Succeeding in the fashion industry today requires dedication and hard work. It is a huge and exciting industry which constantly changes and is, in reality, a very complex and competitive world to be involved in.
Fashion evolves constantly, so running or managing a fashion label involves continuously offering customers new and exciting products at the right time and at the right price.
To become a fashion designer you will need the following skills:
A keen eye for colour, texture and shape
An understanding of fabric types and how they drape
The ability to spot and develop future trends
The ability to solve problems
Commercial awareness
The ability to work as part of a team
As a fashion designer you can work in high fashion, ready-to-wear or high street fashion. You will probably specialise in a particular area ie Menswear, Womenswear or Childrenswear. You will usually need a relevant degree and have completed a course that teaches both design and technical skills.
The key to becoming successful within the Fashion industry is to combine your creativity and market research with commerciality in a way that appeals to your target customer, so that they want to buy your designs. Designers need to have a very strong understanding of their target customer to be able to succeed within the ever evolving Fashion industry. They need to be aware of her wants and needs and offer ongoing newness.
You will start as a design assistant before working your way up to a designer position and will need to continually develop your skills and experience.
A design role within the exciting fashion industry involves the following duties:
Working to a set design brief predicting and analysing future fashion trends Creating story or mood boards Estimating costs of materials and manufacture Presenting your designs to executive teams at range meetings
You can progress your design career as a freelance designer, head of design or even launch your own fashion label.
Retail stores have been the main way of offering your product for sale to the end consumer, but more and more people are now choosing to shop online and this trend shows predicted growth. Boutiques, wholesalers, retail or web-based businesses need to have a very strong understanding of their target customer to be able to succeed within the ever evolving Fashion industry. They need to be aware of her wants and needs and offer her ongoing newness.
