What is Fashion Designing?
When it comes to creative courses, Fashion Designing is the most popular choice for students. Fashion Designing is a specialization of humanities that covers a wide range of fabrics, styles, patterns, colours and trends that define the fashion of that era. It is not just limited to clothing lines but also accessories like jewellery, handbags and footwear. Fashion design is an art of applying design, aesthetics and creativity to clothing and its accessories. It is influenced by cultures and trends which vary with place and time. You will see different types of fashion designs all over the world. The root of every fashion trend comes from its culture and heritage. India is a country of vast diversity and here you can find different fashion trends in different regions. An Indian fashion designer has many options and can withdraw inspiration and ideas from the diverse Indian culture.
Image Source- International College of Fashion
A fashion designer creates different types of clothes that include dresses, pants, suits, tops, lehengas, sarees, skirts and much more with different types of accessories like shoes, handbags and jewellery. A fashion designer can specialise in any one of these fields or can specialise in more than one area. They work in a variety of different ways in designing their clothing pieces and accessories like rings, bracelets, necklaces and much more. A fashion designer mostly invests their time in studying different elements that can affect a fashion design. They closely analyse the body shape, colour, fabric and much more before they start their craft. In the present era, fashion designers play a major role in our world. Their vision about the garments and accessories, for both men and women play a huge role in how we present ourselves to the world. They have a major influence on society and how people choose to represent and express themselves.
A fashion designer has to be very keen in learning new things and keep reading journals, fashion magazines, websites and books on fashion design history and new trends. This way, they can take inspiration from the history of the fashion world and create something trendy and wearable. To be a designer, you should have an artistic and creative personality. One should also be good at drawing and able to express their ideas in the form of sketches. They must also be interested in various kinds of arts and visit different art galleries so that they can get inspiration from everywhere. A good designer must have some knowledge and experience in tailoring and sewing. They must be able to tell the difference between different types of fabric qualities. They must have a good visual imagination, so that they are able to think in three-dimension and turn their ideas into garments.
Image Source- Medium
Fashion designers do an elaborate research on the latest fashion trends and how it could impact people’s lives. They attempt to create clothes that are functional, easy to wear and aesthetically pleasing. They take into consideration the situation where the dress has to be worn and who is to wear that dress. They then work accordingly with the fabric, colours, patterns and style to create the perfect outfit. There is a very narrow range of conventional styles for the clothes that are worn on a daily basis. The outfits that are for special occasions have a wide range of style and lots of time is invested into making them stand out.
Some outfits are especially made for an individual, it is known as ‘haute couture’, while most of the garments are made for the mass market, especially designed for casual wear also known as ‘ready to wear’.
Haute couture is the creation of custom-fitted clothes. It is the creation of high-end fashion, where the outfit is created by hand from beginning to the end. These garments are made up of high-quality, expensive and unusual fabric (most of the time). They are sewn by experienced fashion designers with extreme attention to details and finish. This method is very time-consuming as it involves hand-executed techniques. In French, ‘haute’ translates into ‘high’ and ‘couture’ translates into ‘dress-making’. An haute couture garment is always made for a specific client and tailored as per their body measurements and needs & preferences.
‘Ready-to-wear’ (often abbreviated as RTW) or ‘pret-a-porter’ is a term used for readymade garments. These garments are sold in the market for the mass public in finished conditions. They come in standardised sizes and are also used for items other than clothing like handbags, footwear and more. Ready-to-wear clothing makes use of standard patterns, factory equipment and faster construction techniques to keep the costs low as compared to the custom-sewn clothes. Some fashion houses produce ready-to-wear lines in a huge number, which is available for almost everybody. But there are some fashion houses that create ready-to-wear lines in a limited number.
In high-end fashion, ready-to-wear fashion lines are displayed by fashion houses in each season during a period called Fashion Week. This takes place on the basis of different cities. The most prominent cities for Fashion Week are Paris, New York, Milan and London. It is held twice a year. The fall and winter collection are displayed in February and the collection for spring and summer, in September. The fashion show for ready-to-wear fashion lines occurs at a different time as compared to that of haute couture.
