BetteT
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Cris,
I suggest that you start by going to some fashion school sites which might have descriptions of the job of "fashion designer". And maybe Google "job description ... fashion designer" ... there are a lot of sites that cover all of this.
Actually, you will find that there is no specific path that designers have taken to get where they are. There are numerous ways to "make it" ... and even more ways not to "make it", because it's a super competitive feild.
I don't even begin to suggest that I know the answers because I'm not a designer ... but I am a stylist. But here are some of my thoughts, based on what I have observed and have been told:
First you must decide what the term "fashion designer" means to you. You can be hired as a designer at a sportswear factory downtown and just make changes on a basic peice of clothing like hoodies or sweats or to assist the head designer as a junior designer at a big company like J. Crew ... just a salaried job. Or you can be talking about becoming a world famous designer who is hired to run a major fashion house. Or you can be talking about running your own business and having your own label. Or working as a freelance desginer, one project at a time. Each one of these will take a different route to get there and each requires a different set of skills and abilities.
For most of these ... fashion design school is probably the best start ... but some people never go to school. To compete, the fashion school should be in a fashion city ... and have a history of turning out sucessfull designers, not necessarily just famous ones. And yes ... internships in the right city are very important to learn about the business environment and to make your essential contacts ... so that you will actually become a better canditate to be hired after school. And sometimes you must work as an intern, every after school just to build your experience... with no pay.
The advantages of working as a designer:
Well, fame and fortune for one in a million wannabes. Perhaps the opportunity to own your own business and call the shots. The opportunity to use your creativity and your business strengths. But, only if you are running your own line or are hired as head designer. The rest is not as glamorous ... it's just a job ... but then, a salaried job with regular working hours and benefits is very important to some people, especially if they have a family to support.
The disadvantages:
If you don't have your own line, then you are still someone's employee and must design what they want ... not what you want. You don't have much flexibility nor will be allowed to use all your ideas. You will have deadlines and lots of pressure.
If you do have your own line ... it's super long hours, it's extremely likely to fail (statistically), it takes lots of money just to get started (hundreds of thousands of dollars for a serious line or label), you must find financial backers and then you have them to worry about, you must supervise staff and run a business ... it's not all creativity. You will still have deadlines and lots' of pressure ... but probably it will be way more intense. You must compete with thousands of other designers to get noticed and to find buyers. You must make a profit or you cannot stay in business and pay back your financial backers.
Who pays the designer?
For a big gun like Tom Ford, he would have paid himself in the beginning, when he owned the line. Once a designer incorporates or sells the line, then the corporation pays them (compansation would be decided by the board of directors ... and might include bonuses and other perks in addtion to salary). It's hard to say if Tom Ford gets paid from the books of the individual brands or if he's paid from the books of LVMH ... it depends on the corporate structure. But, I'd venture to bet that it comes from each brand, just for accounting purposes to separate costs to list on the P&L statement of each individual brand. If a designer is freelance, then he would negotiate a fee for each gig ... from the person or company that is hiring him. If he works for a big company as a regular desginer, the company would pay a salary.
No idea what beginning salaries are as a junior designer ... nor what a superstar managing designer/director like Tom Ford would earn. And of course ... for a start up line ... there would be no pay until a profit is made and investors paid. For freelance ... it's negotiated ... and I have no idea what is commone either. All of that would require extensive research .... but I'd be willing to say if you want a "range" ... it's everything from loosing money to millions a year ... a pretty wide range.
There are lot's of threads here that you can use in your research about becoming a fashion designer ... and you will probably find lots of information if you read them:
Famous Fashion Designers and their school?
Fashion designers without a degree?
Fashion Design Job Outlook: jobs & prospects for new fashion design grads?
I want to Work for a Designer ... How Can I Make this Happen?
What are the best cities to Work in Fashion ?
All About Freelance Fashion Designers
New Designers - Marketing Yourself
Freelance Designers - how much to charge?
