From the catwalks to glossy fashion magazines, the flawlessly designed clothing that’s released each season provides plenty of inspiration to many aspiring fashion designers. But behind all the glamour and glitz of the fashion industry, there’s a lot of blood, sweat, and tears going into making it all happen.
For most fashion designers, this is the best part! All of the hard work that goes into creating new pieces and being a part of new experiences in fashion is what makes it all the more worthwhile in the end.
If you’re interested in being a fashion designer and are prepared to put the hard work in to achieve your dream, here are some tips to keep in mind.
Be Ready to Work Hard
Just starting out as a fashion designer can be tough. You’ve got to be ready to really put your back into getting noticed and making a name for your work; when you’re just starting out, you can feel like you’re right at the bottom of the food chain, and nobody’s going to pay any attention to you no matter how talented you are. But at this stage, talent isn’t what industry leaders are looking for; it’s a strong work ethic. If anything is going to get you noticed, it’s the fact that you keep trying over and over again, even if the road ahead seems to go on for miles.
Get to Know the Industry
Your passion for fashion needs to be thoroughly backed up by your dedication to learning as much as you can about the industry, fine-tuning your skills and techniques, networking, and keeping on top of the trends. Although you’ll be able to learn a lot on the job wherever you work within the fashion industry, you’ll definitely have to understand the basic process if you want to make it as a fashion designer. This covers everything from the basics of stitching and sewing to understanding different business structures, so there’s no end to the new things that you can dedicate yourself to learning.
Figure Out Your Goals
It’s one thing to know that you want to work as a fashion designer, and quite another to have clearly defined goals for where you want your career to take you in the next few years. You’ll need to have a game plan in mind, whether you dream of starting your own fashion boutique, getting your designs out on the catwalk, or selling your designs to the big-name high street fashion brands. And before you even consider looking for work, make sure that you know what you’re doing; even if you’re naturally talented and have loved fashion all your life, it’s worth getting a qualification.
Promote Yourself
If you feel like your fashion design work isn’t getting noticed very often these days, then it could be due to a simple fact: you’re not promoting yourself enough. As a budding fashion designer, you don’t need to wait for a big company to pick you up before you can start doing what you love. If you’ve got a good head for business, you could consider starting an eCommerce store selling clothing that you have designed or made. All you’ll need to get started is a good website and some quality product photographs. If you’ve got a decent camera and a light space to take photos, you can save money by doing your own – use a mannequin like these to display your products.
To make it as a fashion designer, you need to be proactive, perseverant, and ready to put a lot of hard work in on top of your excellent style and eye for detail. Keep these tips in mind when you’re first starting out, and perhaps we’ll see your designs on the catwalks someday!