The fashion world is extremely competitive and anyone who wants to succeed has to develop many skills on top of working hard. According to academic writing expert Joan Young “to become an outstanding fashion designer, it is not all about getting a bachelor’s degree in fashion design, one has to be very creative, accurate, passionate about the art of designing and produce quality”.
These things are very important in the fashion world if one is to achieve the fame and fortune they are looking for. This article by a professional essay writing company and its team of academic experts Advanced Writers will look at what education is needed to become a fashion designer but first, it is important to know the duties associated with this role.
The Role of Fashion Designers
The role of a fashion designer is primarily designing clothes for men, women, and children. They may work in high street fashion, ready-to-wear fashion, or even high fashion. It is the dream of many fashion designers to make clothes for celebrities during big events. There is more to the role and it comprises tasks such as:
- Predicting trends in the fashion world
- Working closely with a brief which is also known as design instructions to most people
- Coming up with concepts and shapes through patterns
- Locating suppliers and evaluate manufacturing and material costs
- Supervising and coming up with presentations for merchandisers
Education Needed to Excel As A Fashion Designer
Do things that are fashion related in high school
Early preparation is key and it will give you a head start over your peers. If you want to learn how to sew quickly and work on your accuracy, you have to take home economics classes. You will notice a massive improvement in your sewing in no time and to improve your creativity and use of colors, paint and draw during your free time. Read everything from magazines, blogs, journals, and books related to fashion design and learn how to use software like Xara and photoshop. It is small things like this that will make the biggest difference when it’s time to apply for a college or university.
Take up a Bachelor’s Degree in Fashion Design
This course will act as the blueprint in helping you understand the ins and outs of the fashion world. Everything from history, management of a fashion house, fashion events, manipulating clothes textiles, drawing and sketching, and more will all be taught to you. Some of the best colleges to apply for include the London College of Contemporary Arts, located in the UK, the LISAA School of Design in France, and Istituto Europeo Di Design (IED) in Italy. These are some of the best fashion design colleges in Europe and will provide you with the best education possible in an industry that is very competitive.
Take up a Bachelors Degree in Visual Arts
Many of the world’s top designers have taken this course. This program combines both practice and theory from things like photography, drawing, and painting. You will be able to learn things like digital imaging and collage which are fundamental if one is to excel in this competitive industry. You can study Visual Arts degrees in places like the Netherlands, USA, and Canada.
Take up a Bachelors Degree in Art History
Fashion is a form of art that people wear and to understand its roots, you’ll need to know its history. Doing a course in the philosophy of art can help you get your ideas across better and piece everything together properly. Famous people in fashion like Vera Wang did a Bachelor’s Degree in Art History. Countries like Canada, Australia, and the USA are the best places to get Art History Degrees.
Do a short course in fashion design
Gone are the days of simply relying on paper and scissors, graphics are the thing now. While not essential, short courses will teach you how to become an expert in several techniques like product design, research, graphic representation, and more. You can do these short courses at the University of the Arts London, in the UK, Stanford Summer, located in the USA, and European Cultural Academy in Italy.
Important Steps Needed to Be a Successful Fashion Designer
While studying for a bachelor’s degree in fashion does help one understand the art of this discipline, it doesn’t mean they will be a success in the future. As pointed out before, it is a very competitive industry and one needs to spend time on other activities like
- Interacting with people in the same field
- Knowing your niche is also very important
- Educating yourself on what it’s like to run and expand a fashion empire.
The first thing you should be looking to do is expand your network and meet as many people as possible while you’re still studying to get a fashion designer education. Look for anything to gain valuable experience like unpaid and paid internships. If you have an internship on your CV, it makes you a very attractive candidate for most employers. You can’t do everything and need to pick what you prefer the most. You can choose between women, men and kids fashion. Some of the jobs one can get when they graduate include fashion journalist, brand manager, photoshoot stylist, fashion consultant, and merchandiser.
Fashion is more than most art, it is a business that one has to take seriously. Plenty of designers that have made a name for themselves have said they needed to learn business skills at some point and this decision has helped them be the successful business person they are today. Doing a master’s degree in fashion is very important because it helps you know the ins and outs of the business. You will know how to market your brand, an eye for detail, shapes, and color. These are the things you need if you want to stand out from your peers. Another important thing is you’ll have to keep up with fashion trends. If you’re left behind and don’t keep your knowledge up to date, this industry is not for you.