How is the Life of a Fashion Designer?
The life of a fashion designer can be very busy but it is rewarding. They are often considered as a busy bee. Their job is to create outfits according to the latest fashion trends for the upcoming season, whether it is for men, women or kids.
Fashion is something that can change at a moment’s notice. Therefore, a designer must be able to capitalise those changes or be able to influence them with their unique ideas. The unique garments created by the designer reflects the sensibilities of the society. A fashion designer is involved in every type of designing, showing and producing all types of clothing, from bathing robes to evening gowns. To succeed in this difficult, demanding and highly competitive industry, a designer must have talent, vision, determination and ambition. The life of a fashion designer can be always glamorous but it is always taxing. It takes a lot of courage and hard work to become a successful fashion designer.
A typical day of a designer includes reading the latest fashion magazines, newspapers and articles that reflect the latest fashion trends and tastes. He/she must be up to date with the latest fashion trends so that they can create something that is loved by all. They must also look at materials, attend fashion shows and work with other fashion designers to know about the fashion industry in depth. A designer should be able to communicate his or her visions and thoughts, clearly and comprehensively through sketches, discussions and sometimes with the help of samples. To run a profitable product line, a designer should be creative, no matter what his or her personal style is.
Image Source- YouTube
A designer can be self-employed or work as a part of a larger organization where you’ll have a brief about the work to be done, which covers everything from the budget to the fabrics to be used. A typical task of a fashion designer is to create designs using a computer software or with the help of illustration. They can also work with a group of designers to create a new clothing line. They may also have to work with sales personnel and business developers to conduct research on the future sales. If a designer is working in an organisation, he or she will have to work for the regular office hours, but if a designer has his or her own boutique they can work in flexible time as per their requirements. Depending on the nature of the job, travel can be a part of the job description. They can also get a chance to take national or international trips. A designer has to direct and coordinate with the workers who are involved in drawing or cutting patterns and creating samples of the finished products. They also have to examine the sample garments on and off models and modify them accordingly to get the desired results. Another crucial work that a designer does is to create rough but detailed drawings of the apparels and accessories and describe their specifications such as colour schemes, construction process, accessories requirements and the materials type to be used. A designer must also keep a close eye on the demographic status and identify their target market for designs. They should keep in mind the factors such as age, gender and socio-economic status. A designer must invest quality time in creating a network of suppliers and vendors. This is important to ensure the smooth functioning of their business.
There are some primary responsibilities of a fashion designer which cannot be ignored. They have to have an artistic vision and also have technical knowledge so that they can create an amazing clothing line. Let’s look at the key roles of a fashion designer one by one:
1.Monitor Fashion Forecasts and Sales
The ultimate goal of a fashion designer is to create products and designs that the distributors purchase. For this, a designer needs to keep an eye on the latest fashion trends and the sales forecast, so that they can create the designs that can be marketed easily. They must also keep in mind what the customers will like. Therefore, to create a saleable product line, a designer must analyse the target market closely and have knowledge about the latest market trends.
2.Creating Designs
Creating product designs is one of the key roles of a fashion designer. After he or she is done creating the designs or sketches, they should consult their team members once, so that they make the necessary changes and get the desired results.
3.Meeting Manufacturers and Suppliers
Meeting manufactures and suppliers is the primary responsibility of a fashion designer. They attend fashion events so that they can meet potential vendors and suppliers and check the potential garment materials and accessories that they can use for fashion designing. These types of meetings can help the designers choose the best texture, garment style, accessories and colours for their designs.
4.Marketing and Sales
A fashion designer must have in-depth knowledge about the marketing and sales strategy. It helps them in getting their products in the market easily. A designer can also make a professional presentation to the wholesale and the retail buyers. This can help him/her get the idea about the target market easily and have close and healthy relationships with the buyer.
This is an overview of the life of a fashion designer and what are the primary responsibilities he or she has to undertake on a day-to-day basis. A designer should be able to handle the stress of the job as being a fashion designer is very demanding and you must be adept in various fields at the same time.
