To become a designer. You must be able to write. The challenges of such a design are

To become a fashion designer you do not need any special education or qualifications, but achieving success in this field is still not easy. You must have good drawing, sewing and designing skills, as well as a good fashion sense and be very resilient. In this article you will find some tips for beginning designers.

Steps

Honing your skills

Develop your skills. A successful fashion designer has a wide range of skills, including drawing, the ability to combine colors and textures, the ability to think three-dimensionally, and technical skills in cutting and sewing all types of fabric. .

If you do not already have these skills in to a sufficient extent– sign up for courses or study yourself. As a fashion designer, you must be able to create something special from complex fabric in any situation. You must be comfortable using sewing machines, including industrial types, and be proficient in hand sewing.
Learn to make patterns and sketches. Throughout your career, you will need the ability to create your own style and recreate it according to your desires. Some people find this skill difficult.
Understand how fabric moves, drapes, breathes, deforms during wear, etc. Your in-depth knowledge of fabric is simply necessary to create a decent outfit. You should also understand the types of material.
Gather information about existing designers, not just who they are, but their background. form style. This knowledge will help you create yourself as a designer, because... you can borrow some of their ideas.
Learn to create a theme and clothing line. Explore current trends through the media, while shopping or attending fashion shows.

Start developing skills from a young age. Be prepared to dedicate a lot of time to honing your skills. Always learn. It would be a good idea to get a diploma and degree in fashion design or take specialized courses. You will learn a lot, start useful contacts and get the opportunity to demonstrate your skills to a small audience (be prepared for criticism!). So you can:

Choosing a direction

Ask customers what they want. Be realistic: if you live in a hot country, you'll have a hard time selling winter jackets. Look around. What do people need? What do they want? For example, if you are planning to develop an entire collection, there should be more “tops” (tops, blouses, shirts, jumpers) than “bottoms”, since these items are in the wardrobe ordinary person more than skirts and trousers. Tops and shirts - great way diversify your wardrobe, while simple, perfectly fitting trousers can be combined with any of them. Keep it simple and realistic. Quirky sketches are good on paper, but cute camisoles and jeans will sell better than evening dresses.

You may think that mass market items aren't as glamorous as luxury clothes for the rich or evening wear, but they will help you pay the bills. If you want to create models that will be produced in hundreds of copies, you need to accept right decisions from the very beginning. This will help develop your design skills as you will need to understand perfectly what the design should look like. appearance and cut. Failed Models won't sell and your boss will lose a ton of money.

Get inspired by your competitors' work. Look and note what fabrics they use, what size zippers they sew in, what properties of fabrics matter (density, comfort, breathability, ease of care), what colors are popular in your country. Starting by studying competitors does not mean copying; it means to observe. After analyzing all the best, you will understand what makes a thing attractive (and subsequently loved). These are usually best-selling products. Your customers are store buyers or ordinary people- want to buy clothes that suit them. Extravagant items are worn only a few times a year. They are beautiful, but they won't let you earn a living.

Select a few key details. What are your strengths? Perhaps you have a talent for making accessories or are a genius at sewing yoga pants. Combine your passion with your skills. However, do not forget about market requirements. The fashion business is both the ability to convince the market that it wants your design and the ability to notice what is in demand in the market.

Willingness to enter the fashion industry

Way to success

Learn how to do business in the fashion industry. Being a fashion designer not only requires talent and creativity, but you also need knowledge of business and marketing basics to succeed. Stay up to date with all the events happening in the fashion industry by regularly reading specialized magazines. For example, Women's Wear Daily or Daily News Record.

Look for a job as a fashion designer. There are several ways to find work in the fashion industry as a designer, depending on your area of interest. Your flexibility and versatility can play into your hands, you will get good experience, and in the future you will do what you like. Or you will need to be very persistent in sending your resume to different organizations. Where you can look for work:
- Modern fashion houses and design workshops - look for internships, low-paid positions, assistant work, etc.
- Work for film studios, theaters, costume shops, etc.
- Online advertisements
- Word of Mouth – Leverage your college connections. Have connections great importance in the world of fashion.
If you're starting your own business, you'll need financial skills. You may be exceptionally talented, but to run your own brand, you need an entrepreneurial spirit. It is your responsibility to make sense of the bills, figures and invoices piling up on your desk. Of course, you can hire an accountant, but you still have to figure it out yourself. If you are absolutely incompetent and do not like to deal with accounts, it is better to look for a job in one of the fashion houses instead of running your own business.
- Decide whether you will be a sole proprietorship, a partnership, a corporation, or something else. There are advantages and disadvantages to everything, which you should discuss with your financial analyst before the application procedure.
The fashion industry is very competitive and you can only succeed in this industry if you dedicate yourself completely to it. You also need to be able to handle and accept criticism, being able to identify constructive comments and jealous jabs. But in any case, the main thing is to believe in yourself.
If you decide to design for the runway, you will be entering the toughest circle of the fashion industry. You'll have to deal with very skinny models during fittings, deal with the snarkiness of other designers and fashion industry elite, and do everything in as soon as possible.
The work of a designer requires a lot of physical endurance. You will have to work long hours to meet the deadline.

