Designing and Making

Designing and Making

Sometimes , things just seem to happen ideas arise and you snap them up . You may just decide to make something without giving it much thought and everything works out fine . But , more often , you achieve good results as a consequence of some patterns of thought and activity

Fashion designers help create the billions of dresses , suits , shoes , and other clothing and accessories purchased every year by consumers Designers study fashion trends , sketch designs of clothing and accessories , select colors and fabrics , and oversee the final production of their

designs . Clothing designers create and help produce men 's women 's , and children 's apparel , including casual wear , suits sportswear , formalwear , outerwear , maternity , and intimate apparel Footwear designers help create and produce different styles of shoes and boots . Accessory designers help create and produce items such as handbags , belts , scarves , hats , hosiery , and eyewear , which add the finishing touches to an outfit

The design process from initial design concept to final production takes between 18 and 24 months . The first step in creating a design is researching current fashion and making predictions of future trends Some designers conduct their own research , while others rely on trend reports published by fashion industry trade groups . Trend reports indicate what styles , colors , and fabrics will be popular for a particular season in the future . Textile manufacturers use these trend reports to begin designing fabrics and patterns while fashion designers begin to sketch preliminary designs . Designers then visit manufacturers or trade shows to procure samples of fabrics and decide which fabrics to use with which designs

As a fashion designer , you will have a creative and exciting career that many people only dream about

In this field , there is a long history of people rising from humble beginnings to become fashion stars . Laura Ashley got her start as a secretary . Vera Wang began designing when she became engaged at age 39 and couldn 't find a suitable wedding gown for the mature first bride Ralph Lauren was born into a middle-class family who lived in the Bronx and used to buy suits with his pocket money at age 12 . He is now one of the richest and most famous designers in the world

Of course , it takes hard work , creativity , and a true passion for fabulous designs to achieve success as a fashion designer , but you can break into this career much more quickly and easily

Getting Started in Fashion Design

What you need to know about the fashion design industry , including

Why people buy fashion apparel

Where the leading fashion centers are

Who 's who in the fashion design world

What the fashion categories are (haute couture , ready-to-wear and 5 others you should know

When designs are sold (the fashion seasons

What a fashion designer does

A step-by-step overview of how to design a garment , including

Refining your idea (including identifying the style and who will wear it

Sketching the design

Pattern making

Steps for draping

Choosing the fabric , color , trims , etc...