Clothing fashion designer

Description

Fashion designers create concepts and make sketches by hand or using softwares of their creative ideas. They analyse and interpret fashion trends in order to propose new ideas with high aesthetical value. They perform forecasting and market research to put together collections. They build collection lines by operating mood or concept boards, colour palettes, materials, drawings and sketches considering among others ergonomical criteria, etc.

Other titles

The following job titles also refer to clothing fashion designer:

couturier
clothing designer
clothing product designer
clothes designer
clothing fashion designer

Minimum qualifications

Bachelor’s degree is generally required to work as clothing fashion designer. However, this requirement may differ in some countries.

ISCO skill level

ISCO skill level is defined as a function of the complexity and range of tasks and duties to be performed in an occupation. It is measured on a scale from 1 to 4, with 1 the lowest level and 4 the highest, by considering:

  • the nature of the work performed in an occupation in relation to the characteristic tasks and duties
  • the level of formal education required for competent performance of the tasks and duties involved and
  • the amount of informal on-the-job training and/or previous experience in a related occupation required for competent performance of these tasks and duties.

Clothing fashion designer is a Skill level 4 occupation.

Clothing fashion designer career path

Similar occupations

These occupations, although different, require a lot of knowledge and skills similar to clothing fashion designer.

clothing development manager
clothing technologist
clothing operations manager
textile designer
textile colourist

Long term prospects

These occupations require some skills and knowledge of clothing fashion designer. They also require other skills and knowledge, but at a higher ISCO skill level, meaning these occupations are accessible from a position of clothing fashion designer with a significant experience and/or extensive training.

Essential knowledge and skills

Essential knowledge

This knowledge should be acquired through learning to fulfill the role of clothing fashion designer.

Portfolio management in textile manufacturing: The process of managing teams and projects in textile and clothing product development.
Properties of fabrics: The influence of chemical composition and molecular arrangement of yarn and fibre properties and fabric structure on the physical properties of textile fabrics; the different fibre types, their physical and chemical characteristics and different material characteristics; the materials used in different processes and the effect on materials as they are processed. 
Standard sizing systems for clothing: Standard sizing systems for clothing developed by different countries. Differences among the systems and standards of different countries, the development of the systems according to the evolution of the shape of the human body and their usage in the clothing industry.

Essential skills and competences

These skills are necessary for the role of clothing fashion designer.

Create mood boards: Create mood boards for fashion or interior design collections, gathering different sources of inspirations, sensations, trends, and textures, discussing with the people involved in the project to make sure that the shape, design, colours, and the global genre of the collections fit the order or the related artistic project.
Manage briefs for clothing manufacturing: Manage briefs from clients for the manufacturing of wearing apparel. Collect customers’ demands and prepare them into specifications for the production.
Draw sketches to develop textile articles: Draw sketches to develop textiles or wearing apparel by hand. They create visualisations of the motives, patterns or products in order to be manufactured.
Alter wearing apparel: Alter wearing apparel repairing or adjusting it to the clients/manufacturing specifications. Perform altering by hand or using equipment.
Design wearing apparel: Use analytical skills, creativity, and recognise future trends in order to design wearing apparel.

Optional knowledge and skills

Optional knowledge

This knowledge is sometimes, but not always, required for the role of clothing fashion designer. However, mastering this knowledge allows you to have more opportunities for career development.

Manufacturing of wearing apparel: The  processes used to fabricate wearing apparel and the different technologies and machinery involved in the manufacturing processes.
Manufacturing of made-up textile articles: Manufacturing processes in wearing apparel and made-up textiles. Different technologies and machinery involved in the manufacturing processes.
Marker making: Marker diagram of a precise arrangement of pattern pieces for a specific style and the sizes to be cut from a single spread. Markers can be made by manually tracing master patterns onto the fabric or paper or by manipulating and plotting computerised pattern images. Process of determining the most efficient layout of pattern pieces for a specified style, fabric and distribution of sizes. 
E-tailoring: The business model using softwares and technical applications in order to gather the information of clients for the manufacturing of bespoke products.
Manufacturing of children clothing: The specificities of manufacturing clothing for children, considering the sizes and adaptations required in the manufacturing process such as cutting, types of fabrics, patterns, and quality.
Fabric spreading in the fashion industry: Preparatory operation for cutting textile pieces which consists of laying piles of cloth on top of the other in a pre-determined direction and relationship between the right and the wrong side of the cloth.
3d body scanning technologies: The principles and usage of technologies for 3D body scanning used to capture the size and shape of the human body.
Apparel manufacturing technology: Traditional and advanced apparel manufacturing technologies. Technologies including processes, machinery, etc. in order to compile and design pattern requirements, contribute to product costing and finalise assembly sequence and quality assurance criteria.
History of fashion: Costumes and the cultural traditions around clothing.
Cad for garment manufacturing: Softwares of computer aided design for garment manufacturing which allow create 2 or 3 dimensional drawings.