I did not complete design courses and did not study design at the institute, but I managed to complete my own course of study in 6 months, I note that during the learning process I was simultaneously doing my main job full time. Although I didn’t think that I was ready to get a job new job designer, but I was very lucky and managed to find a good place.

Of course, I understand that I do not have the skills that many professional designers who have studied this for several years and have a lot of experience have, however, I feel that I can work for good level, creating a good design. I am currently designing websites.

This article will help beginning designers take their first steps in learning design on their own; here you will find links to those books and resources that helped me in my study and turned out to be useful. Please note that the links point to English-language resources, which I used for self-study.

Level one: learning to see

The main mistake that novice designers make is trying to immediately start with learning photoshop and drawing designs. But Photoshop won't make you a designer, just like buying paints and brushes won't make you an artist. Therefore, let's start with mastering the very basics of design.

Learn to draw

To complete this task you will not need to make a lot of effort or enroll in an art school, you will not have to draw still lifes and paint oil paintings, we will limit ourselves to learning the basics of drawing, which will be enough to make a sketch on paper. One will help with this good book in drawing - “How to learn to draw in 30 days”. By practicing for half an hour for 30 days, you can learn the basics of drawing.

Learning the theory of graphic design

- Start with the book - “Draw It”. This book will help you understand the basics of design.
- Learn color, typography, and grid-based design.
- Take several training lessons from this site every day.

Learn the basics of user experience

Written great amount books on this topic, you can start with these two:
- “Design of everyday things”.
- “Don’t make me think!”

Learning to write

Abracadabra like Lorem Ipsum should be cause for concern; it is a direct indication of a bad designer. A good designer must be able to communicate well with his users, he sees the entire process of evaluating his design as a whole and does not miss such details as presentation text. Each word is chosen thoughtfully, wisely, and the text itself is written with the expectation that people will read it. Don't use the abstruse language that teachers use in school.

Do not include absolutely all of your work in your portfolio, choose only the best.
At the initial stages, do not try to be original; this will come with time, with experience, with skill. At first, everyone learns the basics and repeats simple things after the teacher, and when enough experience has been accumulated, you can move on to more advanced and independent work.

For inspiration, visit Dribbble (see works best designers) and zurb.com/patterntap (web design).

If this profession is really your goal, don’t worry, we will help you find the shortest path to its realization.

What does it take to become an interior designer?

Here we will not talk about special educational institutions, but about the necessary fundamental knowledge, without which you cannot take a single step in this profession.

Minimal knowledge in the field of construction. Yes, every designer must accurately find a load-bearing wall in an apartment. You can also distinguish a plaster wall from a concrete one, know the basics of the location of communication systems and understand the basics of geometry and physics.
Sociability and desire to work with people. Believe me, a closed and unsociable person will not be able to find mutual language with the customer. After all, the most important thing in a designer’s work is to feel the client’s desires, and even help him voice them if he is not able to do this himself.
Fantasy and imagination. Before working with the interior, you need to learn to read the space, be able to imagine it and mentally design it.
Drawing or working with graphic programs. This condition is also necessary, because it is not enough for the customer to hear your brilliant idea. He will definitely want to see her. To do this, you need to be able to work with visualization forms. There is nothing complicated here, and even with special programs you can learn to work overnight.

This is all necessary knowledge for successful work as an interior designer.

How to become an interior designer yourself?

