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Career in Fashion Design

In a career in fashion design you might create clothes and accessories designs. Job duties might include planning the marketing and production of a clothing line they have created. Typically a fashion designer will specialize in one area of clothing such as men's or women's garments, children's wear, formal wear, casual clothing, or beach fashions. Those at the height of their fashion design career might be self employed and design for individual cliental or for designer shops. Most fashion designer start their careers working in mass market clothing production, until they have gained enough experience and notoriety to move on to a higher end fashion design shop. Typically fashion design career begin with a quality education from a quality fashion design school and continue through mentorship's with experienced fashion designers. To learn more about a career in fashion design continue reading on this page or follow the links to the fashion design schools, which also have information on fashion design careers.

Search for a Fashion Design School in the US, Canada, and Online

Fashion Designers are people with a desire to create clothing and accessories. They combine practical knowledge with artistic ability to turn abstract ideas into formal fashion designs for the merchandise we buy, the clothes we wear, shoes we have on our feet, and the hats we wear. Fashion Designers usually specialize in a particular area of design, such as men's wear, formal or evening attire, beach wear, children's clothing, and most recently senior wear for today's active senior life style.

The first step in developing a new design or altering an existing one is to determine the needs of the client, the ultimate function for which the design is intended, and its appeal to customers or users. When creating a design, fashion designers often begin by researching the desired design characteristics, such as size, shape, weight, color, materials used, cost, ease of use, fit, and safety.

Fashion Designers then prepare sketches or diagrams—by hand or with the aid of a computer—to illustrate the vision for the design. After consulting with the client, a creative director, or a product development team, designers create detailed designs, using drawings, a structural model, computer simulations, or a full-scale prototype. Many fashion designers use computer-aided design (CAD) tools to create and better visualize the final product. Computer models allow ease and flexibility in exploring a greater number of design alternatives, thus reducing design costs and cutting the time it takes to deliver a product to market. Industrial designers use computer-aided industrial design (CAID) tools to create designs and machine-readable instructions that communicate with automated production tools.

Fashion Designers sometimes supervise assistants who carry out their creations. Designers who run their own businesses also may devote a considerable amount of time to developing new business contacts, examining equipment and space needs, and performing administrative tasks, such as reviewing catalogues and ordering samples. The need for up-to-date computer and communications equipment is an ongoing consideration for many designers, especially those in industrial and graphic design.

In fashion design, employers seek individuals with a 2- or 4-year degree who are knowledgeable in the areas of textiles, fabrics, and ornamentation, and about trends in the fashion world. Set and exhibit designers typically have college degrees in design. A Master of Fine Arts degree from an accredited university program further establishes one’s design credentials. For set designers, membership in the United Scenic Artists, Local 829, is recognized nationally as the attainment of professional standing in the field.

Median annual earnings for commercial and industrial designers were $52,260 in 2002. The middle 50 percent earned between $39,240 and $67,430. The lowest 10 percent earned less than $28,820, and the highest 10 percent earned more than $82,130. Median annual earnings were $61,530 in architectural, engineering, and related services.

Median annual earnings for fashion designers were $51,290 in 2002. The middle 50 percent earned between $35,550 and $75,970. The lowest 10 percent earned less than $25,350, and the highest 10 percent earned more than $105,280.

Median annual earnings for floral designers were $19,480 in 2002. The middle 50 percent earned between $15,880 and $23,560. The lowest 10 percent earned less than $13,440, and the highest 10 percent earned more than $29,830. Median annual earnings were $21,610 in grocery stores and $18,950 in florists.

Median annual earnings for graphic designers were $36,680 in 2002. The middle 50 percent earned between $28,140 and $48,820. The lowest 10 percent earned less than $21,860, and the highest 10 percent earned more than $64,160. Median annual earnings in the industries employing the largest numbers of graphic designers were as follows:


Advertising and related services $39,510
Specialized design services 38,710
Printing and related support activities 31,800
Newspaper, periodical, book, and directory publishers 31,670


Median annual earnings for interior designers were $39,180 in 2002. The middle 50 percent earned between $29,070 and $53,060. The lowest 10 percent earned less than $21,240, and the highest 10 percent earned more than $69,640. Median annual earnings in the industries employing the largest numbers of interior designers were as follows:


Architectural, engineering, and related services $41,680
Specialized design services 39,870
Furniture stores 36,320


Median annual earnings of merchandise displayers and window dressers were $22,550 in 2002. The middle 50 percent earned between $18,320 and $29,070. The lowest 10 percent earned less than $15,100, and the highest 10 percent earned more than $40,020. Median annual earnings were $22,130 in department stores.

Median annual earnings for set and exhibit designers were $33,870 in 2002. The middle 50 percent earned between $24,780 and $46,350. The lowest 10 percent earned less than $17,830, and the highest 10 percent earned more than $63,280.

To find a school in fashion design follow this link Search for a Fashion Design School in the US, Canada, and Online or if you like use some of these phrases with your favorite search engine.

fashion design school
career in fashion design
fashion merchandising training
fashion design college
fashion dressing degree

 





 

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