Education:
36%
Associate's Degree (or other 2-year degree)
25%
Some College Courses
Fashion Designer
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Job Outlook:
As fast as average
Education:
Bachelor's degree
Salary
High:
$139,920.00
Average:
$85,760.00
Hourly
Average:
$41.23
What they do:
Design clothing and accessories. Create original designs or adapt fashion trends.
On the job, you would:
- Direct and coordinate workers involved in drawing and cutting patterns and constructing samples or finished garments.
- Examine sample garments on and off models, modifying designs to achieve desired effects.
- Sketch rough and detailed drawings of apparel or accessories, and write specifications such as color schemes, construction, material types, and accessory requirements.
Important Qualities
Artistic ability. Fashion designers sketch their initial design ideas, which are used to create prototypes. Designers must be able to express their vision for the design through illustration.
Communication skills. Throughout the design process, fashion designers must be able to communicate effectively. For example, they may need to instruct sewers about garment construction.
Computer skills. Fashion designers must be able to use computer-aided design (CAD) programs and be familiar with graphics editing software.
Creativity. Fashion designers work with a variety of fabrics, shapes, and colors. Their ideas must be unique, functional, and stylish.
Decision-making skills. When working on teams, fashion designers are exposed to many ideas. They must be able to decide which ideas to incorporate into their designs.
Detail oriented. Fashion designers must have a good eye for small differences in color and other details that can make a design successful.
Personality
| A3 | Your Strengths | Importance |
Characteristics of this Career |
|---|---|---|---|
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98% | Attention to Detail - Job requires being careful about detail and thorough in completing work tasks. | |
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92% | Innovation - Job requires creativity and alternative thinking to develop new ideas for and answers to work-related problems. | |
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91% | Dependability - Job requires being reliable, responsible, and dependable, and fulfilling obligations. | |
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90% | Initiative - Job requires a willingness to take on responsibilities and challenges. | |
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88% | Adaptability/Flexibility - Job requires being open to change (positive or negative) and to considerable variety in the workplace. | |
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85% | Achievement/Effort - Job requires establishing and maintaining personally challenging achievement goals and exerting effort toward mastering tasks. | |
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84% | Independence - Job requires developing one's own ways of doing things, guiding oneself with little or no supervision, and depending on oneself to get things done. | |
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84% | Stress Tolerance - Job requires accepting criticism and dealing calmly and effectively with high-stress situations. | |
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83% | Leadership - Job requires a willingness to lead, take charge, and offer opinions and direction. | |
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81% | Cooperation - Job requires being pleasant with others on the job and displaying a good-natured, cooperative attitude. | |
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78% | Integrity - Job requires being honest and ethical. | |
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77% | Persistence - Job requires persistence in the face of obstacles. | |
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72% | Analytical Thinking - Job requires analyzing information and using logic to address work-related issues and problems. | |
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69% | Self-Control - Job requires maintaining composure, keeping emotions in check, controlling anger, and avoiding aggressive behavior, even in very difficult situations. | |
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67% | Concern for Others - Job requires being sensitive to others' needs and feelings and being understanding and helpful on the job. |
| A3 | Your Strengths | Importance |
Strengths |
|---|---|---|---|
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100% | Artistic - Work involves creating original visual artwork, performances, written works, food, or music for a variety of media, or applying artistic principles to the design of various objects and materials. Artistic occupations are often associated with visual arts, applied arts and design, performing arts, music, creative writing, media, or culinary art. | |
