Are you one of those who just love fashion but feel you are not “creative” or “original” enough to be a fashion designer? Here is the good news: You can still have a career in the fashion industry! There are numerous other job options which will allow you to be a part of this exciting world.

You will need to have a good knowledge of the key aspects of fashion and the best way to attain this, is through a formal qualification from a reputable school of fashion design. Once you have a diploma/degree, you will be able to follow any of the following career paths.

Fashion Artist/Sketcher                                                           Fashion Merchandising

Sewer (by hand or machine)                                                  Fashion Marketing

Pattern Maker                                                                           Fashion Buyer

Pattern Grader                                                                          Product Management

Cutter                                                                                          Visual Merchandising/Presentation

Spec and Fit Technician                                                          Styling

Trend Researcher                                                                     Fashion Performing Arts

Assistant Designer                                                                   Fashion Photography

Head Designer                                                                          Fashion Journalism

Specialty Designer                                                                  Public Relations

In this and the next few blogs we will take a look at what these jobs entail.

 

Designer

Fashion designers work on the design of items of clothing and fashion ranges, creating/visualising an idea and producing a design by hand or using computer-aided design (CAD). Depending on their level of responsibility and the company they work for, designers may work to their own brief or be given a brief to work towards, with specifications relating to colour, fabric and budget.

Head Designer

The head designer is the one who makes the creative decisions, and also supervises staff.

Assistant Designer

An assistant designer not only supports the head designer, but must also observe and learn as much as possible. The assistant researches current fashion styles and analyse customer demand, creates spec sheets with all dimensions and measurements and sketches of the garments, and enters designs, layouts and specs into a software system. He/she also helps the production team create sample-clothing pieces, and makes changes to the prototypes as requested by the head designer.

Specialty Designer

A specialty designer focuses completely on one specialist area, such as sportswear, children’s wear, footwear or accessories.

Fashion Artist

A fashion artist draws or paints apparel and accessory illustrations for newspaper or related advertisements, using various art media and materials. The garment, accessory, or model is positioned to accentuate desired sales features.