How to Become a Fashion Designer
Fashion designer is one of the most prestigious and sought-after creative professions and abroad. The fashion industry is characterized by high competition and pace of development, but at the same time it provides an opportunity to realize creative potential, gain global recognition and high income.
Step one. Decide on a direction
You can make a name for yourself in a variety of ways: the creation of women’s, men’s, children’s, evening, sportswear, underwear, costumes for theater, sports and cinema. You can become a print or textile designer, stylist, creative technologist, constructor, fashion illustrator.
Tip: attend professional events. Do not miss fashion shows, seminars and master classes. Stay up to date and follow everything that happens in the industry.
Step two. Get to know the profession from the inside
The specialty of a fashion designer is often chosen based on superficial ideas about the fashion world. To understand what lies behind the veneer of fashion shows, try to find an internship and see what the daily work of a designer consists of. Make sure you enjoy working on technical sketches, designing, creating patterns and layouts, tailoring and many hours of fitting.
Step three. Get an education
If the internship has convinced you of the correctness of your choice, start looking for a university. Professional education in this area is as necessary as in any other.
Need to know:
- history of fashion and costume;
- features of working with different types of fabrics, leather, fur;
- stages of creating clothes – from illustration to the podium;
- methods of market analysis and trend forecasting.
Need to be able to:
- draw by hand and in computer programs;
- cut and sew;
- understand the needs of the target audience;
- predict and take into account fashion trends;
- offer innovative solutions.
Some of the highest quality fashion programs are offered by Italian universities. They provide deep immersion in the profession and give students the opportunity to receive cooperation offers from well-known studios and fashion houses during their studies.
The advantage of Italian education is its focus on practice. In the process of teaching fashion design, students and graduates present their collections at fashion weeks and are published in Vogue, Harper’s Bazaar, Elle, Marie Claire, Vanity Fair, GQ magazines.
Tip: find your style. Look for inspiration and ideas in a variety of places: travel, go to exhibitions, study culture and traditions, meet new people.
By the end of their studies, a graduate has a creative portfolio ready or a graduation work has been completed – a whole collection that students demonstrate at fashion shows at the university and beyond.
For example, at the Istituto Marangoni, a group of talented students designed a clothing collection based on Disney’s Alice in Wonderland. Finished works participated in a fashion show – the result was liked not only by the media, but also by Disney itself.
7 reasons to study design abroad:
- Opportunity to learn from practitioners and fashion masters such as Trussardi director Guy Trussardi, Vogue Italia editor Sarah Maino and Costume National brand Ennio Capaza teach at Domus.
- Inter-university mobility – for example, Mod’Art students can continue their studies at partner universities in the USA (Berkley College New York), Great Britain (London College of Fashion and London Metropolitan University) and other countries.
- Studying in an international team.
- Practical workshops in production and in studios: students unite in creative collaborations and create their own collections.
- Internships in fashion houses and international companies such as Valentino Fashion Group, Giorgio Armani, Trussardi, Versace, Missoni and Swatch.
- Participation in fashion shows and international competitions, for example, Milano Fashion Week, Business Links, Paris London Week.
- Modern campus equipment: 2D and 3D scanners for taking measurements, studios and media libraries with relevant materials.