Don't be lazy and look for customers. It is foolish to expect that one morning fame and recognition will find you. This requires a lot of work. Study relevant online resources, take even frankly inexpensive orders if they are creative and bring the necessary experience.
Work on your reputation and image. Remember that self-confidence and personability are the main strengths of a designer. Imagine hiring a designer for yourself. What should it be like? The perfect image is already ready. Good recommendations– this is a definite plus. Know how to be professional even with difficult and unscrupulous customers. Be sure that someday this will turn into great success for you.
Constantly develop yourself. Train your creativity. Attend exhibitions and presentations, communicate with other designers on thematic forums, and browse creative websites. Every day fundamental changes occur in world art and aesthetics, do not stop there! Are you missing some knowledge? Nothing, modern information space will allow you to fill all the gaps in your education in the shortest possible time.

How to find your first customer?

Firstly, on special resources find the order that suits you.

Secondly, contact the customer directly. When providing your services, be as brief as possible, but certainly eloquent. After all, the degree of trust in you depends on your confidence.

Third, be prepared for a personal meeting. Prepare samples of your work. Maybe you have a great repair crew or a discount at a hardware store? This information has no last value for the modern customer.

Provide the customer with an initial plan of action, draw up an introductory estimate, in a word, make the impression of a business-like specialist who understands the issue.

Don't forget that this profession requires constant human interaction, so develop flexibility and open-mindedness, a willingness to make concessions and understand the needs of others.

How to become an interior designer - 4 development paths

In the process of studying and communicating with real designers, I determined 4 ways to develop a designer from scratch.

The first way is specialized education at an institute for 4-6 years

This is probably the best and most proven method over the years. At the institute you can gain a huge amount of knowledge. You will have time to study each topic in great detail. Ergonomics, color, materials, etc.

Another plus I can note is that education can be obtained for free. The only downside is that you will have to spend at least 6 years (preparing for admission + studying).

Another minus is that (for some it’s a minus, for others it’s a plus), in addition to the actual practice of interior design, there is a huge number of subjects that have nothing to do with design, but on which you will have to spend time and take tests.

The second way is interior design courses

Pros: the courses are designed for 1-2 years of intensive training. Nothing superfluous - just specialized knowledge. Often, this is an abbreviated and simplified program of the institute.

Disadvantages: often, teachers in these schools do not have much experience (the same disadvantage is found in institutes). It happens that a person who studied at an institute does not realize himself as a practicing designer (did not get a job, did not find clients on his own), in this case he has nothing left to do but transfer knowledge in the same institute, or in some another educational institution (for example, design courses).

The price for such courses starts from 80 thousand to 500 thousand rubles or more (if you take full-fledged one-year programs, and not “design in 2 weeks”).

The third way is to learn from a practicing designer

You can become an apprentice, you can seek advice, ask to teach, and, in some cases, pay money for them.

On the plus side: you can immediately practice under the mentorship of a designer. Available quick results without unnecessary theory. Only to the point and to the point.

Of the minuses: it can be difficult and difficult. You need to jump right in and learn quickly. Since a professional in his field usually has very little time.

The fourth way is self-education

Perhaps this is the longest and most difficult path. I call it “All by myself.” You can spend years going through a bunch of books. Make mistakes and correct your mistakes. I highly recommend not doing everything yourself. It’s better to ask someone “experienced” for advice. This will make your life much easier. Especially if you want to implement projects on a construction site.

Do you need to be able to draw?

Of course, it is advisable to be able to, but this is not a prerequisite. The ability to draw helps in the development of a designer, but this is not a prerequisite, as practice shows. I talked to professional designers, who draw so-so, but their projects are very worthy. There is no need to learn to draw before you start learning to design. In the process, you can develop in different directions: draw by hand, design in 3D max, sketch up, develop working drawings project design. In our age of technology, the ability to draw is becoming an auxiliary skill for a designer.

Let's summarize. Any path you choose will be correct. It is important to remember that practice and theory are different things. It is necessary to acquire knowledge, but it is also important to consolidate it in practice. Do as much as possible more projects, seek advice until they start asking you for advice. And even when they start contacting, continue to consult with authoritative people. After all, an interior designer is a constant process of development.

I hope my article was useful to you. Like it! If your friends have already eaten your ear off with stories about how he wants to become a designer, repost and help the person.

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Among applicants, the fashion for the profession of a fashion designer never fades away. However, if you look at the experience of designers who have already achieved success, it turns out that their path is not always as simple as it seems at first glance: many of them, for example, did not graduate from college, some, before coming to the fashion industry , worked in a diametrically opposite field, and someone sewed clothes for dolls while still at school. Look At Me tried to figure out which path could become more or less universal for everyone who set out to get into the world of high fashion, and two modern Russian designers and a teacher of the BVShD design course gave their advice to beginners.

