If you have a flair for fashion and the willingness to work hard, you may have what it takes to become a custom fashion designer. A career in fashion design can be glamorous. Working with top models and celebrities is a dream come true for many designers. But reaching the highest levels of the fashion world takes dedication and a willingness to wear many hats.
What Skills Does a Custom Fashion Designer Need?
Not everyone who can put together a stylish outfit has what it takes to be a designer. Techniques and industry knowledge can be learned in a fashion academy. But some basic skills are required before formal education begins. Without these four important skills, fashion may not be the career for you:
- Creativity: Having an inventive imagination is the first step to any career in the arts. If you’re the kind of person who loves experimenting with colors and patterns and who isn’t afraid to try something new when it comes to personal style, you may have a natural creative aesthetic for fashion design.
- Drawing/Sketching: You don’t need Banksy-level art skills, but some drawing ability is necessary to translate ideas into wearable pieces of clothing. Digital technology makes it easier to visualize designs, but you may not always have access to technology. You never know when sketching a dress idea on a cocktail napkin will come in handy!
- Attention to Detail: Ifclose enoughis good enough for you, fashion school may not be your path. From pattern cutting to sewing and fitting, it’s the small details that make a look stand out. Attention to detail makes your client feel and look glamorous in your design.
- Communication: Famous fashion designers don’t reach the top by themselves. To have a long, successful career as a custom fashion designer you have to manage a team, listen to feedback, collaborate with hairstylists and make-up artists and occasionally negotiate with difficult clients. The ability to communicate with peers, employees and supervisors is necessary.
Do I have to attend a Fashion Academy to become a Custom Fashion Designer?
Without a background in art or fashion, it can be difficult to get employers or clients to take you seriously. Attending a fashion academy isn’t required to break into the fashion world, but it does give you an advantage. In fact, attending the right academy gives you many advantages.
A comprehensive fashion school like the Gina T Fashion Academy teaches not only how to develop original concepts, or how to draft a pattern, it also offers the courses needed to boost vital business skills like marketing, management, and sales. Let’s be real, it doesn’t matter how great your designs are if you don’t have the knowledge needed to get them out into the world.
Studying fashion design and the fashion industry will better prepare you for success, no matter where your talents lead. If you feel you have the skills and commitment required to take yourself and your craft seriously, you may very well have what it takes to be a success in the world of custom fashion design.
