Fashion Designer Job Description: Top Duties and Qualifications

A Fashion Designer, or Apparel Designer, creates various clothing products, along with shoes and accessories to match current trends and styles. Their main duties include managing the entire design process from start to finish, making edits to current clothing and accessory lines and choosing fabrics and trims for upcoming designs and product lines.

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Fashion Designer Duties and Responsibilities

A capable Fashion Designer should understand the principles of design. In addition, they should be able to apply this knowledge to creating aesthetically pleasing and functional pieces. A Fashion Designer will work closely with a design team. This will enable them to excel at their duties, which include the following:

  • Researching current fashion trends and determining what consumers will like
  • Collaborating with the design team to develop ideas for new products based on research data
  • Designing sketches for new products with a design team
  • Creating clothing patterns for mass production
  • Testing and deciding on fabrics, colors, patterns and textures for each design
  • Overseeing the production of designs, including carrying out fittings, determining prices and managing marketing
  • Maintaining relationships with vendors, suppliers and models

Fashion Designer Job Description Examples:

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Fashion Designer

Established midtown Girls sportswear company is looking for an designer to the design, research, sketching, assembling presentation boards, creating tech packs and handling production process for a new contemporary/modern urban license acquired. The successful candidate should be able to design all categories in sportswear, jeans, pants, sweaters, t-shirts, hoodies, shorts, etc. Keeping up to date and doing market research with latest trends is a must. include but not limited to: -Must have experience and be competent with communicating with factories overseas, specifically China and India -Highly skilled in Adobe Suite (Illustrator & Photoshop) and Microsoft Excel to ensure multiple projects are completed in provided deadlines. -Must be strongly skilled and knowledgeable with print artwork. Must be able to create intricate repeating print artwork in illustrator -Sketching CADs in Illustrator and Filling sketches with Prints and solids. -creation of development tech packs. -Handling multiple styles in production and following through from first proto to final TOP sample. -Create and maintain all line sheets, development tracking charts. -Research trends under the design direction and assist in creation of all design materials & mood boards for presentations. -Good knowledge of garment construction. -Strong communication and organizational skills. -Ability to multi-task and work in fast paced environment. -Knowledge of a wide assortment of fabrications is a plus. Job Type: Full-time Pay: $50,000.00 - $80,000.00 per year Experience: * Relevant: 3 years (Required) Work Location: * One location Work Remotely: * No
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Fashion Designer

Assistant Designer, Christina Karin Headquarters, Chicago, IL We are seeking a highly motivated, enthusiastic team member to join the Christina Karin Chicago-based design team. You are continuously seeking to learn and have a genuine desire to absorb and understand as much about design as you can; you love people (dogs & children), and thrive in open team environments. You aim to lift up those around you and won’t stop until the job is done right. The primary role is to assist the Creative Director and rest of the team in design objectives including tech pack creation, sourcing swatches, fitting samples, revisions, shipments, as well as experience with graphic design to help with our ongoing email marketing campaigns and in-house content creation. We also have an ongoing need for social media, office administrative and customer service requests. This is an incredible opportunity for someone who wants to eventually work in a high powered behind-the-scenes fashion job. For the right candidate this can turn into a full time seat after 90 days of employment. We are seeking only highly motivated talent that want to learn how a design / retailer is run from the bottom up / top down! Responsibilities:
  • Assist in product development at all stages with guidance of designers including sketching, detail sketches, tech-packs, presentation boards
  • Sketch and spec new designs, update existing sketches, specifications, and write revision fit comments when needed
  • Coordinate samples process to ensure samples are produced and delivered on a timely basis
  • Check on revised samples
  • Send out and follow-up on packages for overseas vendors
  • Communicate on daily basis with overseas offices to ensure development remains on calendar
  • Assist with generating and updating design mood board
  • Participate in group meetings and trend shopping
  • Attend fittings as needed
  • Keep organized record of all seasonal development (prints, artwork, submits, ext)
  • Perform market research to understand customers and to identify new trends, yarns, techniques, etc.
  • Clerical duties include, but are not limited to, expense reports and keeping detailed purchasing records of shipments and supplies.
  • Partake in sales in our hybrid office to understand customer and refine assortment according to data. Qualifications:
  • College degree in Fashion Design or related field
  • Graphic design experience a plus
  • High proficiency with Microsoft Excel is required
  • Proficiency in Illustrator and Photoshop is required
  • 0-2 years’ experience in product development and/or design
  • Strong listening, written and oral communication skills
  • Self-motivated and organized
  • Ability to thrive in fast paced and high intensity environment
  • Ability to flat sketch in Illustrator is a must
  • Be able to create full tech packs with all measurements
  • Color management experience a plus
  • Communication skills are a must Pls apply by sending a cover letter and resume why you would be an asset to our team. Any relevant design portfolios should be linked as well. Job Type: Part-time Pay: $17.00 - $18.00 per hour Benefits: * Employee discount * Flexible schedule Schedule: * 8 hour shift COVID-19 considerations: mask wearing, sanitizing etc. Education: * Bachelor's (Preferred) Experience: * Fashion retail: 1 year (Preferred) * fashion design: 1 year (Preferred) Work Location: * One location Work Remotely: * No
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    Fashion Designer