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83% | Enterprising - Work involves managing, negotiating, marketing, or selling, typically in a business setting, or leading or advising people in political and legal situations. Enterprising occupations are often associated with business initiatives, sales, marketing/advertising, finance, management/administration, professional advising, public speaking, politics, or law. |
| A3 | Your Strengths | Importance |
Values of the Work Environment |
|---|---|---|---|
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78% | Achievement - Occupations that satisfy this work value are results oriented and allow employees to use their strongest abilities, giving them a feeling of accomplishment. Corresponding needs are Ability Utilization and Achievement. | |
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72% | Working Conditions - Occupations that satisfy this work value offer job security and good working conditions. Corresponding needs are Activity, Compensation, Independence, Security, Variety and Working Conditions. | |
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72% | Independence - Occupations that satisfy this work value allow employees to work on their own and make decisions. Corresponding needs are Creativity, Responsibility and Autonomy. | |
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61% | Recognition - Occupations that satisfy this work value offer advancement, potential for leadership, and are often considered prestigious. Corresponding needs are Advancement, Authority, Recognition and Social Status. |
Aptitude
| A3 | Your Strengths | Importance |
Abilities | Cognitive, Physical, Personality |
|---|---|---|---|
|
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78% | Oral Expression - The ability to communicate information and ideas in speaking so others will understand. | |
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75% | Originality - The ability to come up with unusual or clever ideas about a given topic or situation, or to develop creative ways to solve a problem. | |
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75% | Oral Comprehension - The ability to listen to and understand information and ideas presented through spoken words and sentences. | |
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72% | Fluency of Ideas - The ability to come up with a number of ideas about a topic (the number of ideas is important, not their quality, correctness, or creativity). | |
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72% | Inductive Reasoning - The ability to combine pieces of information to form general rules or conclusions (includes finding a relationship among seemingly unrelated events). | |
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72% | Written Comprehension - The ability to read and understand information and ideas presented in writing. | |
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72% | Deductive Reasoning - The ability to apply general rules to specific problems to produce answers that make sense. | |
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69% | Problem Sensitivity - The ability to tell when something is wrong or is likely to go wrong. It does not involve solving the problem, only recognizing that there is a problem. | |
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66% | Written Expression - The ability to communicate information and ideas in writing so others will understand. | |
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66% | Visualization - The ability to imagine how something will look after it is moved around or when its parts are moved or rearranged. | |
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66% | Near Vision - The ability to see details at close range (within a few feet of the observer). | |
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66% | Speech Recognition - The ability to identify and understand the speech of another person. | |
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66% | Speech Clarity - The ability to speak clearly so others can understand you. |
Job Details
Responsibilities
Coordinate design activities.
Develop artistic or design concepts for decoration, exhibition, or commercial purposes.
Draw detailed or technical illustrations.
Write informational material.
Collaborate with others to develop or refine designs.
Conduct market research.
Monitor current trends.
Select materials or props.
Promote products, activities, or organizations.
Develop artistic or design concepts for decoration, exhibition, or commercial purposes.
Maintain inventories of materials, equipment, or products.
Monitor current trends.
Collaborate with others to develop or refine designs.
Develop artistic or design concepts for decoration, exhibition, or commercial purposes.
Build models, patterns, or templates.
Develop artistic or design concepts for decoration, exhibition, or commercial purposes.
Promote products, activities, or organizations.
Study scripts to determine project requirements.
Collaborate with others to develop or refine designs.
Build models, patterns, or templates.
Conduct research to inform art, designs, or other work.
