Feminin Zone

The fashion world has long been filled with glitz and glamour. The ramp for models is always long, dramatic, and well-lighted. The walk is certainly a walk for fame, fortunately for aspirants but sometimes leading to a walk for shame. Who is behind all these promises and/or even breakdowns? No less than the fashion designers.

What, exactly, does a fashion designer do?

Basically, with streaks of talent, creativity, and sensitivity, fashion designers, as if influenced by Rumpelstiltskin, craft accessory and clothing sketches. They usually concentrate in one nature of accessory or garment such as women’s or men’s apparels, swimwear, lingerie, children’s garments, handbags, and even shoes. They, sometimes, lead the groundwork of the creation and promotion of their creations.

Famous fashion designers prefer to be self-employed and they cater for the request of their clients. Some cater to high-fashion department stores or to specialty stores. They establish fashion statements by setting the colors, silhouette, and type of materials that are worn each season.

There are also some designers who are employed by manufacturers of clothes. These designers just adapt fashion statements set by other designers for the market. However, there are small manufacturers who just purchase or copy designs.

Both designers sketch unique garments and follow certain trends in fashion. Likewise, both need assistants who should get used to the fast-paced schedule of the fashion business.

In detail, these designers execute the following tasks:

• Draw their unique designs.

• Create patterns for sample garments.

• Choose textile and add-ons (accessories).

• Apply tailoring and basic dressmaking principles along with draping techniques and flat pattern works.

• Fit and alter the completed product, if necessary.

• Set-up a fashion show.

• Compare the performance of the merchandise against the competitors.

• Keep self up-to-date of latest fashion trends thru magazines and other fashion shows.

• Have frequent trips to fabric showrooms to keep self updated of latest type of fabrics.

Actually, fashion designers can be categorized as follows:

1. Lead or Head Designers

They take care of the executive and creative tasks.

2. Assistant or Apprentice Designers

They usually make patterns and sample garments. They may also teach sample makers how to make patterns and designer garments.

3. Specialty Designers

They coordinate with other designers about special lines of garments.

4. Costume or Theatrical Designers

They usually create costumes used in theater and movie productions on a contractual basis.

The foundations for their creations are their knowledge, skills, and abilities honed in fashion schools and trainings in the long run.

• Basic Design – This refers to technical know-how included in the creation and use of technical blueprints, drawings, plans, and models.

• Idea Production – This is the ability of designers to approach problems creatively and resourcefully.

• Dynamic Learning – This is being able to analyze implications of new information and materials at hand.

• Operations Scrutiny – This is considering requirements of products to execute a design.

• Uniqueness – This pertains to unusual cleverness vis-à-vis trying situations.

• Harmonization – This is being able to having good coordination with others.

• Visioning – This is being able to see how an organization works under real conditions.

The talents and skills of these artists are really important in the fashion industry. The work requires an eye for a striking creation and business management. Thus, aside from the portfolio of their usually creations, formal education help these designers acquire the secrets of the trade in this business. In fact, graduation from a college or school that provides training on fashion and design is highly recommended in the industry, to keep incoming designers updated on the advent of new techniques and technologies.

However, some leaders of this industry view vocational training schools and community college as more capable of producing competent artists because these institutions work along with clothing industries.

Vocational schools provide trainings in sketching, draping and grading, pattern making, garment construction, textiles and trimmings, costume history, principles of design and color; and how to plan and market seasonal fashion lines.

High school students inclined in fashion and design should finish basic courses in arts, sewing, mathematics, speech, English, and business.

Usually, vocational institutions provide a two-leveled program with certificate that is consonant to the degree in Associate of Arts. For those who want to enter the fashion field immediately, a first level certificate of proficiency is provided. The next level of proficiency, the second-level requires a greater time of completion. But upon graduation, artists are considered competent enough to aim for positions as Assistant Designers. After all the necessary formal trainings and specializations, those who have the guts and high hopes spin gold fabrics!

Uniqueness in Common

A common characteristic among fashion designers and those employed within the fashion industry is their uniqueness. That sounds strange, doesn’t it? But think about it: those in the fashion industry are unique individuals, and the top fashion design colleges recognize this quality and offer educational and training programs to help develop the skills of their fashion design students. Whether you want to study fashion design from a location close to your home or in a large fashion design metropolis, like New York or San Francisco, top fashion design colleges that will meet your educational needs are located throughout the United States.

You Have to Start Somewhere

Although most fashion designers have a passion for style and design, few are born with an innate ability to design clothes and apparel. Even the world’s leading designers had to learn and develop their skills before realizing success within the fashion industry. They sought training and education from the top fashion design colleges to develop their designing skills and express their visions. Choosing a fashion school, one that fits your particular uniqueness, is very important to experiencing longer-term success in the industry of fashion.

Fashion designers are artistic people who hold within a desire to create new and exciting designs. Combining knowledge and artistic ability, fashion designers turn their ideas into real fashions for merchandising, publications, and the interiors of the homes we inhabit. Many fashion designers are self-employed and provide fashion services for individual clients, while others provide similar services to department and specialty stores. Designers working for apparel manufacturers generally modify fashions created by other designers to meet the needs of mass marketing.

Keep Up With the Changes

Fashion design is a constantly changing industry, and therefore so are its occupations. The curricula of the top fashion design colleges are structured to provide a well-rounded and contemporary educational experience to the fashion design student. Students can learn the most current innovations taking place in fashion design. They are exposed to computer generated fashion design, pattern development and drafting, fashion merchandising, and much more. If you are interested in a career of fashion design, then you should investigate the courses of study from some of the top fashion design colleges in the nation.

Top Fashion Colleges and World Travel

Most top fashion design colleges provide programs that combine traditional skills – like sewing, pattern production and use of fabric – with the standards and trends of today’s fashions. In any one of these colleges, the work performed is geared toward assisting students to build their own fashion design portfolio. Some top fashion design colleges even provide study tours of the world’s leading fashion producers located in cities like New York and Paris. Imagine traveling to Paris, as a student, to study the styles and techniques of some of the world’s most respected designers. You might even have an opportunity to experience the thrill of one of your own designs being displayed on the runway. It’s all possible if you graduate from one of the top fashion colleges!