Being a fashion designer sounds cool, right? And it is indeed a cool job. You just need to opt for the right choices at the right time to get to that cool position.
Through this blogpost we would enrich our knowledge about fashion designers and learn which path to take to get there.
Who are fashion designers?
Fashion designers are first and foremost creative people who have the knack of sketching with a good sense of aesthetics and visualising clothes that are then worn by people with interest. Fashion designers sew, design, draw costumes which includes everything from head to toe. They design jewellery, clothes, footwears and more. Although, there are experts as footwear designers, jewellery designers, etc.
The cut-throat competition that lies in the field, it is always a safer choice to opt for some specialization. But again, if you are passionate and skilled enough, you can make your name in the world of glory.
Fashion designers in their career can go solo and sell their own set of apparels or they might go and work for some famous brand and design clothes anonymously.
How to become a fashion designer?
Though in any artistic field, there is no hard and fast rule to guarantee success, there are now courses and diplomas and certifications available in the field of fashion designing which can get you in the door. And it won’t hurt getting easy access to the fashion world rather than struggling alone- sewing and designing- hoping someone would recognize your genius someday.
Fashion design course and diploma in fashion designing train individuals according to the demands and requirements of the fashion industry and make them industry ready.
To enter the fashion world and sustain in it is a task for students because it is a quite closed industry and is not accessible to everyone. Thus, the value of doing a fashion design course increases in this case.
First step: Applying to a college that offers a degree in fashion and related fields is the first step to take if you want to enter the fashion industry. You can have niche courses such as footwear design and production, or leather goods and accessories design, or retail and fashion merchandise, or the fashion design course. If you have done graduation in some field and want to enter the fashion industry then you can opt for diploma in fashion designing or, diploma in footwear designing, or master’s course in fashion merchandising.
These courses would help you gather the technical knowledge and prepare you for that, they would also give you the idea of workplace skills and make your contacts in the fashion Industry.
Second step: Once you get into a good fashion design course or if you have opted for a diploma in fashion designing, the next step is to intern with some reputed fashion designer or fashion house in order to get actual feel of the work in real-life work environment. These internships would also help you build contacts that are essential in this line of work. Chances of getting hired after college through someone’s recommendation are much higher than applying without it. Once you are enrolled in a fashion design course you should try building your portfolio by doing freelance work and internships to make a name for yourself and land a job easily.
Third step: Technology has proliferated all the spaces and made these fields even more challenging. Technologies do change every day, one needs to regularly update themselves in order to stay relevant in the field. After completing the fashion design course you should try learning new things that come in the field through diploma or certification courses. If you wish to have an apparel set of your own someday, updating yourself to the market and industry standards is a must.
Fourth step: Employers always want something more from you. They always look for extra that you can offer as there are a lot of candidates that have the same degree and skill set as you possess. So, to have a desirable skill set gives you an extra edge. For example, a fashion designer who understands merchandising or retail sector elements or technical production of clothes would be preferred by an employer.
Conclusion:
By following these steps, you can make a good career in the fashion sector and have a name for yourself if you are creative, visionary and persistent enough over time. Choosing the right college to pursue the fashion design course or diploma in fashion designing is a must. The top-tier colleges that provide such courses in India are NIFTs, FDDIs, and other state and private players in the education field.
You should prepare yourself from the very beginning and check if you possess the skill to be a fashion designer.
