Featured Schools

Do you enjoy flipping through fashion magazines looking for new ideas, new designs, and new looks? Do you sometimes feel that you could do a better job than many of the big-name fashion designers out there? Are you a creative person with a tremendous amount of drive? Would you like a job that presents you with numerous challenges and plenty of opportunities for travel? Perhaps you should consider becoming a fashion designer.

What Does It Take to Become a Fashion Designer?

Creativity is one of the most important elements of fashion design. You basically have to come up with new ideas on a fairly consistent basis. This of course requires that you know how to draw (either by hand or using computer software), sew, stitch, and design clothes. But believe it or not, design ability is only part of the game.

Marketing Know-How

There are thousands of fashion designers in the world, but only so many runways. So you basically have to know how to promote your ideas, make sure they receive proper exposure, make sure they receive financial backing, and make sure they receive good reviews. All of this requires a certain degree of marketing and business acumen.

Fashion Design School

If you don't have all of the above essentials, don't despair. This is where fashion design school comes in. Through formal instruction, you'll master all of the ins and outs of fashion design. You'll learn everything from color psychology, lighting, manufacturing, sewing, coordinating, and a host of other creative aspects that are crucial to any successful fashion design career. However, no fashion design education would be complete without extensive training in areas such as marketing, public relations, advertising, consumer trends, fashion history, and a host of other business related areas.

As an added bonus, most fashion design schools will also put you in touch with alumni and other useful contacts so that even before graduation, you have a firm networking base from which to draw support, guidance, and potential contracts.