Four Steps to Becoming a Fashion Designer

Do you dream of becoming a fashion designer? Want to see your designs modelled in Paris and Milan?

Today we’ll be covering the real, practical steps you can take to become a fashion designer. We’ll also be talking about how to build a good portfolio, whether or not you need a degree, and the potential career paths you can take.

Step 1: The Industry

To a beginner, the fashion industry can seem grand and impenetrable. How can you go from making sketches and working at your sewing machine to designing for major houses like Louis Vuitton and Dior?

Well, it starts with research. The fashion industry is huge, covering everything from cutting edge designer trends to the kind of fast-fashion garments you might find in a local supermarket.

The truth is, not every designer gets to work for their dream brand. Many make a solid and fulfilling career for themselves by designing simple every-day products while exercising their more creative side on personal projects.

Of course, that’s not to say you can’t dream big. Like any other industry, once you’ve got your foot in the door, there are many directions your fashion design career can go. All the same if you care about career opportunities, then you should be learning about the industry from the get go so you can maximise your options.

Step 2: Learning Your Craft

At the same time as you’re learning about the industry you also need to be learning your craft. Fashion designers are required to have a broad set of skills that goes far beyond sketching up stylish pieces. You’ll need to understand garment construction, materials and fabrics, and even some basic sewing skills.

How much you’ll use each of these skills will vary a great deal depending on the specific niche you work in. Some designers spend all day drawing while others must apply a highly technical understanding to their work.

While it isn’t vital to have a university degree, it will help a lot – both with learning and with networking. Many of the major fashion houses won’t be interested in you without one but it’s certainly not impossible to self train and build a real and meaningful career for yourself.

Step 3: Building Your Portfolio

As you’re building your skills and researching the niche you want to work in, start thinking about your portfolio. The perfect portfolio demonstrates exactly the skills required for the job in question. If you want to work in menswear, you’ll want lots of menswear pieces. The same is true for womensware, footware, or any other niche.

That’s not to say a little diversity in your skills won’t help. For example, even if a job doesn’t explicitly call for someone with a good understanding of construction, showing examples of work you’ve made yourself will certainly help you stand out. Not only does it show broad understanding but it also demonstrates that your designs hold out in a finished result.

Step 4: Networking

Networking always matters but in few industries is it more important than in fashion. Think of the industry like a pyramid with a few jobs at the top and far more jobs at the bottom.

It’s perfectly possible to have a head-down style career, and earn a moderate salary working on simple, practical products. If you’re trying to follow a more ambitious career path, however, you’ll really need to be a people person and make lots of connections within the industry.

Go to events. Talk with people. Share your work and make friends within the industry. Becoming a high end fashion designer is hard and it takes a long time but the best way to make progress is by making real connections. If people know you, know your work, and know how much you care, they’re more likely to consider you for an opportunity.