Fashion designers play a crucial role in the success of a particular outfit or fashion concept. They are involved across every stage of the creation of an attire from its conception to creation and manufacturing to marketing it. So, here are some vital duties and responsibilities of a professional fashion designer.
- Conceptualise outfits and sketch them to clarify the concept to the stakeholders
- Manage the design process from conception to final styling and beyond
- Choose fabrics and trims.
- Work with other fashion designers or assistants to choose seasonal themes.
- Make edits to the line and build new concepts.
- Monitor every stage of the product creation to ensure it is aligned with the business strategy and the stakeholders’ vision.
- Work with the technical designer to ensure development package accuracy.
- Review and assess the product for style and fit while presenting it to the stakeholders.
- Present the product’s story, mood, colour boards, etc., to investors and buyers.
- Stay abreast of the latest fashion design and trends and conduct continuous market research to identify new trends, fabrics and techniques.
- Assist the marketing team in creating marketing strategies for the product, as they are its creators and, hence know the product better than everyone else.
- Participate in fashion shows and flaunt the product on the ramp through models.
Handling the above roles and responsibilities requires fashion designers to have various hard and soft skills to Become a Professional Fashion Designer. Here are some of them.
- Technical Skills: 3D designing skills, digital drawing and sketching, draping, pattern-making, fashion styling, garment construction, fashion merchandising, tailoring and designing, embroidery and many others
- Soft Skills: Excellent communication, team management, analytical and problem-solving skills, creative and coherent thought process, interpersonal skills, marketing skills, natural understanding of style, solid visualisation skills, etc.