Is Fashion Design the Right Degree for You?

Are you a creative person who enjoys putting together great outfits? This makes you a natural for the field of fashion design. A fashion design degree allows you put your style knowledge to work designing and creating clothing for consumers of all types. This is a competitive field that has the potential to be very rewarding for students who are willing to work hard. Skills Gained from a Fashion Degree Although you may get a head start on your fashion degree simply by having a great sense of style, you can gain numerous additional fashion skills by pursuing a fashion degree. Some of the core skills learned in a fashion design program include:

• Understanding of different fabrics, textiles, and clothing ornamentation
• Insight into the fashion industry and current trends
• Basic business and marketing skills for the fashion industry
• Clothing design skills
• Style design skills (such as how to work as a personal stylist)

What a To Expect in a Fashion Design Course People who get fashion degrees typically attend either a two-year or four-year program. The fashion design course is usually one degree offered at a design or art school. Some of the specific classes that fashion degree students take include:

• Sewing and tailoring
• Pattern making
• Art history with an emphasis on the history of fashion
• Design technology including computer-aided design
• Business classes with an emphasis on entrepreneurship
• Sales and marketing classes

Fashion Design Degrees The core degree that students get when graduating from a fashion design program is in fashion design. However, there are related degrees that may be obtained from a fashion design school as well. For example, there are specific degrees in footwear design and accessory design. There are also fashion degrees for the business side of fashion including fashion merchandising and fashion marketing degrees. Jobs for Students with Fashion Degrees Upon graduation, most students use their fashion degrees to get into an entry level position in fashion retail. Others begin to work as assistants to a working fashion designer. Eventually these designers become self-employed as fashion designers. Important things for prospective fashion design students to know about the industry, as reported by the Bureau of Labor Statistics, include:

• The number of jobs available in this industry is expected to remain steady between 2008 and 2018. Intense competition for fashion design careers is expected during this time.
• The states with the most jobs for fashion designers in the United States are New York or California.
• The median annual wage for fashion designers in 2009 was $64,260. The majority of people working in this field are earning between $32,320 and $90,020.

The state of the economy has made it so that a vast number of consumers are interested in the option to purchase affordable clothing that is still stylish and attractive. The majority of jobs for fashion degree students at this time are in this area of the market. Students interested in high-end boutique fashion design may have a tougher time getting a job in today's market.