Obsession with fashion let a lot of people dream to have a career in designing clothes. However, it is not as simple as it seems to be. It takes more than a passion to be a part of fashion magazines, TV shows or red-carpet specialists. Broader aspect of talent is required here apart from fashion obsession. You must have artistic and creative skills, excellent communication and knowledge of computers to get a job in this industry as a designer. If you get it right, you can join the team of 16,010 fashion designers with an average salary $64,690 according to a recent survey.

Let us discuss in detail what you actually need to become a successful fashion designer:

Creativity

Creativity is the key to success for any fashion designer. The more creative they are, the more they grow. They must know the art of using their imagination perfectly to conjure unique outfits and patterns. Designers work hard with variety of fabrics, shapes and colours to design outfits that are unique and trendy. Visualization is another important aspect and therefore they should at first visualize the outfit before sketching, must have a good sense of style and come up with various latest fashion ideas to set the trend. Developing new ideas from old trends is another aspect of creativity.

Artistic Ability

An artistic background is must for a fashion designer with a good sense of using colours and an eye for complementary fabrics are musts. The designers must have that ability to put down those creative ideas on papers. It can be a hand-drawn sketch or with the help of computer-aided design programs. Basically, designers musthave ability for graphic art and design.

Sewing Skills

Fashion designers must have the knowledge of sewing. They must build the garments designed by them. For this they need to have sewing skills, basic knitting and fabric draping as well as an understanding of experimental fabric-manipulations which includes pleating, applique, layering or gathering. All these can help a designer to use the imagination at an excellent level resulting in the most designer and trendy output.

Computer Skills

No matter in which field you are, computer knowledge is a must these days. Especially for designers who do not always sketch by hand. For large-scale presentations, they need to use computer-aided programs along with number of editing software. Recruiters always prefer candidates who are well-versed with the latest technology along with the basic skills. These days, almost all the fashion designing institutes are offering computer-aided design certificates for clothing designers, various courses in computerized pattern design, design development and product data management.

Communication

Fashion designers always work in a team. In fact, they work with different groups of people and therefore to have an excellent communication skill is very much important. From guiding the pattern makers who creates the blueprint to instructing the sewers on how to design and create the final output, they have to explain them all in detail with a cool mind. Not only this, they also need to deal with shipping departments to make sure that the products reach the right place.

Talent is not enough

A fashion designer’s job is not easy. In addition to the skills explained above one needs to have a number of personal attributes that, collectively make a person successful in this profession. Experts often advice to take into account the latest industry trends while pursuing this career. For instance, one must think about the various types of designers that are in demand. While the industry is replete with womenswear designers, there are still not many who venture in menswear, or accessory designing. Thus, if you are starting into this field, it would certainly be a profitable decision to try something that has less competition.

One shouldn’t undermine the importance of a good resume, or a good online portfolio, or a well maintained social media profile, even when it comes to applying for a talent-specific job like that of a fashion designer. You never know who might be looking at your online identity. There are a number of recruitment agencies and established fashion designers who keep a watch out for new talent on these sites.  Another often overlooked fact is that many designer jobs are not advertised as companies are looking for ways to reduce their recruitment costs.  These employers will consider reaching out to their existing employees and fashion related communities to source new talent. Sometimes it’s all about being at the right place at the right time. You should keep a check on the top brands out there and apply to each through direct emails, not forgetting to send images of your work along with the CV.  Sometimes being talented is just not enough. Therefore efforts to get known should always be there.

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