Eliza Batyrova about how to navigate the world of fashion and where to go to study.

“The fashion industry is a very difficult and highly competitive field, accompanied by harsh criticism and breakneck speed, but at the same time, of course, it is incredibly exciting and alluring. My advice to those who want to connect their life with fashion: first of all, define your goals and understand where you see yourself after graduation. The choice of educational institution, as well as time and financial costs, depends on this. There are actually a lot of different positions in the fashion industry and they are all interesting in their own way. In addition to the specialty of a clothing designer (which, by the way, includes not only women’s or men’s clothing - it can be children’s, sports, outerwear, evening wear, lingerie, etc.), there are positions such as print designer, textile designer , fashion illustrator, stylist and others. Therefore, I repeat, carefully study all existing positions and find your place that matches your talents and interests. So, for example, for some reason no one particularly considers the specialty of a creative technologist or designer (or better yet, both in one person), although, in my opinion, it is very interesting and requires the manifestation of no less talent and imagination than the profession of a clothing designer. By the way, professionals in this field receive very impressive fees.

The industry has not yet matured and it will take some time until something changes, however, you cannot give up and completely give up on your dream.

If, after all, your dream is to create your own brand (which, by the way, is a long and difficult path with complete dedication and impressive financial costs), then the first thing I would recommend is Central Saint Martins College. Moreover, after completing your bachelor’s degree (I strongly recommend) continue further training to become a master, then you will receive full immersion in the realities of the fashion world with its strict rules and high competition. At the same time, the course strongly supports its students through cooperation with various companies, ready to sponsor the most talented. The following three institutes are also very prestigious and offer very high level: these are the Royal College of Art and London College of Fashion in London and the Royal Academy of Fine Arts in Antwerp. Here the choice is yours: study the style of each and decide what is closer to you. If we talk about Moscow, then the equivalent of the above educational institutions is a British BA Fashion Degree course at BHSAD with a program that meets international training standards. Of course, it is not yet so famous and prestigious, but in terms of the quality of training it is quite up to par. After graduating, you receive a corresponding diploma with a bachelor's degree, recognized abroad. I must admit that all of the above is certainly not oriented towards Russia, since the local situation in the fashion world, unfortunately, is not yet the most favorable. The industry has not yet matured, and it will take some time until something changes, but you cannot give up and completely give up on your dream. I believe that it is precisely those students who have gained knowledge and experience abroad, who have expanded their horizons and think differently, who will be able to gradually change the situation for the better, if, of course, they make a choice in favor of Russia.

Dmitry Loginov about internships and how
what lies behind the external gloss of fashion shows

Dmitry Loginov

Founder and Art Director
brand Arsenicum

Before taking decisive action, analyze all the pros and cons, the pros and cons of the profession of a fashion designer, the risks and prospects that come with the absence of a fashion industry as such in our country. If, despite the convincing prophecy of difficulties, you are ready to try and fight and generally have little idea of your future and present in a context other than fashion, be patient and start working very, very hard.

Of course, among mandatory conditions- talent, innate or with early years acquired ability to think creatively, draw, craft. Developed imaginative thinking combined with a strong inner core, perseverance and a serious, conscious attitude towards work and profession - necessary base for the beginning designer. If your talent is clearly visible, you have been interested in sewing since childhood (yes, no matter how trite, for most it all starts with clothes for dolls, then clothes for yourself, then friends and relatives become “victims”), regularly attended classes labor or even a special cutting and sewing circle, they drew sketches instead of classical still lifes, the first step necessary before receiving an education was an internship.

The internship can be in a fashion house, a design studio, or, as a last resort, in an atelier, the main thing is to understand what real aspects make up the profession and workdays of a designer.

