for a better salary and settle in a decent company. People want to be independent. The younger population is looking forward to innovating and creating new things. This is a very good thing for a country like India because more than half of the population comes under the millennial age group. This means many youths are fired up to do something with their lives! 

When you want to pursue a career, there are steps and things that one needs to know before entering into that domain. So, in this article, we will look at the things to know about becoming a fashion designer.

Knowledge about the field

Knowing about the field that one wants to venture into is the primary step one has to do research. Fashion Designing is a field that is creatively oriented and that seeks to innovate and create new things, concerning clothing and textile.

As the word says, designing means that we are in charge of what the output will look like. Designers are also responsible for creatively coming up with ideas and launching new product lines, researching the market trend, and forecasting what will sell the most and what won't.

Fashion designers are responsible for all the brands and garments that are being launched. The runway shows that happen, which are called the Fashion runway in top-tier cities and countries across the globe, are fascinating people with the kind of garments that are being created and displayed.

Fashion is also a secured industry, as in, there would not be any big downfall in it. Till our last day, we need clothes. So there is a constant demand. Because of this constant demand all over the world, there are also supplies and these supplies will continue to grow in the coming years. 

And one of the things I love about fashion designing personally is that it constantly demands change. Change in mindset, thinking pattern, and even change in creative plans. So, if you are a person who wants to think out-of-the-box and not just sticks to the usual job, fashion designing is the field for you!

There are certain skills that you would want to equip yourself with before stepping into this territory. 

Fashion designing is not a field where your certificates or records show your talent. Yes, they are important to a certain point. But the only thing that counts in this creative field is your capabilities and the way you approach and do things. So many designers did not even enrol in a design college to learn about fashion. All they did was equip themselves with the necessary skills and knowledge and you are ready for this industry.

Career opportunities

After you have done your research on what the field is about and looked briefly at how the industry is, the next thing if you are interested, is to look at universities or colleges that offer you this course. You can do a Bachelor of science in fashion or a Bachelor of arts. And the way the education system has evolved, there are a lot more opportunities than you can think of. Again a little more research about the college will give enough information about the course and syllabus they offer. Enrolling in a good college in itself is a big step. Because it is a place where you can take enough training and knowledge before stepping into the actual industry. 

Mr.Google will be of great help to do all our secondary research!

One thing that I have to say about fashion designing is that it revolves around networking. Networking with people who are a part of the industry will give you lots of lessons and experience to have in mind. If you know anyone who has already done this course, have a word with them and learn about what intricacies you might face. Try to find a good mentor or yourself. It will help you a lot.

And once after college, it is recommended that you work as an Intern in a boutique or company to gain practical experience. Here I will list a few job opportunities that are available in the fashion industry, especially for designers. 

Mind you, designing is just a small part of fashion. There are retailing, merchandising, fashion styling, textile design, fashion marketing, and much more.

Every role in the fashion industry should work cohesively and collaboratively with each other to produce the desired results. Some of the job opportunities that a designer can venture into are Product developer or fashion designer, illustrator, studio manager, fashion stylist/consultant, pattern maker, and merchandiser. 

This might create confusion and people might not know what to do. So, there are 2 ways to approach this. One way is to speak directly to your mentor and get to know about these lines and job opportunities. Or the other way is to try it out yourself by interning. Anyway, you will have theoretical knowledge about these fields since you are pursuing a degree from a college/university. The only decision that you have to make is to find out what you want to do from various possibilities. 

These are opportunities that aren’t gonna diminish in the coming years. Fashion is going to bloom in a way that people will be stunned because of the advancing technologies that are entering the industry. 

Skills required 

Fashion Designing demands lots of practical skills. It is not something that you can memorise and create. Here I will mention certain skills and mindsets that would help you to master this art because, at the end of the day, Fashion Designing is an art.

The first thing that you really need to be good at is VISUALISATION.

This is really important because when you sketch or have a thought in your head, you should be able to visualise the end product, the colour combination, and what fabric might do the best. Designing always comes hand in hand with inspiration. The way you transform the inspiration and make it your own is like the gist of fashion. There will always be a frame of reference that you relate to but completely change it and make it your own style. 

If you are someone who is naturally CREATIVE, then don’t worry you would feel right at home. Whenever you visit or see any fashion show, the type of garments that you would observe is very very creative and crafty. There are so many fashion houses

and brands, so for you to be successful and unique, you have to be creative in your own way. There are simple things that you can do like trying on different colours, pushing yourself out of your comfort zone, and trying to create something out of the blue. 

EFFECTIVE COMMUNICATION also comes in handy when you are in a business meeting and you are presenting your ideas, you have to be confident and sound professional.

ATTENTION TO DETAIL is something that you would develop over the years as you will come to know more and more about all the technicalities and patterns. Be more open and learn about different patterns, fabrics, sewing techniques, and illustrations. Go all in and try to learn as much as possible.

ORGANISED AND DECISION MAKING will take you a long way because you would have a lot to work on and lots of important decisions to take. Having a schedule, sticking to it, and having a strong personality will take you through tough waters easily.

Endnote

Fashion designing can be a very deceptive career. People on the outside might think, “it is simple. They are just making clothes, what’s so complicated about it”. But the reality is, it is complicated. Complicated not in terms of difficulty but in terms of the number of parameters that one has to handle and maintain in harmony to create a product. So many designers have dedicated their entire life to what they do. The reason why you see some brands that are more than 100 years old are still relevant and doing well in the market is because of dedication and hard work. 

Designers put a lot of effort and time into what they do, for designs don’t happen overnight. It is a process. How well you steer the boat makes your journey less arduous or it can make it really difficult as well. 
Look for inspiration. With the advent of new technologies like Metaverse and Augmented Reality(AR) entering the fashion industry, there are going to be lots of different career opportunities and possibilities.