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What is a Fashion Designer?

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Talent.com talent.com
Answered May 12 2021
Career Expert at Talent.com

A Fashion Designer is a person who creates the design for a specific garment. Anything you're wearing now, a Fashion Designer had a hand in deciding the shape, color, fabric, and trims such as buttons or zippers. 
 
Many Designers get their start by working as junior Designers within a team. Depending on the company's size, they may do sketches, provide measurements, and coordinate samples with factories.  
 
Often, Designers will develop a niche skill within a particular commodity category. This can be anything from handbags to lingerie to men's suiting.  This niche allows them to set themselves apart from the competition and develop a deeper skillset within that category. 
 
Fashion Designers usually work with teams of patternmakers, merchandisers, salespeople, and production managers to ensure that their designs come to life. They need good design skills and a solid understanding of the mechanics of the fashion industry and its production cycles.

Personality of a Fashion Designer
Fashion Designers tend to be creative people who enjoy self-expression and working with others. They are also enterprising individuals who enjoy working in a business setting and understanding all the puzzle pieces required to make a garment. Here are some other skills and personality traits that successful Fashion Designers possess. 

  • Good Communication Skills
    • Designers work with teams of patternmakers, production managers, and merchandisers to bring their designs to life. They need to be clear about their desired fit, fabrics, colors, and finishes.  

  • Detail-Oriented
    • Fashion Designers need to consider everything about the garment they're designing. They need to think about the target customer, the price point, the fabrics, the fits, even the labels, and hangtags. Everything needs to come together, and the Designer is in charge of making sure all the details are correct.   

  • Computer Skills
    • Designers these days don't often sketch on pen and paper but rather use Adobe Illustrator or another computer-aided design (CAD) program to sketch their designs. They need to have a deep understanding of these programs' functions to optimize their efficiency and the quality of their sketches.  
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