Image Source- YouTube
What is the Scope of Fashion Designing?
Now-a-days, most of the students are fascinated by fashion designing and want to build their career in this field. It is one of the fastest growing creative courses because it is also very promising in nature. Although you need to work very hard to shape the career of your dreams, once you start pursuing your course. The best part about fashion designing is that you have a variety of course options to choose from and you can specialise in any one of them. Some of the courses are Fabric Designing, Jewellery Designing, Fashion Illustration, Boutique Management and much more. If you want to choose fashion designing as your career you must know about the varied fields it offers. Here’s a list of them:
1.Fashion Designer
Many fashion professionals want to become a fashion designer because it is often considered as one of the most glamorous career paths. The main job of a fashion designer is to aim to create a fashion product that can become popular all across the globe. Being a fashion designer is easy but sustaining a career as a fashion designer is extremely difficult. You must be able to keep your creative juices flowing so that you can create amazing designs. As a designer, you must always be able to come up with some quirky ideas that can help in creating beautiful designs.
2.Fashion Stylist
You can become a fashion stylist if you don’t want to become a fashion designer. The job of a fashion stylist is to style the models and people for different events, according to the theme. A stylist chooses everything right from the outfit, jewellery, accessories, makeup and footwear. There is a very vast scope of a fashion stylist and the pay scale is also lucrative.
Image Source- bridelan.com
3.Fashion Consultants
For a fashion professional, it is very important that he or she is updated with the latest fashion trends and has complete knowledge of the market and fashion designing. Fashion professionals can become consultants easily. Their job includes giving fashion advice to brands and eminent personalities and assisting fashion designers. One of the important duties of a fashion consultant is to encourage the fashion designer to brainstorm creative ideas for the development of trendy products. A consultant must know the changing market trends so that they can assist the designer properly.
4.Fashion Illustrator
A fashion illustrator plays a small but important role in the process of fashion designing. He or she makes the primary sketches of the design as instructed by the fashion designer. People who love fashion and are skilled in hand drawings are ideal for this profession.
5.Retail Manager
The role of a retail manager in the fashion industry is similar to that of other retail managers in the different industries. Their job includes setting sales goals, ensuring smooth functioning of product promotion and customer satisfaction. In smaller agencies, many retail managers also head the human resource department and finance department.
As you can see there is a wide scope that fashion designing has to offer. There are also other choices like fashion coordinator, fashion merchandiser, fashion writer, fashion photographer and much more. One can choose the field which he or she thinks is the best for them.
Skills Required for the Fashion Designer
Fashion designing has come a long way and it is not just the mere art of designing clothes. It is now a full-fledged industry and is one of the most desirable careers in the world. Now-a-days, apparels and footwear are not only created on the basis of colour and style choices but also on function, customer behavioural preferences and emerging trends. The innovative technologies and social media trends are changing the taste and preferences of the fashion industry at a faster pace.
To keep up with this dynamic industry, a fashion designer must have the following skills:
1.Creativity
Whether you are a fashion designer or thinking to choose this field as your career option, creativity is the first and foremost thing that is required here. A designer must be creative enough to envision the design that he or she is going to create by having a look at the fabric. He or she must have an idea about how the design will turn out on its completion. Creativity helps a designer to be equipped with the new style ideas and think out of the box.
2.Excellent Visualisation Skills
Better visualisation skills helps you bring out your ideas more efficiently. If you acquire and hone your visualization skill, you can easily see the finished product before it is made. It helps in efficiency of the outcome and the final product. You can easily capture your ideas on paper with more efficiency and won’t have to make changes again and again. Anticipating your idea before it can come to life can help you save time.
3.Digital Drawing and Sketching
The digitalisation age has made the life of fashion designers easier. With the help of digital drawing and sketching you can easily put your thoughts in the form of a sketch. Fashion industry has been using tools like Adobe Illustrator and Photoshop for 20 years and now it is considered as the basic skill for any fashion designer. These sketches contain important details about the garment to be made such as the type of pattern, size specifications, designs, colour criteria and other such details. The best part about digital drawing and sketching is that you can easily alter and correct your design without redoing everything from scratch.
