Are you the one who likes to think “how can I pair these regular jeans differently?” or “Why are all my bottoms not of the same fabric, something that I am comfortable wearing all the time?” or “ why do brands not have the exact same designs in plus size (or extra small)?”. Even if it’s not a complete “yes” or a “maybe”, you may further read to see if you are interested in solving these issues by becoming a fashion designer.
This article will provide an overview of what a fashion designer does, how to become a fashion designer after the 12th, the skills and education required, job preparation tips, and more.
A fashion designer is one who creates a specific look from a piece of clothing. This includes the clothing’s shape, color, fabric, cuts, folding, pleats, and other such aspects of the material. They start with an idea and go on to construct and sell the design either to retailers or create their own brand.
You may enroll in a fashion design course without having to follow a certain stream. Therefore, our suggestion is to choose courses in the 11th grade that you are passionate about. While science will give you computer abilities, humanities will challenge your thinking, which you may use in your ideas.
A knack for art and imagination is necessary for a career in fashion design. But how can you tell whether you have it in you or not? Not to worry! Many online courses are available that can assist you in conducting your own independent analysis of that. You can check out the following courses for fashion design:
| Certificate courses | Institute offering the course | Duration |
| Illustrator for Fashion Design: Creating Brushes | LinkedIn Learning | 2 hour 40 mins |
| Photoshop for fashion designing: 2 Rendering Techniques | LinkedIn Learning | 2 hour 47 mins |
| Fashion as Design | The Museum of Modern Art through Coursera | 1-3 Months |
| Sustainable Fashion | The Copenhagen Business School | 1-3 Months |
| Digital Fashion Innovation | The New School Parsons through Coursera | 1-3 months |
Some advanced courses could also include fashion illustration or sketching courses which might be available either online or offline. You can also try Clever Harvey’s JuniorMBA course in Design and Branding. With our industry partner Kellogg’s, you will learn about designing in just 15 days.
Read about: How to become a Graphic Designer in India
How to become a Fashion Designer after the 12th?
The bachelor’s degrees in fashion are three to four-year full-time courses. Theory plus practical assignments in these courses will equip you with the basic skills required to become a fashion designer.
Fashion communication, product design, fashion design, textile design, and industrial design are all topics included in the Bachelor of Design (BDes) program.
The program includes the technical facets of clothing manufacture and fashion design.
Specialized areas of clothing design, interior design, leather design, footwear design, jewelry design, and accessory design are covered.
The study covers the marketing and merchandising components of the fashion business.
This course examines hits, misses, and the most recent trends that are directly tied to the world of fashion and the market that it serves.
| Undergraduate Degrees in Fashion Designing | Estimated Duration |
| BDes | 3-4 years |
| BFTech | 3-4 years |
| BSc Fashion Design | 3-4 years |
| BSc Fashion Merchandising | 3-4 years |
| B.A. in Fashion Designing | 3-4 years |
Also Read: How to become a Jewelry designer
All these bachelor’s courses require you to pass their entrance tests. Thus, post 12th you should start preparing for these tests. Some of them include:
One can also opt for diploma courses after completing their 10+2. These courses are a few months to 2 years long and will provide you with an overview of the industry.