    *Westmoor Manufacturing, makers of Panhandle Western Wear and Rock and Roll Denim, based in Fort Worth, Texas seeks a apparel design assistant. * *Westmoor, founded in 1946 on family values and heritage, brings fashion, quality and individuality to those living a western or rural lifestyle. Today our products can be found across the United States and Canada through omni channel sales and distribution in only the finest western retailers as well as the top farm and ranch stores in North America.* *Responsibilities* (including but not limited to): * Fabric development – prints * Creating fabric request boards for factories * Evaluating samples, strike-offs, and lab dips from factories * Communicating with factories over sample fabric, construction, and garment fit * Tracking receipt of samples * Creating technical sketches for garments * Creating tech packs for all styles * Preparing samples for photo shoots and line release * Assist in photoshoots * Editing photos * Creating line book with photos and sales information for all styles inline * Organizing sample lines * Assist with presentation of the line to salesforce during quarterly line release meetings * Coordinating sample fittings * Maintaining workflow for current season in development and previous seasons in mass production *Requirements: * * Previous experience in apparel design preferred * Design development mindset * Strong technical attributes * College Graduate with a degree in Fashion Design * Proficiency in Photoshop, Illustrator, InDesign, Outlook, and Excel * Eagerness to learn * Ability to work on multiple projects concurrently * Portfolio must be provided to be considered *Benefits: * * Health, dental, vision, and life insurance options * 401(k) * Paid holidays and vacation * Company clothing allowance perks Please include a resume and portfolio link when applying. Apply at: **this is *not *a remote position** EOE Job Type: Full-time Benefits: * 401(k) matching * Dental insurance * Employee discount * Health insurance * Health savings account * Life insurance * Paid time off * Vision insurance Schedule: * Monday to Friday * Overtime * Weekends Education: * Bachelor's (Preferred) Experience: * Garment Construction: 1 year (Preferred) * Adobe Illustrator: 1 year (Preferred) Work Location: * One location

    What Does a Fashion Designer Do?

    Fashion Designers work either independently or directly for an apparel company, creating various clothing and accessory designs that appeal to consumers. They often sketch their designs, then select patterns and fabrics that best complement the designs.

    Many Fashion Designers travel to trade shows to gather the fabric and material needed to design their new fashion pieces. They’ll also collaborate with other designers to create prototypes of their ideas. Fashion Designers often present their design ideas to Creative Directors and may also be asked to demonstrate their designs at fashion shows.

    Fashion Designer Skills and Qualifications

    To show that they can create amazing designs which will appeal to a target audience, a successful Fashion Designer applicant should possess the following skills and qualifications:

    • Superior knowledge of fashion design principles
    • Excellent creativity with a good sense of fashion and style
    • In-depth knowledge of garment technology
    • Ability to create, cut and sew-up patterns
    • Proficiency in computer-aided fashion design applications and digital visualization tools
    • Strong interpersonal and communication skills
    • Strong time-management skills
    • Excellent attention to detail

    Fashion Designer Salary Expectations

    The average salary for Fashion Designers is $16.02 an hour. However, Senior Fashion Designers can make much higher than the average salary, especially in consulting roles at more lucrative organizations.

    Fashion Designer Education and Training Requirements

    It’s not a strict requirement that Fashion Designers have higher education, but an associate or bachelor’s degree is recommended. Education in fashion design, fashion technology, textiles and fabric design or related fields is common. In addition, some training in business management is necessary for Senior Fashion Designers. Hence, a master’s degree in business administration, retail fundamentals or related areas is a bonus.

    Fashion Designer Experience Requirements

    A qualified Fashion Designer should have a minimum of two years of experience working in the fashion industry. Volunteer experience at fashion shows and festivals is also acceptable. Candidates should be familiar with fashion trends in the industry and possess the versatility to come up with product ideas based on those trends. A Fashion Designer should be comfortable creating patterns and sketches and working with different fabric types. Proven experience designing with software tools may also be required. A highly qualified candidate may also have worked in large teams and produced designs that went on to become top-selling products.

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    Frequently asked questions about Fashion Designers

     

    What are the different types of Fashion Designers?

    Some Fashion Designers may work in larger apparel companies creating an abundance of different designs, while others may specialize in a certain type of clothing or accessory. Clothing Designers work primarily on apparel for men, women and children. They create many different styles for this audience, including casual wear, sportswear, suits and maternity clothes. Accessory Designers create various types of accessories like suitcases, scarves, handbags and belts. 

    Footwear Designers make a wide variety of shoes and boots. Many of them experiment with different materials, working to create shoes that are both comfortable and stylish for customers. 

     

    Who do Fashion Designers report to?

    Fashion Designers work primarily in larger apparel companies, where they report to a Creative Director, who provides their input on the apparels’ design elements. The Creative Director typically establishes the company’s design goals for upcoming products and the Fashion Designer comes up with ideas that match these goals. 

    They’ll present these ideas to the Creative Director, who then provides feedback and edits to help the design better appeal to consumers. Fashion Designers typically go to the Creative Director for any additional details or questions about an upcoming project or feedback given to them.

     

    What makes a good Fashion Designer?

    Great Fashion Designers are passionate about clothing and accessories and are talented at spotting trends. Strong technology skills and software knowledge are also important for Fashion Designers to have as they regularly use design programs to create new apparel ideas. 

    They should also have impressive creativity and artistic abilities to help them regularly brainstorm unique fashion designs and transform an idea into a visually appealing final product. Effective attention to detail is needed as well to identify subtle differences in various textures and fabrics. 

     

    What's the difference between a Fashion Designer and a Costume Designer?

    While they both design fashion pieces for individuals to wear, Fashion Designers and Costume Designers both hold different responsibilities. Fashion Designers create clothing and accessory designs usually for commercial use, but may work in an abundance of different industries. Most Fashion Designers create pieces to be worn by the general public. 

    A Costume Designer is typically a type of Fashion Designer who focuses solely on designing outfits for Actors and other people in the performing arts. They can design costumes for Actors performing in television, film or theater productions. 

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