I suggest that you start by going to some fashion school sites which might have descriptions of the job of "fashion designer". And maybe Google "job description ... fashion designer" ... there are a lot of sites that cover all of this.
Actually, you will find that there is no specific path that designers have taken to get where they are. There are numerous ways to "make it" ... and even more ways not to "make it", because it's a super competitive feild.
I don't even begin to suggest that I know the answers because I'm not a designer ... but I am a stylist. But here are some of my thoughts, based on what I have observed and have been told:
First you must decide what the term "fashion designer" means to you. You can be hired as a designer at a sportswear factory downtown and just make changes on a basic peice of clothing like hoodies or sweats or to assist the head designer as a junior designer at a big company like J. Crew ... just a salaried job. Or you can be talking about becoming a world famous designer who is hired to run a major fashion house. Or you can be talking about running your own business and having your own label. Or working as a freelance desginer, one project at a time. Each one of these will take a different route to get there and each requires a different set of skills and abilities.
For most of these ... fashion design school is probably the best start ... but some people never go to school. To compete, the fashion school should be in a fashion city ... and have a history of turning out sucessfull designers, not necessarily just famous ones. And yes ... internships in the right city are very important to learn about the business environment and to make your essential contacts ... so that you will actually become a better canditate to be hired after school. And sometimes you must work as an intern, every after school just to build your experience... with no pay.
The advantages of working as a designer:
Well, fame and fortune for one in a million wannabes. Perhaps the opportunity to own your own business and call the shots. The opportunity to use your creativity and your business strengths. But, only if you are running your own line or are hired as head designer. The rest is not as glamorous ... it's just a job ... but then, a salaried job with regular working hours and benefits is very important to some people, especially if they have a family to support.
The disadvantages:
If you don't have your own line, then you are still someone's employee and must design what they want ... not what you want. You don't have much flexibility nor will be allowed to use all your ideas. You will have deadlines and lots of pressure.
If you do have your own line ... it's super long hours, it's extremely likely to fail (statistically), it takes lots of money just to get started (hundreds of thousands of dollars for a serious line or label), you must find financial backers and then you have them to worry about, you must supervise staff and run a business ... it's not all creativity. You will still have deadlines and lots' of pressure ... but probably it will be way more intense. You must compete with thousands of other designers to get noticed and to find buyers. You must make a profit or you cannot stay in business and pay back your financial backers.
Who pays the designer?
For a big gun like Tom Ford, he would have paid himself in the beginning, when he owned the line. Once a designer incorporates or sells the line, then the corporation pays them (compansation would be decided by the board of directors ... and might include bonuses and other perks in addtion to salary). It's hard to say if Tom Ford gets paid from the books of the individual brands or if he's paid from the books of LVMH ... it depends on the corporate structure. But, I'd venture to bet that it comes from each brand, just for accounting purposes to separate costs to list on the P&L statement of each individual brand. If a designer is freelance, then he would negotiate a fee for each gig ... from the person or company that is hiring him. If he works for a big company as a regular desginer, the company would pay a salary.
No idea what beginning salaries are as a junior designer ... nor what a superstar managing designer/director like Tom Ford would earn. And of course ... for a start up line ... there would be no pay until a profit is made and investors paid. For freelance ... it's negotiated ... and I have no idea what is commone either. All of that would require extensive research .... but I'd be willing to say if you want a "range" ... it's everything from loosing money to millions a year ... a pretty wide range.
There are lot's of threads here that you can use in your research about becoming a fashion designer ... and you will probably find lots of information if you read them:
Famous Fashion Designers and their school?
Fashion designers without a degree?
Fashion Design Job Outlook: jobs & prospects for new fashion design grads?
I want to Work for a Designer ... How Can I Make this Happen?
What are the best cities to Work in Fashion ?
All About Freelance Fashion Designers
New Designers - Marketing Yourself
Freelance Designers - how much to charge?
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