| Certificate/Diploma Courses | Duration |
| Certificate in Draping and Pattern Making | 1 Month |
| Certificate in Pattern Making and Garment Construction | 3 Months |
| Fashion Illustration and Design | 3 Months |
| Certificate in Fashion Designing | 6 Months |
| Certificate course in Fashion Merchandising | 6 Months |
| Diploma in Fashion Design by Vogue Institute Of Art And Design | 1 year |
| Diploma in Fashion Design by JD Institute Of Fashion Technology | 1 year |
| Diploma in Fashion Designing by International Institute Of Fashion Design | 1 Year |
Know about – 10 Best Product Design Colleges in World
B)Top Colleges to become a Fashion Designer in India:
Some of the top colleges in India you can check out to become a Fashion Designer include:
What to Study Abroad to become a Fashion designer
A) Undergraduate (UG)/ Diploma/Certificate Courses to become a Fashion Designer Abroad:
Abroad undergraduate courses differ in structure, assignments, and curriculum from India. Some of the courses that should check out include:
| Undergraduate Degree | Estimated duration |
| 1) Bachelor of Design Innovation- Fashion Design Technology | 3-4 Years |
| 2) Bachelor of Design in Fashion and Textile | 3-4 Years |
| 3) Bachelor of Creative Industries (Applied Fashion) | 3 Years |
| 4) B.A. (Hons) in Fashion | 3 Years |
| 5) Bachelor of Design (B.Des) | 4 Years |
The name of these courses or duration may differ depending on the country you apply to. You can also opt for diploma/Certificate courses if you don’t want to invest so many years. Some of them that you should check out include:
| Certificate/Diploma Course | Institute offering the Course | Location | Duration |
| Graduate Diploma Art & Design (Fashion & Textiles) | Royal College of Art | London, UK | 30 Weeks |
| Diploma in Fashion Techniques and Design | George Brown College | Toronto, Canada | 2 Years |
| Graduate Diploma in Design | The University of Sydney | Sydney, Australia | 1 year |
| Certificate in Visualization and Design | University of South Florida | Tampa, USA | 12 months |
| Fashion Design Certificate | Lorenzo de’ Medici – The Italian International Institute | Florence, Italy | 1 or 2 years |
| Foundation Diploma in Fashion | Amsterdam Fashion Academy | Amsterdam, Netherlands | 1 Year |
B)Top Fashion Schools to become a Fashion Designer Abroad:
The most significant part for a Fashion Designer is the portfolio and resume you need to prepare to get a job. However, when it comes to cracking the interview, you need to be aware of more things. Some of my suggestions are –
When appearing for the interview, be mindful that you are being assessed not only for your abilities but also for what about the company interests you. Understand that the organization wants individuals who are passionate about what the company does. Whether your interest aligns with that of the company is what they are looking for. So when you are preparing for your interview, be sure to go through the website, and know the top management, values, vision, mission, the problem they are trying to solve, etc.
As mentioned earlier, your portfolio is a representation of you and your work. Therefore make sure it contains some of your best work. Additionally, don’t just put in the work, know the process of your work such that you are able to answer anything and everything about it.
This might seem like an obvious thing to say but during a stressful interview, people forget to mention important details. Additionally, some individuals just can’t articulate on the spot, therefore it is important to be prepared with some commonly asked questions. Also, sometimes your interviewer might not ask you questions about the most important part of your portfolio, so it’s your skill to incorporate it into your answers.
Also read about: How to become a UX Designer
As a fresher when you are starting out, you can expect an average base pay of 3.6 LPA. However, these figures are average and can change depending on the geographical location, the place you work, and the kind of industry you are in.
The highest-paying cities in India are
Your salary abroad might differ depending on the country and the kind of experience you would have. However, the average pay might be the following:
| Country | Australia | USA | UK | France | Japan | Italy | Spain |
| Average Base Pay | $66,410per year | $64,582 per year | £29,557per year | €61,659 a year | ¥6,965,161 per year | €52,976 a year | €37,249 per year |
Know about – Career as a Shoe Designer
Some popular Fashion Designers who hire graduates of fashion design courses are as listed below:
I hope this information increased your curiosity to explore the career of Fashion Designing more. Still, want to check more? Here are some cool TV shows and Books you can check out to increase your knowledge:
Where: Youtube
What to expect: A small-town girl comes to Mumbai to make her career as a fashion designer
Where: Amazon Prime and Netflix
What to expect: This is a show that is not purely about fashion design but about the industry as a whole. It portrays the journey of 3 young females who work in a fashion magazine called “Scarlet”.
Formal training from a fashion school or certifications would be of great help to begin as a fashion designer. To be an efficient fashion designer, one should also be very well-versed in drawing, sketching, sewing, etc. Additionally, creativity and observation are two important skills.
Like any other career, the starting salary is comparatively low. 15,000-30,000 INR is usually the range for a fresher starting out as a fashion designer. However, with experience one can expect to earn as high as 2 Lakhs per month. Additionally, running your own fashion house has no limits in terms of earning power.
The Bachelor’s takes 4 years to complete. And if you opt for a master’s, then add in 2 more years. So on average, it takes around 4-6 years.
It is a good career option if you are creative. With experience, it becomes a really good-paying job as well.
Enrolling in a fashion designing institute or a certification (depending on the amount of time and money you are ready to invest) is the first step to starting your journey to becoming a designer. It will take around 3-4 years to complete the bachelors.
Yes, Maths is used extensively in terms of the measurements of the garments. Any messed-up calculations will destroy your design. However, nowadays there are maths-based computer programs that help designers to create 3D designs of their models.
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