By How to Become a Fashion Designer at 16 – Cool Step by Step Guide
The fashion industry is a trillion-dollar industry and it grows around 5.5% annually. So, you think you want to get into the fashion industry as a fashion designer, at your young age? Well, your aim great, as well as it is hard to achieve because the field is fiercely competitive. But, with the correct steps and tips, you can achieve your goals successfully. So, luckily Devoluxe brings you this article to become a fashion designer at 16, successfully.
In fact, fashion designing is an exciting career that allows you to express your passion and individuality throughout your career. But, becoming a fashion designer is not easy. But, now the time is yours. As well as you have decades of creative evolution ahead of you. So, stay tuned to your aim and have faith in what you are learning.
At first, it is better to know the skills needed to be a fashion designer.
Skills needed to be a Fashion Designer
Fashion designing is not just the art of designing clothes. It has matured into a full-fledged industry and it is a highly engaging career worldwide. To keep up with the industry, it is better to know the list of the skills that needed to be a fashion designer.
1. Creativity
The first and foremost skill that needed to have and improve by a fashion designer is CREATIVITY. The truth to be told, creativity is a fundamental asset that needs every fashion designer. For instance, when you are looking at a piece of fabric, you should have enough creativity to imagine what is going to look like in a garment, how the material will work, and what design suits are most.
When you get into the industry with creativity, you can be inspired without being a copycat. So, improve your creativity since you get the idea of being a fashion designer. Further, if you are creative you will always be equipped with new style ideas.
2. Excellent Visualisation Skills
In simply, visualization skills are the skills that you need to bring your ideas to reality. The more you try to visualize the better this ability gets, which will lead to being a successful fashion designer.
Whether you are designing for men, women, or someone else, you should have the ability to see something is even a quarter of an inch off and anticipate future-fit problems in your designs.
3. 3D designing Skills
We are living in an age of social media. So, fashion trends come and go faster than ever. If you want to grab the trends and take advantage, you will need to reduce the time that your designs need to go to market. So, if you have the 3D designing skills and you can shorten your design to market time.
Moreover, with 3D designing skills, you will be able to make decisions faster than ever and it will accelerate the development process and reduce the number of physical samples for your collection. So, because you have enough time to get into the fashion industry, attain this ability before getting into it.
4. Digital drawing and Sketching
In this digital era, why don’t you think about getting the maximum advantage from the developing technology? Digital drawing and sketching is an easy way to visualize your design than ever. Adobe Illustrator, Photoshop are some digital tools that have been used in the industry for over 20 years. It considers as a basic skill of any fashion designer when making flat illustrations or sketches.
Many companies have established these techniques so the design can be easily altered, corrected, or reused. So as a t5een in the new generation, make sure to master this skill and then use tools and making things easy with the technology.
5. Multitasking Ability
As mentioned earlier, the task of a fashion designer is not limited to just sketch designs or source materials and fabrics. They are expected to work and collaborate across different fields at the same time. So, it is better to practice the ability of multitasking, since you have the idea of being a fashion designer.
6. Effective Communication skills
In order to be a successful fashion designer, he/she must have effective communication skills. In fact, the fragmented world of fashion relies on collaboration and communication. So, after you get into the industry you have to communicate with buyers, suppliers, other designers, and team members.
You should negotiate with manufacturers and suppliers, pitch the collection to the target audience, and spread your message to customers. That’s why you need to train effective and strong communication skills before you get into the industry.
7. Time Management
When you are engaging in some creative designing works, time can get away from you fast unknowingly. Time is a very critical source in the industry as in any industry. So, it is essential to manage your time to be a fashion designer.
8. Self-Confidence
The truth to be told, the fashion industry is competitive to the point of being cutthroat. So, success isn’t guaranteed. You are going to enter the fashion industry at your age, and it will be high mental pressure on you. Sometimes, you may lose your self-confidence and you will fail at all. So, before you get into the industry, make sure to keep your confidence. Keeping your self-confidence is the key to being successful in the industry.
Accordingly, before you get into the fashion industry, make sure to have this qualities and improve them day by day. They will help you to make yourself a successful fashion designer at your 16.
Steps to become a Fashion designer at 16
- Get educated
- Get the tools you will need for designing with
- Expand your horizons and improve your skills
- Choose a strategy
- Create an impressive portfolio
- Decide whether you want to work solely or take a company job
#1. Get Educated
As in any industry, the fashion industry also an industry that grows with knowledge. So, as you are at a young age, you have time to learn well about the industry. As your first step to getting into the industry, learn well about it. This includes reading well about the history of fashion designing, and biographies of fashion designers, how to do fashion designing, and the tips that you should need to know.