| A3 | Your Strengths | Importance |
Attributes & Percentage of Time Spent |
|---|---|---|---|
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94% | Contact With Others - How much does this job require the worker to be in contact with others (face-to-face, by telephone, or otherwise) in order to perform it? | |
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93% | Structured versus Unstructured Work - To what extent is this job structured for the worker, rather than allowing the worker to determine tasks, priorities, and goals? | |
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93% | Electronic Mail - How often do you use electronic mail in this job? | |
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90% | Indoors, Environmentally Controlled - How often does this job require working indoors in environmentally controlled conditions? | |
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89% | Letters and Memos - How often does the job require written letters and memos? | |
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85% | Spend Time Sitting - How much does this job require sitting? | |
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81% | Time Pressure - How often does this job require the worker to meet strict deadlines? | |
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78% | Freedom to Make Decisions - How much decision making freedom, without supervision, does the job offer? | |
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78% | Work With Work Group or Team - How important is it to work with others in a group or team in this job? | |
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77% | Importance of Being Exact or Accurate - How important is being very exact or highly accurate in performing this job? | |
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77% | Face-to-Face Discussions - How often do you have to have face-to-face discussions with individuals or teams in this job? | |
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77% | Level of Competition - To what extent does this job require the worker to compete or to be aware of competitive pressures? | |
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75% | Spend Time Using Your Hands to Handle, Control, or Feel Objects, Tools, or Controls - How much does this job require using your hands to handle, control, or feel objects, tools or controls? | |
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74% | Impact of Decisions on Co-workers or Company Results - What results do your decisions usually have on other people or the image or reputation or financial resources of your employer? | |
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71% | Telephone - How often do you have telephone conversations in this job? | |
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70% | Deal With External Customers - How important is it to work with external customers or the public in this job? | |
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65% | Frequency of Conflict Situations - How often are there conflict situations the employee has to face in this job? |
| A3 | Your Strengths | Importance |
Tasks & Values |
|---|---|---|---|
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96% | Thinking Creatively - Developing, designing, or creating new applications, ideas, relationships, systems, or products, including artistic contributions. | |
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88% | Establishing and Maintaining Interpersonal Relationships - Developing constructive and cooperative working relationships with others, and maintaining them over time. | |
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88% | Organizing, Planning, and Prioritizing Work - Developing specific goals and plans to prioritize, organize, and accomplish your work. | |
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86% | Getting Information - Observing, receiving, and otherwise obtaining information from all relevant sources. | |
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81% | Judging the Qualities of Objects, Services, or People - Assessing the value, importance, or quality of things or people. | |
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81% | Scheduling Work and Activities - Scheduling events, programs, and activities, as well as the work of others. | |
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80% | Communicating with People Outside the Organization - Communicating with people outside the organization, representing the organization to customers, the public, government, and other external sources. This information can be exchanged in person, in writing, or by telephone or e-mail. | |
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80% | Communicating with Supervisors, Peers, or Subordinates - Providing information to supervisors, co-workers, and subordinates by telephone, in written form, e-mail, or in person. | |
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79% | Making Decisions and Solving Problems - Analyzing information and evaluating results to choose the best solution and solve problems. | |
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78% | Selling or Influencing Others - Convincing others to buy merchandise/goods or to otherwise change their minds or actions. | |
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77% | Developing Objectives and Strategies - Establishing long-range objectives and specifying the strategies and actions to achieve them. | |
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77% | Identifying Objects, Actions, and Events - Identifying information by categorizing, estimating, recognizing differences or similarities, and detecting changes in circumstances or events. | |
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76% | Drafting, Laying Out, and Specifying Technical Devices, Parts, and Equipment - Providing documentation, detailed instructions, drawings, or specifications to tell others about how devices, parts, equipment, or structures are to be fabricated, constructed, assembled, modified, maintained, or used. | |
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75% | Guiding, Directing, and Motivating Subordinates - Providing guidance and direction to subordinates, including setting performance standards and monitoring performance. | |
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74% | Updating and Using Relevant Knowledge - Keeping up-to-date technically and applying new knowledge to your job. | |
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73% | Monitoring and Controlling Resources - Monitoring and controlling resources and overseeing the spending of money. | |
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73% | Coordinating the Work and Activities of Others - Getting members of a group to work together to accomplish tasks. | |
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72% | Monitoring Processes, Materials, or Surroundings - Monitoring and reviewing information from materials, events, or the environment, to detect or assess problems. | |
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72% | Inspecting Equipment, Structures, or Materials - Inspecting equipment, structures, or materials to identify the cause of errors or other problems or defects. | |
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71% | Interpreting the Meaning of Information for Others - Translating or explaining what information means and how it can be used. | |
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71% | Estimating the Quantifiable Characteristics of Products, Events, or Information - Estimating sizes, distances, and quantities; or determining time, costs, resources, or materials needed to perform a work activity. | |
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70% | Working with Computers - Using computers and computer systems (including hardware and software) to program, write software, set up functions, enter data, or process information. | |
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69% | Coaching and Developing Others - Identifying the developmental needs of others and coaching, mentoring, or otherwise helping others to improve their knowledge or skills. | |
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68% | Resolving Conflicts and Negotiating with Others - Handling complaints, settling disputes, and resolving grievances and conflicts, or otherwise negotiating with others. | |
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67% | Developing and Building Teams - Encouraging and building mutual trust, respect, and cooperation among team members. |
What Fashion Designers Do
Fashion designers sketch designs of clothing, footwear, and accessories.
