So You Want to Be a Fashion Designer ? Summary

Hello readers, how have you all been? I get so excited when it's time for a new post as I am All about fulfilling this burning desire on helping new fashion students (although we are all fashion students, as long as you are in the industry, you don't stop learning) and hopefully teaching what is barely taught in fashion schools, if you are attending one (you ll understand what I mean ). Today's post is a continuation from our previous post of what it takes to be a fashion designer in this tough and highly competitive world of ours. Please if you haven't read the previous post you can take a minute or two to read it, as it will help you have a better understanding on this recent post, but if you have read my last post do strap on your seat belt as we begin a new journey into this fun and exciting adventure.

Decision making is very crucial if you want to be successful in the fashion industry. (Well same applies generally about life)  You need to be able to Decide which designing field is your principal interest. You may need to start at the bottom but you do need to have a goal in mind as to the type of designing you want to undertake lifelong. Just because everybody is designing wedding dresses doesn't mean you should follow suit, you may find out you are better in designing football jerseys. "Winks". So we all need to be genuinely honest when it's time to decide, as this can make or break ones ability to be successful in this field.

 Are you interested most in haute couture, ready-to-wear, fitness/leisure gear, the mass market or niches such as eco wear? Each has advantages and disadvantages that you'll need to explore before reaching your final decision on which pathway to pursue. Within these major fields, you'll also need to decide on a few sub-set areas for your fashion design. You might wish to straddle a few but to begin with, don't over-extend yourself as it's better to perfect your designing within one area and then experiment when you've already got a good foothold in the industry. For example:
Women's daywear, women's evening wear
Men's daywear, men's evening wear
Boys' wear and/or girls' wear; teenage wear
Sportswear/fitness/leisure wear
Knitwear
Outdoor, adventure, outerwear
Bridalwear
Accessories
casual
Costume design for theater, movies, the advertising industry and retailers.

Plan some key pieces that will make up your collections.  What is your absolute strength in designing? Perhaps you're a whizz at accesories or a genius with dresses. Your passion and skill are an important first part of the equation. Of course, the second part is matching this to what the market wants, which in fashion, is part convincing the market and part noticing what the market is demanding.
Assess your skills and personality honestly before pursuing a career in fashion design. You may love clothes but clothing is only part of the story when undertaking fashion design. You'll also need excellent communication skills, a willingness to work very hard (often 24/7), a tough hide when criticized, an ability to cope with stress, openness to having many different clients and/or bosses, an acceptance that there will be loneliness or isolation on occasion (depending on how you set up your design business or career) and an ability to be a self-disciplined self-starter.

Being a fashion designer is probably for you if  You want to devote your life to this career (it's your "vocation"), you don't mind uncertainty or insecurity, you are willing to stand up for what you believe in, you have distinct ideas about what is important in fashion, you listen to clients well, you know the fashion industry inside out and you live, eat and breathe fashion.
Being a fashion designer is probably not for you if: You can't manage stress well, you don't like uncertainty or instability, you want a career without too many highs or lows, you need other people to praise your efforts, you need a lot of guidance, you hate being financially unstable and you have too many other interests in life. Mind you am not trying to discourage anyone here but it's good to have a good knowledge about what you are in for. It helps you to strategize.

Any questions or comment? Please feel free to ask me personally or drop them by the comment section. Thank you and stay tuned as we delve further into more knowledge about what it takes to being a fashion designer. Until my next post stay blessed!

So You Want to Be a Fashion Designer ?

Hello and welcome to my Blog ! I started this Blog to help upcoming fashion designers, home tailors/seamstresses and anyone interested in learning how to design, sew & style their way into the future. I found out a lot of people are lost in not knowing where and how to start. So I am here to share my knowledge, experiences and also ideas and advice that I think would help fresh starters and older gang stars like me. *winks*

This is it! Who is a Fashion Designer? There are many definitions and explanations in regards to whom a fashion designer is but if I am asked I would say a Fashion designer is an individual who dictates and predict styles and clothing in relation to how he/she wants to see the future dressed. We are trend setters, trend forecasters, and style predictors. You must see yourself as one to begin with.



Doing that alone will help you focus and Chanel all your energy, ideas and hardwork into what you deem fit to be a fashion trend.So that being explained, we all now know what we are in for.

You will need to have a combination of these skills
1: Drawing/Fashion Illustration.
2: Patternmaking/Patterndrafting.
3: Sewing/Dressmaking
4: Designing
 N.B ; A knowledge of the fashion industry, and unparalleled perseverance would also help.

Develop your skills. What is it you have in you that you want to offer to the fashion world? That is what will stand you out from your competition. Like in my own case (Am sure you all must have seen my designs.) *smiles* Think about yours and work on it. Successful fashion designers have a wide array of skills, including drawing, an eye for color and texture, an ability to visualize concepts in three dimensions, and the mechanical skills involved in sewing and cutting all types of fabrics.

Get excellent sewing knowledge (you can learn that at home with the help of this blog). Being able to sew difficult fabric under challenging situations will stand you in excellent stead throughout your career but you need to work at it, it's a skill that doesn't come easily to many people. I have spent years to learn and acquire the knowledge of sewing and dressmaking. Trust me it takes time.

Understand how fabrics move, drape, breathe, react when worn. Your in-depth knowledge of fabric is absolutely essential to using it properly when designing. Also know where to source materials from.

Learn from existing designers, as you can borrow and build on their ideas.

Learn how to create storyboards and product ranges. Be good at researching trends through media, comparative shopping and trade shows.

Be prepared to devote hours of time to perfecting your craft.

This is my first blogging experience so pardon any little mistakes I might be making and I ll also entertain corrections and comments as to how we all can be the best. This is an introductory part on what I am about to blog about in my future post. So please stay tuned and drop your comments and questions below. You can also follow me on Instagram, Facebook, and twitter to know when I ll be posting new articles! As they are my only announcement platform. I will gladly read and reply all. Thank you .