Image Source- Fashionista Sketch
4.Strong Communication Skills
The fashion world is fragmented into many parts and it all relies on collaboration and communication. A fashion designer must be able to communicate smoothly with the buyers, suppliers, team members and other designers. Before the production of a fashion line, a designer must be able to explain the minute details of your idea to your team members. You must be clear with the type of fabric that you need for the designing process and convey the same to the supplier. Communication skill is important for a fashion designer because he can easily negotiate with the supplier and the manufacturer and also pitch his products easily to the target audience. Strong communication skills can also help a designer launch their brand easily.
5.Ability to Multitask
The job of a fashion designer is not only limited to sketching designs and sourcing fabrics and materials. Fashion designers are expected to work and collaborate across various fields like production, public relations, promotions, assisting events and much more. Therefore, a designer must be able to manage everything efficiently and must stay organised to get the best results.
6.Care for the Environmental and Social Impact of Fashion
It is no secret that the fashion industry is one of the biggest contributors to environmental pollution and global warming. With the changing time, this industry must take active steps towards sustainability and to curb the pollution. Designers can use technologies and use sustainable strategies to design the garments. This can help the environment positively.
7.Master the Social Network and Influencers’ World
The leading social media platforms such as Facebook, Instagram and Pinterest are spotted as a major runway and marketing medium for the fashion industry. If a designer teams up with the perfect social media influencer, it can help his or her brand rise up faster as compared to the traditional marketing ways.
However, there must be some traits that a fashion designer must possess apart from these skills. These skills help a designer thrive in his or her job and boosts their chances of becoming successful, but having these traits can help them in the long run.
1.Confidence
The fashion industry is famous for its hard working environment and to get to a successful position you’ll have to deal with lots of rejections. You need a lot of courage and confidence to deal with the suppliers and manufacturers and convince the buyers to make recurring deals with you. You need to invest a lot of time and effort to get to a reputed position.
2.Perseverance
It takes a lot of blood, sweat and tears to build a reputed position in the fashion industry. You need to be prepared for all the hardships that you’ll face in the journey of the fashion world.
3.Personality
The right kind of personality helps a fashion designer strike the most profitable deal with its supplier and convince the high-paying customers. A designer should be enthusiastic and charismatic to make a good impression on the people he has to deal with on a day-to-day basis.
Fashion Designing Courses of Hunar Online
There are many colleges for fashion designing in India. They teach a variety of courses related to fashion designing such as apparel designing, jewellery designing, accessories designing, boutique management, fashion styling, fashion illustration and much more. A degree in fashion designing can help you make your place in the fashion world easily. Many students take admission in these courses every year and build their career in this field.
Although the fashion world is lucrative and promising and offers a great career opportunity, not everyone can afford the college fees. There are few online courses that help such students to fulfill their dream of becoming a fashion designer at a pocket-friendly budget. Hunar Online Courses is one such platform where a student gets to learn from a wide range of courses which he or she finds is suitable for him or her. The vision of Hunar Online Courses is to empower the women of our country and make them financially independent. It has successfully taught thousands of women the different courses of fashion designing and helped hundreds of them to become financially independent by assisting them in starting their own boutiques. Let’s have a look at the different courses of Hunar Online one by one:
1.Garment Making
This course of Hunar Online helps you to learn to create a variety of ethnic and modern outfits. It will guide you from the basics to the advanced level, so you don’t need to worry about being a beginner. This course teaches you the art of tailoring beautiful fashion from your home. You learn to create a variety of clothing items such as saree blouses, special outfits for Indian festivals, ethnic outfits like salwar kameez, kurtis and much more, western outfits such as tops, skirts, dresses and more, garments for men, cute outfits for babies and kids. This course will enhance your designing skill and will also teach you easy tips and tricks of tailoring. If you are the one whose interest lies in designing garments for different occasions then this course is perfect for you.