Fashion designers create original clothing, accessories, and footwear. They sketch designs, select fabrics and patterns, and give instructions on how to make the products they design.
Duties
Fashion designers typically do the following:
- Study fashion trends and anticipate designs that will appeal to consumers
- Decide on a theme for a collection
- Use computer-aided design (CAD) programs to create designs
- Visit manufacturers or trade shows to get samples of fabric
- Select fabrics, embellishments, colors, or a style for each garment or accessory
- Work with other designers or team members to create prototype designs
- Present design ideas to creative directors or showcase their ideas in fashion or trade shows
- Market designs to clothing retailers or to consumers
- Oversee the final production of their designs
Larger apparel companies typically employ a team of designers headed by a creative director. Some fashion designers specialize in clothing, footwear, or accessory design; others create designs in all three fashion categories.
For some fashion designers, the first step in creating a new design is researching current fashion and making predictions about future trends, such as by reading reports published by fashion industry trade groups. Other fashion designers create collections using a variety of inspirations, including art media, their surroundings, or cultures they have experienced and places they have visited.
After they have an initial idea, fashion designers try out various fabrics and produce a prototype, often with less expensive material than will be used in the final product. They work with models to see how the design will look and adjust the designs as needed.
Although most designers first sketch their designs by hand, many now also sketch their ideas digitally with computer-aided design (CAD) programs. CAD allows designers to see their work on virtual models. They can try different colors, designs, and shapes while making adjustments more easily than they can when working with real fabric on real people.
Designers produce samples with the actual materials that will be used in manufacturing. Samples that get good responses from fashion editors or trade and fashion shows are then manufactured and sold to consumers.
The design process may vary by specialty, but it generally takes 6 months, from initial design concept to final production, to release either the spring or fall collection. In addition to releasing designs during the spring and fall, some companies release new designs every month.
The Internet and e-commerce allow fashion designers to offer their products outside of traditional brick-and-mortar stores. These designers ship directly to the consumer, without having to invest in a physical shop to showcase their product lines of collections.
The following are examples of types of fashion designers:
Accessory designers design and produce items such as handbags, suitcases, belts, scarves, hats, hosiery, and eyewear.
Costume designers design costumes for the performing arts and for motion picture and television productions. They research the styles worn during the period in which the performance is set, or they work with directors to select and create appropriate attire. They also must stay within the production’s costume budget.
Clothing designers create and help produce men’s, women’s, and children’s apparel, including casual wear, suits, sportswear, evening wear, outerwear, maternity clothing, and intimate apparel.
Footwear designers create and help produce different styles of shoes and boots. As new materials, such as lightweight synthetic materials used in shoe soles, become available, footwear designers produce new designs that combine comfort, form, and function.
Work Environment
Fashion designers held about 24,900 jobs in 2022. The largest employers of fashion designers were as follows:
| Apparel, piece goods, and notions merchant wholesalers | 31% |
| Self-employed workers | 17 |
| Management of companies and enterprises | 13 |
| Apparel manufacturing | 9 |
| Motion picture and video industries | 3 |
Many fashion designers work in-house for wholesalers or manufacturers. These wholesalers and manufacturers sell apparel and accessories to retailers or other marketers for distribution to individual stores, catalog companies, or online retailers.
Self-employed fashion designers typically create high-fashion garments and one-of-a-kind (custom) apparel. In some cases, a self-employed fashion designer may have a clothing line that bears his or her name.
