Fashion Designer

Also known as:

Clothes Designer
Designer, Fashion

Introduction

Fashion designers create designs for clothes that reflect or predict fashion trends and the desires of potential buyers. Haute couture is the most exclusive area of fashion design and the hardest to get into. Greater opportunities exist in wholesale manufacturing and with large fashion retailers.

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Work Activities

Fashion designers create designs for clothing and/or fashion accessories, that reflect, or often predict, trends and market demands. Haute couture is the most exclusive area of design and is dominated by a few successful individuals such as Katherine Hamnett, Vivienne Westwood, Jean-Paul Gaultier and Paul Smith. They design garments for individual clients and produce seasonal collections that influence the rest of the fashion industry. Some of these designers have their own fashion houses and work with a small team of selected individuals.

Designer ready-to-wear ranges are collections of ready made quality garments that are sold through selected 'up market' shops. They often follow the haute couture trend or create their own styling.

Designers who work in wholesale manufacturing produce designs that are suitable for mass market production. Their designs are those seen in most high street shops and mail order catalogues.

All designers keep up-to-date with current and future fashion trends. In preparing their designs, they both draw by hand and use computer software. They take into account the costs of fabrics and of the manufacturing process. They may supervise the dressmakers who make up the samples of the new designs. Some designers work on a wide range of clothes; others may specialise in a particular area, such as children's clothes, sportswear, wedding dresses or accessories.

Fashion designers work closely with textile designers as they need to be aware of different fabrics. A knowledge of garment structure, pattern cutting and technical processes is also needed, even if the designer is not directly involved in some of these activities.

Designers work with manufacturers to make sure that designs are produced accurately.

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Personal Qualities and Skills

You should be artistic, creative and imaginative. Specifically, you need to have a good eye for colour, design and texture and a flair for spotting new fashion trends. You need to have normal colour vision.

It is also useful to have practical skills, and to be careful and meticulous with good attention to detail.

You should have a flexible approach, be able to accept constructive criticism of your work and to amend and adapt your designs when necessary.

Good communication skills are important, as a lot of work involves liaising and negotiating with clients and employers. In many cases, it is also important to have good business skills and the confidence and self-assurance to work in the competitive world of fashion.

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Pay and Opportunities

Pay rates for fashion designers vary with employer and responsibilities.

The pay rates given below are approximate.

Fashion designers earn in the range of £17,500 - £21,000, rising to £26,000 - £31,500. Senior designers can make around £42,000 and Heads of Design around £50,000 - £80,000 a year.

Fashion designers work a basic 39-hour week, Monday to Friday. Working hours for self-employed designers may be irregular, depending on the project they are working on. Late finishes and weekend work may be required from time to time, especially as deadlines approach.

The largest employers of fashion designers are the big wholesale manufacturers. Some designers work as self-employed, freelance fashion designers.

Consultancy and fixed-term contract work may be available for experienced designers. You can obtain this work through specialist recruitment agencies.

Fashion design is an extremely competitive area of the design industry. Only a small group of designers make it to the top of the profession.

Opportunities exist for experienced designers to work in overseas countries.

Vacancies in fashion design are fairly limited, and there is severe competition for freelance work.

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Adult Opportunities

It is illegal for any organisation to set age limits for entry to employment, education or training, unless they can show there is a real need to have these limits.

Skills gained as an assistant in a design studio or workshop, or in a design consultancy are valued. Experience in related fields, such as advertising or marketing, is also useful. Commercial awareness and an understanding of the fashion industry is an advantage.

If you don't have the qualifications needed to enter your chosen degree or HND course, a college or university Access course (eg, Access to Art and Design) could be the way in. No formal qualifications are usually required, but you should check individual course details.

They can lead to relevant degree/HND courses.

Relevant courses in fashion design subjects, at various levels, are offered by a number of centres, by distance learning.

Universities and colleges of higher education (HE) will usually consider applications from candidates who do not meet their usual entry requirements, especially those with experience in arts, crafts or design. You should check the admissions policy of individual universities and HE colleges.

To enter this work or relevant courses, you need to have a portfolio of work showing your creative ability.

• 45% of people in occupations such as fashion designer are self-employed.
• 22% work part-time.
• 5% have flexible hours.
• 0% of employees work on a temporary basis.

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New Developments

This occupation may involve homeworking.  Find out more about Working from home.