What Does a Fashion Designer Do?
The Fashion Designer is at the forefront of transforming concepts into products. He or she will observe current trends, travel around the world to shows and generally look to see what other designers are doing in terms of color, patterns, fabrics and so forth. You will sketch your ideas by hand, make technical development drawings and often address prospective buyers as an experienced marketer.
In order to be a good Fashion Designer, you must be able to think outside the box. You must be creative and problem solver, able to come up with different ways to create new fabrics and textures and so forth. You must be able to think of new ways to incorporate technical aspects that have been around forever such as sewing. In many cases you may already be using some of these techniques. Designing new fabrics or cutting shapes and sizes are part of the job. The technical designer then takes the concept and creates new variations or improvements where needed.
The fashion designer is not only involved in the creation of new clothing but also in its sale. You will take your sketches to a textile manufacturer who will convert your sketches into physically existent garments. Once the garments are ready you will send them to stores that will carry your products. The fashion designer is important to the clothing industry because he or she decides where your clothing will be sold and whether it will be for men women or both. The fashion designer also determines how the garment will be worn, the fabric used and any coloration that need to be added.
Some fashion designers are self-employed, others work for well-known designers and distributors of garments, but everyone in the fashion industry knows that a good Fashion Designer can command top dollar for his or her services. There is a big salary available, and many top designers have their own lines of clothing and accessories. New designs are always in demand and are used as samples for new creations by other designers. A good Fashion Designer has a creative genius and can imagine exciting new ways to use material, colors and styles.
One area that fashion designers often dabble in is sportswear design. Their work usually involves producing athletic wear such as running shoes, casual wear and other sportswear designed for sports like football, basketball and track running. One of the most popular items produced by fashion designers is basketball jerseys. Football, baseball and basketball teams all typically have their own jerseys that they sell to fans and followers. Sportswear can range from traditional sports designs to extreme themes like a particular player’s jersey, or logos of teams.
Another area that fashion designers frequently dabble in is haute couture. Haute couture is a French term that simply describes high quality, unique clothing. Most haute couture garments are made from very high quality fabrics and are one of a kind. Haute couture designers can create trends in almost any category of clothing and can even create their own clothing line, if they choose to do so.