Optional skills and competences

These skills and competences are sometimes, but not always, required for the role of clothing fashion designer. However, mastering these skills and competences allows you to have more opportunities for career development.

Manufacture wearing apparel products: Manufacture either mass-product or bespoke wearing apparels of various types, assembling and joining together wearing apparel components using processes such as sewing, gluing, bonding. Assemble wearing apparel components using stitches, seams such as collars, sleeves, top fronts, top backs, pockets.
Evaluate garment quality: Evaluating stitching, construction, attachments, fasteners, embellishments, shading within the garment; evaluating pattern continuity, matching; evaluating tapes and linings.
Coordinate manufacturing production activities: Coordinate manufacturing activities based on production strategies, policies and plans. Study details of the planning such as expected quality of the products, quantities, cost, and labour required to foresee any action needed. Adjust processes and resources to minimise costs.
Sew textile-based articles: Sew different products based on textiles and wearing apparel articles. Combine good hand-eye coordination, manual dexterity, and physical and mental stamina.
Manufacture personal protective equipment made of textile: Manufacture personal protective equipment made out of textiles following standards and norms, and depending on the application of the product.
Use textile technique for hand-made products: Using textile technique to produce hand-made products, such as carpets, tapestry, embroidery, lace, silk screen printing, wearing apparel, etc.
Embroider fabrics: Embroider fabrics of different proveniences or finished articles by using embroidery machines or by hand.
Create patterns for garments: Create patterns for garments using pattern making softwares or by hand from sketches provided by fashion designers or product requirements. Create patterns for different sizes, styles, and components of the garments.
Analyse scanned data of the body: Analyse 3D scanned data for the development of prototypes, of avatars, for the creation of size charts, the garment pattern modification, alteration and manipulation, and for testing fit.
Inspect wearing apparel products: Inspecting and testing products, parts and materials for conformity with specifications and standards; discarding or rejecting products, materials, and equipment not meeting specifications.
Perform process control in the wearing apparel industry: Perform process control to wearing apparel products in order to assure mass production in an uninterrupted production manner. Control processes to ensure that processes are predictable, stable and consistent.
Distinguish fabrics: Distinguish fabrics in order to determine differences among them. Evaluate fabrics based on their characteristics and their application in wearing apparel manufacturing.
Make technical drawings of fashion pieces: Make technical drawings of wearing apparel, leather goods and footwear including both technical and engineering drawings. Use them to communicate or to convey design ideas and manufacturing details to pattern makers, technologists, toolmakers, and equipment producers or to other machine operators for sampling and production.
Decorate textile articles: Decorate wearing apparels and made up textile articles by hand or using machines. Decorate textile articles with ornaments, braided cords, golden yarns, soutaches, jewellery, and cristals.
Use 3d scanners for clothing: Use different 3D body scanners and softwares to capture the shape and size of the human body in order to produce 3D body model for the creation of avatars and mannequins.
Analyse supply chain strategies: Examine an organisation’s planning details of production, their expected output units, quality, quantity, cost, time available and labour requirements. Provide suggestions in order to improve products, service quality and reduce costs.
Grade patterns for wearing apparel: Grading patterns by performing processes of resizing initial patterns in order to create nest of patterns to fit various body types and sizes.
Operate garment manufacturing machines: Operate and monitor machines which make miscellaneous wearing apparel articles. Operate and monitor machines that fold cloth into measured length, and measure size of pieces.
Cut fabrics: Cut fabrics and other wearing apparel materials considering measures, placement of the fabrics in the cutting table in multiple layers, and making the most efficient usage of the fabric avoiding waste. Cut fabrics by hand, or using electric knives, or other cutting tools depending on the fabric. Use computerised systems or automatic cutting machines.
Sew pieces of fabric: Operate basic or specialised sewing machines whether domestic or industrial ones, sewing pieces of fabric, vinyl or leather in order to manufacture or repair wearing apparels, making sure the threads are selected according to specifications.
Operate computerised control systems: Operate electronic or computerised control panels to monitor and optimise processes, and to control process start-up and shut-downs. Monitor and inspect equipment and systems to detect malfunctions.
Draw sketches to develop textile articles using softwares: Draw sketches to develop textiles or wearing apparel using softwares. They create visualisations of the motives, patterns or products in order to be manufactured.
Prepare production prototypes: Prepare early models or prototypes in order to test concepts and replicability possibilities. Create prototypes to assess for pre-production tests.
Pleat fabrics: Apply pleating processes to fabrics and wearing apparel products following adequate procedures and using specific equipment for the purpose.

ISCO group and title

2163 – Product and garment designers

 

 


 

 

References
  1. Clothing fashion designer – ESCO
Last updated on August 8, 2022