How to Start a Career in Fashion Design?
Fashion designing has always been a promising field with diverse career options. When you choose fashion designing as a career, you don’t have to restrict yourself to only stitching garments or designing them. The fashion industry is vast and there are various avenues for everyone to pursue. If you like stitching/sewing, pattern-making, you can go in that direction. On the other hand, if marketing fashion garments excite you, you can become a fashion marketer. However, building a career in fashion is something that requires a methodical approach. You might have the passion but to succeed in the fashion industry, you need certain skills. This also makes you a probable candidate for a job.
Tips to Kickstart your Career as a Fashion Designer
Choose your Path in the Fashion Industry
Once you’ve decided that you want to pursue fashion as a career, it’s important to identify which path you want to foray into. Do you want to stitch garments or design them? Do you want to become an accessory designer? Once you identify your path, working towards it becomes easier. It also depends on where your passion lies. Choosing one career path also helps you build the required skill-set.
Learn the Basics of Fashion Designing
Even before you enrol yourself in a private design college in India, you can start learning on your own. This will help you grasp advanced concepts when you go to college. You will find a lot of learning material online. A few basics you should be learning when you’re starting out are design principles, fashion cycles, and drawing and illustration skills. Sketching and digital illustration is of paramount importance. Once you learn the basics, you can move towards getting formal education.
Pursue a Fashion Designing Course
If you’re just starting out, you should pursue a BSc in fashion and apparel design. You’ll find the best design colleges in Bangalore. Formal education or training is always helpful. If committing to a four-year course seems like a big deal, you can even do a graduate diploma in fashion designing and management, or a weekend fashion design program. If you only want to learn the technical side of fashion design, you can even do a certificate course in CAD. When it comes to formal education, the choices are vast. The right design institute can set the foundation for your career. Once you get specialised training with a bachelor’s degree, you can even go in for a postgraduate course.
Master Technical Skills
It’s impossible to foray into the world of fashion without having certain technical skills. We’ve already spoken about the essential skills every fashion designer should have. The most important skills include sewing, pattern making, draping, tailoring, and CAD software. Other software you should know the basics of are Adobe Illustrator & Photoshop, and CLO 3D. The right technical skills will take you a long way.
Build a Strong Portfolio
When you want to make a career in a creative field, you cannot do so without a portfolio. It is your entry ticket. It also gives recruiters a fair idea of what you are good at. No matter which path you’re pursuing in the fashion industry, building a fashion portfolio is a must. It should include sketches, illustrations and showcase your creativity in the best possible way. Also, have mood boards, design concepts and prototypes. While it’s important to keep the portfolio diverse, it should also focus on your unique skills and have a short but powerful introduction about you.
Gain some Real-World Experience
Practical experience is of paramount importance in the world of fashion. To gain first-hand real-world experience, apply for an internship. You can apply to fashion houses or brands, or even work with independent designers. Freelance work is also a good idea. Doing an internship increases your chances of getting a job in a reputed firm or fashion house.
Networking is Key
Networking within the industry is key if you want to get into the fashion industry. Attend fashion shows and events to meet industry veterans and like-minded people. You can also use platforms such as LinkedIn and Instagram to get in touch with people who excel in what you want to do.
Promote your Work
Lastly, focus on promoting your work. You may be great at what you do but it’s of no use if you don’t let the world know. Focus on building an online presence. Upload your best work on Behance, Pinterest, etc. Share your design thought process, behind-the-scenes content, and more. You can also collaborate with models to create editorial-style content.
In Summary
Start your career in fashion design with Vogue Institute of Art & Design, the best design institute in India. We offer the perfect impetus to help you build a career that will take you a long way. With state-of-the-art facilities and faculty, Vogue should be your number one choice when it comes to choosing a design school.
