Clothing Designer Training and Jobs
Schools and Degrees
Many universities, colleges and private design schools offer courses in fashion and clothing design. Employers usually seek two year or four year degree holders who are well informed about current trends in fashion.
Training and Education
Employees often obtain an associate degree before starting. The percentage of clothing designer with college degrees is 55%. Workers with some college (less than a bachelor's degree) represent about 31% of the total. Some employees, about 14%, had a high-school education.
Job Overview
Clothing designers design and make clothes for children, women and men. They create clothes for different occasions, including formal wear, casual wear, sports wear, maternity wear and clothing for intimate occasions.
Job Requirements
The National Association of Schools of Art and Design permit about 250 schools to give degrees in fashion and clothing designing. Students are granted admission into these programs after successful completion of basic art and design courses. For this their sketches and samples of other artistic abilities need to be approved. Internships with different manufacturing and design houses help them acquire some of these necessary skills. Experience working with individual stylists and retail stores also proves useful as aspiring clothing designers develop a discerning eye in marketing, fabrics and designing.
Clothing designers need to have a sound sense of aesthetics and an eye for detail and color. It is important for a clothing designer to be good sketching their proposed articles of clothing. Clothing designers will benefit from having good interpersonal and communication skills and the ability to work in teams. Also, good knowledge of presentation and sales is valuable.
Nature of Work
The entire procedure of clothing design, from conception to the final production, takes about twenty four months. Research on fashion is one of the first steps of the process. The research gives them an idea on the current trends, styling, colors and fabrics dominant in a particular season. Samples of the designs are then executed on cheap fabric. Once these little details are finalized, clothing designers then make the final designs that they wish to present for the season. Presentation is usually made at trade and fashion shows.
Clothing designers work for design firms, wholesalers or manufacturing establishments. They generally work in comfortable settings. Many who freelance work in small, congested places. They work to meet deadlines and meet up with clients even during the evenings and on weekends. In order to complete orders, clothing designers work under pressure and often work for long hours. Traveling is also important.
Area Job Conditions
Popular locations for clothing designer include New York (New York), Columbus (Ohio), and San Francisco (California). Fewer are found in Minneapolis (Minnesota), Denver (Colorado), and Dallas (Texas).
Workers looking for high salaries should look at Portland (Maine), Nassau (New York), and San Francisco (California), and should avoid Philadelphia (Pennsylvania), Riverside (California), and Las Vegas (Nevada).
Part-Time and Self Employment
Part-time clothing designer are 17% of all surveyed. Some workers, about 24%, work for themselves.
Career Videos
Clothing Designer by Metropolitan Area (city and its surroundings)
In the table below, a Job Density near 0% means the area has an average number of people in this occupation, for its population. A higher or lower Job Density (e.g., +22% or -45%) tells you there are that many more or fewer workers of that type there than in the average US metro area. So, the higher the number, the more common the occupation.
California
| City and Area | Median Salary | Employees | Job Density |
|---|---|---|---|
| Los Angeles | $75,000 | 2,640 | +497% |
| Oakland | $70,000 | 70 | -36% |
| San Diego | $67,000 | 160 | +12% |
| San Francisco | $67,000 | 260 | +140% |
| Santa Ana | $70,000 | 500 | +215% |
Colorado
| City and Area | Median Salary | Employees | Job Density |
|---|---|---|---|
| Denver | $66,000 | 70 | -49% |
District of Columbia
| City and Area | Median Salary | Employees | Job Density |
|---|---|---|---|
| Washington | $44,000 | 40 | -85% |
Florida
| City and Area | Median Salary | Employees | Job Density |
|---|---|---|---|
| Miami | $67,000 | 100 | -6% |
| Tampa | $45,000 | 110 | -12% |
| West Palm Beach | $76,000 | 40 | -29% |
Georgia
| City and Area | Median Salary | Employees | Job Density |
|---|---|---|---|
| Atlanta | $59,000 | 60 | -76% |
Illinois
| City and Area | Median Salary | Employees | Job Density |
|---|---|---|---|
| Chicago | $55,000 | 40 | -90% |
Maine
| City and Area | Median Salary | Employees | Job Density |
|---|---|---|---|
| Portland | $81,000 | 50 | +137% |
Massachusetts
| City and Area | Median Salary | Employees | Job Density |
|---|---|---|---|
| Boston | $45,000 | 100 | -47% |
Minnesota
| City and Area | Median Salary | Employees | Job Density |
|---|---|---|---|
| Minneapolis | $58,000 | 90 | -54% |
Missouri
| City and Area | Median Salary | Employees | Job Density |
|---|---|---|---|
| Kansas City | $36,000 | 30 | -73% |
| St Louis | $72,000 | 70 | -52% |
New York
| City and Area | Median Salary | Employees | Job Density |
|---|---|---|---|
| New York | $81,000 | 6,790 | +1093% |
North Carolina
| City and Area | Median Salary | Employees | Job Density |
|---|---|---|---|
| Greensboro | $66,000 | 60 | +57% |
| Hickory | $57,000 | 30 | +97% |
Oregon
| City and Area | Median Salary | Employees | Job Density |
|---|---|---|---|
| Portland | $68,000 | 110 | -1% |
Pennsylvania
| City and Area | Median Salary | Employees | Job Density |
|---|---|---|---|
| Allentown | $62,000 | 60 | +61% |
| Philadelphia | $51,000 | 60 | -71% |
Rhode Island
| City and Area | Median Salary | Employees | Job Density |
|---|---|---|---|
| Providence | $67,000 | 60 | -1% |
Texas
| City and Area | Median Salary | Employees | Job Density |
|---|---|---|---|
| Dallas | $48,000 | 130 | -43% |
| Houston | $81,000 | 130 | -55% |
Washington
| City and Area | Median Salary | Employees | Job Density |
|---|---|---|---|
| Seattle | $70,000 | 200 | +31% |
Wisconsin
| City and Area | Median Salary | Employees | Job Density |
|---|---|---|---|
| Madison | $78,000 | 80 | +120% |