The internship can be in a fashion house, a design studio, or, as a last resort, in an atelier; the main thing is to understand what real aspects make up the profession and workday of a designer. Behind the external gloss of fashion shows and the glossy flair of public life hides the gray everyday life of collection production: elaboration of technical sketches, design, creation of patterns and mock-ups, actual tailoring, many hours of fittings. The work is predominantly done with hands, scrupulous, requiring patience, attention and perseverance. An internship will allow you to experience the essence of the work, try on your future role, and understand whether the profession is suitable in terms of content and temperament. In addition, of course, the internship will provide practical skills. Certainly, ideal condition- practice in your favorite fashion house that is close to you or with an innovative designer whose authority in terms of technology and style is unconditional for you. Be ambitious, set maximum goals. It is much more interesting to try your luck at Iris Van Herpen with technologically advanced 3D printed dresses than at TVOE with cotton T-shirts. And the point is not that T-shirts are an ignoble occupation, it’s just that they are unlikely to teach you anything supernatural or give you a boost of energy for the future. Strive to be around and learn from the best in the business. Try to express yourself, don’t be afraid to express your craziest ideas. Impunity and complete freedom of expression are the main advantages of the “trainee” position. Duration - at least six months, to feel the full scale of the disaster - a year. Believe me, this year will be the most valuable, it will allow you to maturely assess your capabilities and not commit main mistake In my life.

After the internship, you can look for a university, it all depends on your capabilities. Saint Martins - good, but not very accessible. There are many alternatives: Istituto Marangoni, Istituto Europeo di Design, Parsons, British graduate School design, finally. The list goes on and on; in Europe there are dozens of private universities offering specialized education. There are no opportunities to leave - it’s not scary, the Kosygin Institute of Textiles, the Institute of Design and Technology and any other technological institute in your hometown. Education is important, but you should not consider the name of a university as a guaranteed start in life, it is only a launching pad, further development depends entirely on you.

To find your creative self, you need to constantly be in a state of search

It is very useful to participate in all kinds of competitions for young designers, both internal and external: “Russian Silhouette”, “Admiralty Needle”, Grass Design Week, ITS. Start monitoring, make a list of the most significant events of the year in which you should take part. Competitions will not only allow you to feel the competition, but also meet experts and receive objective criticism. At one time, it was my victory at a competition for young designers in my native Krasnoyarsk that gave me the opportunity to move to Moscow and do what I loved. In this area, a lucky chance can decide a lot.

Generally speaking, for a designer, regardless of whether he plans to join the staff of an existing fashion house/clothing company or develop his own line, the most important thing is to find and polish his own style. Only in this case can his product become recognizable and competitive. In order to find your creative self, you need to constantly be in a state of search: new knowledge, impressions, emotional upheavals, people. Draw information from any available sources, absorb like a sponge, pass what you see and hear through yourself. It’s difficult to give a specific recipe, a set of books or films, you just have to be a maximalist, be active social image life, make acquaintances. Inspiration needs sources, unless, of course, you have opened a mysterious chakra that constantly supplies ideas.

The set of tools is very individual, personally, I rarely read fashion magazines or attend Fashion Week shows, but I’m unlikely to miss a popular science film festival or digital exhibition. From the obligatory and purely practical - the annual Premier Vision exhibition in Paris, where I can choose fabrics and accessories for the new collection.

Katya Mikulskaya-Mosina about the art of imitation

Katya Mikulskaya-Mosina

Designer, founder of the brand Katia Mossina

Today, the profession of a fashion designer is becoming more and more popular, despite the fact that the demand for it, in general, is falling. The clothing market is overcrowded, we live in a time of absolute overproduction, old brands that have been on the market for many years do not disappear, but new ones continue to appear. Therefore, I believe that if you take this path today, you should immediately try to determine your niche. Fashion design is a huge field of activity. First you need to define what it actually is. A fashion designer is by no means a person who loves to sew and embroider kilometers of fabric with beads. Craftsmen and couturiers have existed from time immemorial, but the concept of “design” appeared relatively recently, with the advent of industrial production and technology. Therefore, a young designer must have not only artistic abilities and a rich imagination, but also a logical mind. In fact, this is a rather rare combination. The second point that must be taken into account is that fashion is a characteristic of the time in which we live.

It is here, today and now. The concept of “beautiful” is constantly changing, yesterday – one thing, tomorrow – another, the day after tomorrow – a third. The main thing is to find the nerve of time. To do this, you need to read a variety of literature about the psychology of society, the position of women in society, study various social surveys, keep abreast of political trends. All this shapes people’s desires and dreams, their ideas about beauty. Of course, this profession requires a certain talent. Moreover, it’s as if she chooses you herself. At some point you notice that others like what you are wearing and they want the same. Fashion is the art of imitation. It’s not you who should imitate, but you. But any talent without education is the price of a rough diamond, not a diamond, so it’s better to take care of a good education in this field, and it’s better to do an internship in a large company to understand how the industry works. Of course, it’s also good to study abroad for at least a couple of years or get an internship abroad.