Image Source- JD Institute of Fashion Technology
2.Styling
Styling also known as fashion styling gives you an opportunity to work closely with prominent fashion designers and celebrities. To become a fashion stylist, you need to be creative and must always have new ideas. You must have an in-depth knowledge of the fashion world and must know what dress, hairstyle or make-up would be perfect for any event. Your unique perspective of fashion can help you in the long run. You can dress a celebrity and assist them with their makeup and accessories and get them ready for any event. This course will teach you all the aspects of fashion styling and is beginner friendly too. You will learn to create day and night looks, different types of hairstyles from buns to braids and much more. If you find your interest in this field, then you can definitely opt for it.
3.Fashion Illustration
Fashion Illustration is a very significant part of the fashion industry. It is the basics of designing and no design can begin without an illustration. With the help of this course, you can bring your idea to life. You can create your sketches on paper or on the computer from your home. If your interest lies in sketching and drawing fashion models and fashionable outfits, then this course is perfect for you. It will teach you everything from the basic level; therefore, it is beginner friendly. You can easily learn the art of drawing and designing fashion from your home. You will also be taught to create designs digitally with the help of different software that are used in the fashion industry. You can illustrate wedding garments, indo-western garments and much more, either on paper or on computer.
4.Jewellery Designing
Jewellery Designing courses have been very much in demand in India. The fact that Indian women love jewellery has made this course an all-time favourite of many women. There are huge career opportunities in jewellery designing and that is also one of the reasons why this course is becoming popular among the masses. With the help of this course you can design different types of jewellery and also make unique jewellery designs from your home. With the help of beads & wires and thread & clay, you can easily make different types of unique and colourful jewellery from your home. You can make pendants, earrings, necklaces, bracelets, anklets and much more. You can also learn to design beautiful traditional gold and rose gold & diamond jewellery from your home. You learn how to use colours and sketches to bring your illustration to life.
Image Source- International Institute of Gemology
5.Boutique Management
If you want to run your own boutique then this course is made for you. With the help of this course, you will learn all about starting and running a successful boutique. This course will take you through all the fundamental aspects of boutique management so that you can acquire all the necessary knowledge required for starting a successful business. You will get to learn everything about business, different types of businesses, the elements of marketing and marketing mix and much more. If it is your dream to own a fashion boutique, then this course is perfect for you.
Image Source- www.darleneymitchell.com
6.Embroidery
This course is perfect for those who want to create beautiful patterns and motifs on fabric. Embroidery course helps you learn the art of creating delicate embroidery patterns on a fabric. You will learn the basics first and then proceed to the advanced levels. This course is also beginner friendly. You can give a new look to your old clothes using different embroidery techniques and also create home décor items with the help of embroidery. Hunar Online teaches you different types of embroidery techniques like crochet stitching, Indian embroidery like chikankari, kantha, western embroidery, applique and patchwork and much more. You can choose your favourite and specialise in that course.
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7.Fabric Designing
In a fabric designing course, you will learn to add colours, prints and patterns to the fabric and enhance the beauty of it from your home. You can learn dyeing & printing, Indian hand painting and natural dyeing from your home easily. You will learn batik, block printing, traditional Indian hand painting like warli, madhubani, kalamkari, natural tie and dye using household items from your home. Just like the other courses, this course is also beginner friendly. You will learn from the basics and advance to the harder levels.
Image Source- FESPA
Hunar Online is a perfect platform for all those women who have a passion for fashion designing. You can learn a variety of different courses on fashion along with other creative courses like baking, bag making and home décor. The best part of Hunar Online Courses is that you will get 24/7 faculty support and you will have the flexibility of time to learn the courses. You can stream your video lessons at any time, from anywhere and continue learning your favourite course.
After the completion of your course you will be certified by a prominent national award winning Bollywood designer, Neeta Lulla and the govt. of India. Not only that, you will also receive a free starter kit that contains all the necessary materials required to start the course, as soon as you enrol in your favourite course. You can learn your favourite courses in the language of your choices and start your business too.
