A Career as a Fashion Designer. Is a Degree from a Fashion School Necessary?

[gius]

romeoelliott where are you learning how to sew?

 

[romeoelliott]

romeoelliott where are you learning how to sew?

at home...by myself. couldnt find anyone to teach me

 

[gius]

are you using any kind of textbooks?

i am doing some studies on my own now too, but i started with private lessons from a tutor. maybe you can find community courses in sewing there? there are high schools here that have evening classes in sewing, and anyone can join. they even have courses in pattern making.
some sewing machine shops also offer classes in sewing.

i think it's good to have a mentor/someone who has all the experience to guide you in the beginning. they know about the standards. so, maybe if possible you can find a sewing community there or even someplace like meetup.com where people with similar interests meet together

from my experience it's easier for me to study on my own, now that i have learned the basics (or at least some of).

 

[ChristianThomas]

Sure there are loads of known designers who don't sew, perhaps don't know how too and don't know their patterns. They got very lucky.

If you want to be an aspiring designer, learn how to sew and learn how to make patterns, even if it's just the basics. You're not going to suddenly have tons of money to hire people for sewing and patterns and your designs will most likely suffer terrible amounts from not having any knowledge in pattern making and sewing.
How can you design brilliant designs if you don't know the construction part that comes along with it. You need to know what's possible and how things work before you can design them.

In my honest opinion no one can call themselves a really good designer, unless they have the knowledge of designing and construction or the reputation to back them up.

 

[fashion tyger]

I completely agree,practice practice practice. Bust out the dress form and go to work, don't just spend all day sketching, get those shears in your hands. I'm a big believer in "if your going to call yourself a designer you should at least know the basics of sewing and patternmaking"

 

[iluvpink]

You guys are amazing and so helpful! I'm from Barbados and it's always been my childhood dream to own a fashion line and eventually open a boutique! I'm researching the market and trying to keep up with trends as much as i can. My goal is to have the line in 2011. Problem is i can only sketch. I cant sew or draw patterns. I plan on learning this summer though. A question i wanted to ask though is how do new designers get their lines on the catwalks of Fashion Week? I know in America it's New York Fashion week. In the Caribbean we have Caribbean Fashion week. However i have no idea how designers manage to debut their lines there. So do you guys have any idea how new designers get their lines out there?

 

[gius]

hello iluvpink Here's a good thread for that ..
Getting your show into fashion week

If you want to read more about fashion weeks, you could go to the main page of this careers & edu./business forum and near the top right, you will see a button "Search this forum"
Click search titles only
and type in "week"
And it will come up with a bunch of good reads

 

[iluvpink]

Hello Gius! Thank you so much for being helpful! I'm reading the thread you just gave me a link to and i'll use the search tool on this site. This site is great. Everyone seems talented and nice and you can find out things on here that i cant find elsewhere. When i finally begin to sew and bring my sketches to life i'll be sure to show you guys some of them

 

[BetteT]

There is a thread for that, too .... Aspiring Designers Lookbook ... Show Us Your Designs! See Post #1 before posting.

 

[romeoelliott]

thanks so much. great info, but first let me find out the standard size for menswear

 

[shopaholicaak]

Fashion Design career

I was thinking about a career as a fashion designer for a long time and although my drawing abilities are good , i can't sew at all. Is it possible to break through as a fashion designer without a degree in fashion design ?

Would be glad to hear any advice .

 

[F0F0]

I was thinking about a career as a fashion designer for a long time and although my drawing abilities are good , i can't sew at all. Is it possible to break through as a fashion designer without a degree in fashion design ?

Would be glad to hear any advice .

Yes, specially if you go on your own and have a consumer market that buys into your ideas/products. But cases like this are exceptions to the rule. B) You can also try being a huge celebrity and then develop your own line to be a "fashion designer" , or better yet, use a ghost designer and just be the front face of your own fashion design label (Milli Vanilli anyone?) .

You won't believe but here in the UK you still have graduates from fashion schools who can't sew a thing. But this is not good for them nor for the industry. So why don't you go and learn?

 

[shopaholicaak]

thank you , i would certainly try my best to find some sort of sewing classes here . =)

 

[daniellat]

It will take so much longer to learn it all on your own than to go to school, and you can always get some short courses if you don't want to go to a formal school.

 

[tamtamj]

Hello everyone, I also want to start on my own as a designer. I have bachelor's in fashion, took business classes, and have 2 years of experience.

I want to do samples on my own, not because I can't pay seamstress/patternmaker, but because I really enjoy creating process. The thing is that I am on intermediate level when comes to garment construction, and I would need some good training. How do you get it? I've been sewing on my own a bit, but it's so hard and super slow. Does it get easier with time or that's how self-teaching is? I am really trying to avoid classes...unless tha's the only option.

Also, what do you do when you have your samples? How do you promote it? And when do you present it; for example if I want to sell for Fall 2012 how much in advance I must have collection in my hands to show?

Oh, and i almost forgot that I am targeting for high-end RTW, maybe experimental fashion. I definitely don't want to do mass market. Btw, i just recently moved to San Francisco from NYC...seems like the only thing to do here is to create your own label since fashion is not very developed (I might be wrong too).

 

[BetteT]

May I redirect you to some other threads that are about starting and running a line ... your last question, which is a bit off topic for this thread? This thread is about the education and experience needed to become a designer ... not how to run your business.

Here are just a few of the elated threads about building, running and selling your own line:

All about Starting your Own Label /Line ... See post #1 for related threads.
What's in a Name? Naming your brand / line / store.
Making Samples ... What Fabrics to Use?
New Designers - Publicity and Marketing Your Line
Selling my Line to Buyers/Boutique Owners


But, I hope someone pops in here and talks about "self-teaching" which is certainly what this thread is about ... comparing that to a formal education.

 

[tamtamj]

Thanks Bette T I'll take a look

 

[tamtamj]

Yes, my question is self-teaching versus classes? i've been thinking to go to bridal atelier or tailor and find a job as seamstress assistant...

 

[glamrockgal]

this thread is so inspiring.and i spend so much time reading fashion designer threads here AT TFS.I have taken a one year fashion design course and i was the most talented one in the class (creativity and drawing and hard work).I've always wanted to be a fashion designer but my schools are all abour finance.thats why i took a fashion design course and i am not very young to study a 4 year fashion school program (i even graduated from my masters uni in finance). now i am considering to develop myself by frequenting ateliers (small ones that i have contacts ) and learn from them at weekends cause i work fulltime in weekdays.and in the future i want to develop my own designs and brand.people live with dreams and what you like love,if i were 18 now i could apply to a fashion design program in a university but i am older to consider studying all full schools of fashion.But for more than 15 years since my early teens i started to read all kinds of fashion magazines and developed a good eye that i've been fed from really good sources of all fashion editorials, designers, runway shows to books.i think talent and personal development+hard work is very important. but for being a high end brand's leading fashion designer its more than just creativity and even more than looks...its a harder work and ability to work under high pressure and stress.

 

[ogepma]

An engineering student becoming a fashion designer?

Hi my name is Oge and I am a final year aerospace engineering student. I have been designing clothes for about 4 years now and have always wanted to venture into fashion professionally at some point. I have tons of sketches all over my apartment and have even made (sort of) and shown a collection to an audience. I don't sew well at all (I don't even own a machine) but have been learning gradually when I find time. Could anyone please offer some advice on how I could get into this. Is going to fashion school essential? If it is, how hard is it to get into the major fashion schools? Any sort of advice will be greatly appreciated.


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