Few professions come at par with that of a fashion designer. After all, “Can there ever be a dull moment in their lives?” we wonder. However, surviving in this cut-throat industry is all about learning to rise and fall with the tides of culture, trends, and the never-ending conflict of keeping client desires over one’s own; creativity, then, is just the tip of the iceberg.
Here are a few tried-and-tested tips for those with a strong desire to improve their fashion designing skills.
Tip#1 Sign up for a Professional Course
Any sort of design, in this case, the art of designing garments, must accompany an innate desire, passion, and ability to a significant extent. However, as the great Italian polymath, Leonardo Da Vinci once quoted, “God sells all things at the price of labor,” no success is achievable without a degree of practice; actually, a whole lot of it.
Fashion designing aspirants must water their seeds of greatness by getting enrolled with distinguished institutions for a 360-degree learning experience. They will be made fully conversant with all the technical aspects such as freehand and digital sketching, pattern-making, garment designing, etc. along with plenty of inspiration to awaken their inner artist. After all, art is called science for some good reason!
Tip#2 Work Under an Experienced Designer
The skills of the task of fashion designing may be learned via theoretical learning and self-practice; however, to test the waters and gauge how one fare against fellow aspirants of the field, working under an experienced designer is a must. That is the surest route to acquiring the ‘skills of the trade.’
Nothing beats having the opportunity to watch a master at work; one gets to know little details that are otherwise missed out – what inspires them to design? How do they closely follow trends? How to strike a balance between the demands of culture and a designer’s original ideas? How do they manage stressful deadlines and challenging clients? and so on. That is totally priceless!
Tip#3 Network and Collaborate
If one aspires to be a successful fashion designer, this is one area that they absolutely cannot shy away from! The fashion industry runs on the fuel of networking, and while on the one hand, socializing and forming solid relationships boost career prospects; on the other, it opens locked doors of creativity and innovation.
From having friendly talks on ‘designing hacks’ with the industry experts to collaborate with fellow aspirants of the field on a project, all networking holds the potential to help realize one’s own areas of strengths and weaknesses. The next step? To brush up on one’s weak spots and polish them till they shine like a new penny.
Tip#4 Consider Volunteering
If there is one sight that is all too common, it is the popping up of a fashion house every now and then. These establishments are scattered to the four winds, and it is odd to not find one close-by. Well, thankfully, such newly-established fashion houses are generally low on funds and hence, are more than happy to welcome the voluntary services of a skilled fashion designer.
That’s what the opportunity looks like! Aspirants can test themselves by taking on a challenge to help such small-scale local businesses grow with their skills. Plus, let’s not forget; they can develop a stellar portfolio in the process.
It is best to concretize one’s resolve to pursue a career in fashion designing by opting for professional courses from reputed institutions like the Pearl Academy. Their one-year fashion design course will make students thoroughly conversant with the basics of sketching, designing, and pattern-making taught by internationally-awarded industry experts.
