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!