How To Become A Fashion Designer Guide
Well, as they say, nothing is truly magical. It isn't possible. So, whether you want to be a fashion designer or do something else in life, you'll need to work hard, have a dream, and set a goal. Fashion design is a creative art form. There's a lot to learn when you decide to pursue a career as a fashion designer (I will talk more about it in my video). At first, I thought I only needed to learn how to design clothes or draw, but after walking into a deep wowww, I realized I needed to learn a lot more. I don't mean to alarm you, but this is the truth. Maybe I'm giving up in the first place because I don't have a strong passion for it or am enthusiastic about it.
Let’s just look at the big question and understand what fashion designing is. Simply put, fashion designing is everything you can think of when you talk about clothes and accessories. It deals with applying the art form into creating designs that aesthetically take influence from social, geographical, economic, and cultural conditions. And, fashion design and related courses give you direction, structure, and understanding of all the essential elements involved before you get there. Some courses deal more with certain attributes than the rest, depending on the niche, and eventually, the specialization. So, somewhere down the line, you also have to start thinking about which part of the spectrum you want to stick to.
If you want to become a fashion designer, there are two ways you can do this – one is by taking up the conventional and more practical route of doing a course in fashion designing. Or, doing it the not-so-conventional way without a certificate/diploma or degree and letting your passion take the lead. Some might argue that you do not need a degree to become a fashion designer, but you need to understand that it’s not an easy feat to pull off. However, considering my passion for the subject, it will be worth it. There is no right or wrong way of doing it, neither a fixed formula for success.
1. Sewing Skills
The basis of making a garment is sewing. So, as an aspiring fashion designer, you should hone your sewing skills. Understanding techniques make your sketching easy. You will also deal with the nature of different fabrics and work with each of them. The designs inadvertently depend on several such factors. If you carefully observe the work of some designers, there is a signature stitch, style, or technique they base their work on. That comes with experience, experiments, research, and grip on the subject. As a beginner, spend a lot of time improving this skill, and it will go a long way as you work your way up.
2. Designing
- Successfully designing garments and creating your collection means bringing a lot of important elements together.
- Sketching
- Choosing the fabric
- Technical details
3. Deciding A Niche need put intro
- Haute Couture (need description)
- Mass Production (need description)
- Ready- To- Wear (Pret- a- Porter) (need description)
4. Fashion Merchandising
Another interesting and important aspect of becoming a successful fashion designer is understanding the pricing techniques based on the production cost and overheads involved. Fashion merchandising is a subject in itself that teaches you consumer behavior, pricing, and economics of running a profitable fashion business. Passion is one thing, but running a business is a whole new ball game and not everyone’s cup of tea.
5. Market Analysis And Strategy
Whether you choose to take up fashion designing after your course or take the off-beat route, you need to understand those other necessary peripherals that need honing apart from the craft itself. While designing dresses is one bit, understanding market conditions and having a strategy to launch these are equally important. Knowing the pulse of your market and customers is what takes your business to the next level.
6. Understanding The Target Audience
Understand the demographics and the target audience. In fact, this is something you need to know even before you create your collection. Place yourself in the shoes of your target audience – think about what you would expect from a brand. That’s a great starting point and makes the process less tedious. Working in tandem with underlying factors is what sets you apart. Some of it you learn in theory while the rest you learn from experience.