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If you want to work in the garment industry, but haute couture leaves you cold, consider taking a different path to fashion design: clothing design. Off-the-rack jeans, blouses, dresses, and other clothing need to be made on a large scale for consumers. As a fashion design school graduate, clothing design will be part of your basic curriculum.

Major retailers such as Target and K-Mart now have designers such as Behnaz Sarafpour and Isaac Mizrahi making lines for the stores. Even clothing that doesn't carry a flashy label needs solid design work, however. A fashion school graduate could take a number of paths into clothing design.

Clothing Design Career

There are many careers in clothing design, from a number of different entry points. By working in a retail store selling clothing or accessories, you can gain valuable brand knowledge and move on to a position as a personal shopper or stylist. Tailor, seamstress, and specialty clothing retailer are other jobs that can provide inspiration and experience. Internships with design houses are in demand; you need work experience to complement your courses in fashion school.

Education in Fashion Design

Many schools included fashion design training in arts programs. Two-and-four-year programs are offered at colleges and fashion schools across the country. As a fashion school student, you'll learn effective use of color, textiles, and pattern making, among other valuable skills. If you want to combine your fashion design education with courses in business or marketing, both of these skills could positively impact your business. By combining real-life experience and an excellent education, you may be able to break into the booming industry of clothing design.

About author

Lynsey Hemstreet is a freelance writer and hairstylist. She has a BA in Journalism from San Francisco State University.

Source(s)

Bureau of Labor Statistics