If you have an eye for style and you’ve always loved to create new fashion looks, you might have your eyes set on becoming a fashion designer. This can be a great career for a variety of people, and it can have significant potential for growth, making it very attractive for natural designers. Because it makes such a huge impact on the world as a whole, the field of fashion design can be very selective, sometimes even extremely exclusive. Do you know what it takes, and can the Tricoci University of Beauty Culture help?
Definition
Fashion designers run the gamut, including everyone from entry-level apparel employees who design mannequins to top-tier designers like Marc Jacobs and Vera Wang. At its simplest, fashion design is exactly what it sounds like: designing the way in which fashion evolves. But that can mean anything from honing a well-loved jean style to creating all-new styles that really push the envelope, which means you truly have a wealth of things to look forward to.
Job Outlook
Although fashion design isn’t growing as much as the rest of the cosmetology field, that shouldn’t dissuade you from trying. The Bureau of Labor Statistics estimates its growth at about 3% by 2024, lower than the salon industry and the general occupational average. But because apparel merchant wholesalers employ a whopping one-third of all fashion designers, you very well could find a fulfilling and interesting career even with the slow field growth.
Requirements
To become a successful fashion designer, you need to meet a few different requirements. These will help you get off the ground.
Education
Fashion school generally offers either a two-year or four-year degree. Throughout one of these degrees, you’ll learn about fashion basics, fabrics and textiles, different markets and more. Although fashion design school is itself an extant option, you might also consider a cosmetology program at Tricoci University as you work your way through fashion school. This program can prepare you for a successful job in the world of cosmetology even outside of fashion design, opening your horizons even further.
Experience
Connections are hugely important in the world of fashion design, and it’s one of the reasons that experience is so crucial to becoming successful. Don’t expect to immediately find huge success as soon as you graduate. Constantly work toward success and never turn down an opportunity to build connections with people who are already well-established.
Skills for Success
If you’re looking to become successful in the world of fashion design, you’ll need to have these skills in copious amounts.
Creativity
Of course, you need a healthy sense of creativity to truly succeed in fashion design. Even if you’re only redesigning existing clothing concepts, you need to ensure that yours stand out from the crowd, and having a measure of inborn creativity will help.
Innovation
The world’s best fashion designers are always looking to find the next big thing. If you have a knack for being able to discern next season’s biggest trends before they even happen, that sixth sense could serve you well in the fashion world.
Marketing Skills
In order to move up the ranks, you’re going to need to pitch your clothing designs. Pitching is essentially marketing to higher-ups, which is an important skill to have. Plus, if you work freelance, you’ll need to market your skills to the jobs you’re attempting to snag.
Long-Term Thinking
Fashion design is a long-term game. It’s not something that you’ll be able to master in a year or two; you’re going to need to be at it for a very long time, often upwards of a decade, to make a name for yourself. This can still be incredibly fulfilling, but you need to have your eye on the end of the road without getting discouraged.
Conclusion
What makes a fashion designer? Really, that’s up to you. There are plenty of things that come together to truly create a fashion designer, and you play a huge part in what that means. Although there are many different pieces of the puzzle, fashion design is part of the broader cosmetology world, and the two share many similarities.
If you want a secondary option to inform your fashion experience and knowledge, consider the cosmetology program at Tricoci University. Not only does it offer great job opportunities on its own, but the concepts you learn through a cosmetology program will bring you success in fashion design as well.