However, Do you think a diploma is essential or not to become a successful fashion designer? In a word, YES! A diploma is no need to be just a fashion designer, but to be a successful fashion designer, it is better of having a diploma. Getting a diploma in fashion designing is a quick way to reach success fast. No matter how talented you are, the fashion designing industry is fiercely competitive, thus your education will make you more outstanding than equally qualified designers.
Apart from teaching you the craft, a professional school can also add trustworthiness to your resumes. So, learn as much as you are possible from yourself and from other resources about the fashion industry.
#2. Get the tools you will need for designing with
So, after you learned about the fashion industry, you may get to know about the gear that you will need to designing. In fact, fashion designing involves pattern cutting, sewing, garment manufacturing, and crafting processes which can be done quickly and impressively by using fashion designing tools. In the beginning you may need,
Fashion sketching tool list
- Fashionary sketchbooks
- Drawing pencils
- Pencil sharpeners and erasers
- Fine black pens
- Watercolor set
- Markers
- Colored pencils
#3. Expand your horizons and improve your skills
So, you are going to get into the fashion industry. In order to do that, you will never be able to get to where you want if you just stick to the comfort zone at all times. In fact, though the fashion industry might appear glamorous, it requires hard work to reach the top level. So, broaden your creativity and improve skills, apart from your comfort zone.
#4. Choose a strategy
In fact, there are thousands of ways that you can commence your fashion career because there are a lot of styles of design. Definitely, you need to define what type of design you want to undertake lifelong. You should choose the subset areas for your designs. As you are at the beginning, do not overextend yourself at the first step; just try to specialize in one area.
For instance,
- Daywear for men/women
- Eveningwear for men/women
- Sports/leisure/fitness wear
- Knitwear
- Bridal wear
- Accessories
- Adventure, outdoor, or outerwear
- Costume design for movies, theatre, retailers
Each of the subset areas has its own pros and cons. So, you need to discover before reaching your financial decision on which way to pursue. After you have a good foothold in this market, then you can experience in other areas.
#5. Create an impressive portfolio
After you choose your strategy, you can have some experience in sketching. In fact, every aspiring fashion designer will have to make a design portfolio at some point. As you are a beginner, it will hard for you sometimes. For instance,
The portfolio also shows your strength as a fashion designer, sense of the aesthetic, proportion and balance, and appreciation for beauty. Though you are at 16, your dream is big to be a successful fashion designer. To be a successful fashion designer, strong presentation skills, and sales skills are extremely necessary. So, your portfolio needs to show all things about you it plays a vital role in assisting you as a fashion designer, in getting a job.
#6. Decide whether you want to work solely or take a company job
The truth to be told is, deciding whether you want to work solely or take a company job is really important than anything else. You are now 16 and your aim is to be a fashion designer. But, where did you do your career as a fashion designer? That’s what you have to decide, where do you hope to work, in a company or work solely.
In order to decide that, you need to classify the pros and cons of each one. If you decide to work for a fashion design company, your deadlines are an inescapable factor. So, you need to prepare for your emotional health and the ability to cope with pressure. If you decide to work solely and be your own boss, you will have more creative control and be more flexible in working.
If you Work Solely:
Though creativity needs to be a fashion designer, unluckily creativity is not enough. You need to understand the business well. When you run your own business at your young age, you should understand clearly and deeply the basics of economics. If you decide to get to a fashion school to get such kind of knowledge, is not a bad idea.
If you take a company job:
You could learn the necessary skills with manufacturing or design firms. In fact, many designers get a precious experience of working in some fashion houses. It will help you to develop your marketing skills and sales skills.
However, to be a successful fashion designer, you will need more and more useful advice from fashion luminaries who can reveal how to start and run a successful fashion business.
Accordingly, these are the simple and basic steps of being a fashion designer at 16. You can follow them in order to be a successful fashion designer.
Final thoughts:
In fact, a fashion designer’s life is not all about making glitzy clothes. Most designers work in relatively conceal corners of the fashion world, studying fashion trends, sketching designs, and selecting materials to use in ordinary clothes. So, in order to be a successful fashion designer, you may eventually have to practice all of them.
Many designers have their own studios. But there are freelancing fashioners too. So, if you enable to open your own studio you can start working as a freelance fashion designer. A freelance designer moves from place to place as the job demands.
Finally, no matter where you end up working as a designer, having a creative eye for fashion and plenty of technical knowledge will lead you to overall success.
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