Most designers travel several times a year to trade and fashion shows to learn about the latest trends. Designers also sometimes travel to other countries to meet suppliers of materials and manufacturers who make the final products.
Most fashion designers work in New York and California.
Work Schedules
Fashion designers occasionally work many hours to meet production deadlines or prepare for fashion shows. Generally, designers who freelance are under contract; these designers often have long workdays that require them to adjust to their clients’ schedules and deadlines.
Getting Started
How to Become a Fashion Designer
Fashion designers occasionally work long hours to meet production deadlines or prepare for fashion shows.
Fashion designers typically need a bachelor’s degree to enter the occupation. Employers may prefer to hire creative candidates who have technical knowledge of the production processes for clothing, accessories, or footwear.
Education
Fashion designers typically have a bachelor’s degree in a fine arts or business field such as fashion design or fashion merchandising. These fashion-focused programs teach students about textiles and fabrics and how to use computer-aided design (CAD) technology. Students also work on projects they can add to their portfolio, which showcases their designs.
For many artists, including fashion designers, developing a portfolio—a collection of design ideas that demonstrates their styles and abilities—is essential. Students studying fashion design often have opportunities to develop their portfolios further by entering their designs in student or amateur contests. When making hiring decisions, employers rely on these portfolios to gauge talent and creativity.
The National Association of Schools of Art and Design accredits more than 360 postsecondary institutions with programs in art and design, and many of them award degrees in fashion design. These schools often require students to have completed basic art and design courses before entering a program. Applicants usually must submit sketches and other examples of their artistic ability.
Other Experience
Fashion designers often gain experience in the fashion industry through internships or by working as an assistant designer. Internships introduce aspiring fashion designers to the design process, building their knowledge of textiles and colors and of how the industry works.
Job Outlook
Employment of fashion designers is projected to grow 3 percent from 2022 to 2032, about as fast as the average for all occupations.
About 2,300 openings for fashion designers are projected each year, on average, over the decade. Many of those openings are expected to result from the need to replace workers who transfer to different occupations or exit the labor force, such as to retire.
Employment
The increased demand for a constant flow of new fashion designs has been accelerated by social media influencers and by retailers advertising and selling directly to consumers online. Growing consumer preference for sustainable options in the fashion industry also has created a desire for designs that use eco- and vegan-friendly materials. However, there will be fewer opportunities for self-employed fashion designers, who are unable to compete with large-scale clothing production, limiting overall employment growth of these workers.
Contacts for More Information
For more information about careers in fashion design, visit
Council of Fashion Designers of America
For more information about educational programs in fashion design, visit
Similar Occupations
This table shows a list of occupations with job duties that are similar to those of fashion designers.
| Occupation | Job Duties | Entry-Level Education | Median Annual Pay, May 2022 | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
|
Art Directors |
Art directors are responsible for the visual style and images in magazines, newspapers, product packaging, and movie and television productions. |
Bachelor's degree | $105,180 |
|
Floral Designers |
Floral designers arrange live, dried, and silk flowers and greenery to make decorative displays. |
High school diploma or equivalent | $33,160 |
|
Graphic Designers |
Graphic designers create visual concepts, using computer software or by hand, to communicate ideas that inspire, inform, and captivate consumers. |
Bachelor's degree | $57,990 |
|
Industrial Designers |
Industrial designers combine art, business, and engineering to develop the concepts for manufactured products. |
Bachelor's degree | $75,910 |
|
Jewelers and Precious Stone and Metal Workers |
Jewelers and precious stone and metal workers design, construct, adjust, repair, appraise and sell jewelry. |
High school diploma or equivalent | $47,140 |
|
Models |
Models pose for artists, photographers, and other clients to help advertise products. |
No formal educational credential | $43,130 |
|
Purchasing Managers, Buyers, and Purchasing Agents |
Buyers and purchasing agents buy products and services for organizations. Purchasing managers oversee the work of buyers and purchasing agents. |
Bachelor's degree | $75,120 |