Fashion Designer Careers and Project Runway
Continuing Education in Fashion Design Schools can Lead to Success
Aug 30, 2008
Do you like to watch Project Runway? The one thing that most participants on Project Runway have in common is a degree as a fashion designer. Do you have a sense for fashion and like to design clothes? Then continuing education as a fashion designer is a good choice.
Breaking into the fashion design business requires knowledge and specific skills. These basic knowledge and skills can be earned by attending a fashion design school or a community college. Degrees in fashion design, along with fashion ability, will open doors to success.
Fashion Designer Programs
Here are a few specific features any fashion design program must include:
Fashion Drawing – you need to be able to draw. If you do not know how to draw well, then the program will teach you drawing for communicating fashion designs. If you know how to draw, then the program will help you perfect your fashion drawing abilities. Fashion drawing provides:
- The first step to communicating creative ideas
- Communicating with clients and others who want to see your ideas
- Developing a portfolio for clients and interviews
This is one of the beginning processes on Project Runway, taking an idea and drawing a visual representation of the final product.
Sewing/Stitching – fashion designers must know how to sew and stitch. After developing a drawing of a new fashion idea, they purchase the materials for the new dress, suit, blouse, etc. The next step is to cut and sew the materials. Fashion designers must consider:
- The best methods for sewing all different types of materials available
- Quality, quantity, and types of material
- Best ways to cut and sew materials for mass production
Just like the participants on Project Runway, you will be cutting and sewing materials.
Mentorship – a fashion design program should provide access to mentors to help guide you allow the way. A good mentor will provide opportunities for:
- Observing the mentor at work
- Interviews for school work
- Teach some of the practical aspects of fashion design
Besides being a competition, Project Runway is also a mentoring program helping up and coming fashion designers show their abilities to the world.
Internship/Externship – provide opportunities to work in the fashion design business near the end of a program. They provide opportunities to:
- Design your own fashions
- Work with teams of designers to develop new fashions
- Grasp the realities of the fashion design business
- Make lifelong contacts and meet some of the leaders in the fashion design world
- Attend fashion shows
These are all the attributes of the Project Runway show for the participants. Although someone must go home every week, they all have opportunities to make contacts, work with teams of fashion designers, and more.
Careers as a Fashion Designer
There are several career advantages and challenges for those who want to become fashion designers. These include:
- Typically work in clean environments
- Typically work alone or in a team
- Fashion centers are regionally located and relocation is expected
- Travel to fashion shows on a regular basis and meetings with manufacturers
- Seasonal work periods which require more than the typical 40 hour work week
- Typically self employed and skilled in all aspects of fashion creation process
- Meet and even work with leading fashion designers
If you have the fashion design fever after watching Project Runway and have natural fashion abilities, then a career in fashion design is perfect for you. Additional information about continuing education is available by visiting Career Education and Vocational School Benefits.
