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Clothing Designer

Clothing designers create ideas for clothing and other fashion items such as bags and belts. They usually specialise in one area of fashion.

Tasks & duties

Clothing designers may do all or some of the following:

study fashion trends and the clothing market
identify target markets by looking at factors such as age, gender and socio-economic situation
create or update fashion designs
prepare drawings of the designs
adapt patterns to a new style or create new patterns
estimate how much the work will cost
select and buy fabrics
specify fabrics to be developed
test or oversee testing of fabrics so they can create care labels for garments
inspect the quality of garments
plan clothing production methods
cut fabric by hand or with electric hand-held cutting machines
market their garments
run their own businesses

Skills & knowledge

Clothing designers need to have:

up-to-date knowledge of the latest clothing styles and trends
knowledge of the history of fashion
design and drawing skills
knowledge of fabric types, colours and fabric care
sewing skills and knowledge of tailoring techniques
knowledge of garment construction and pattern-making skills
knowledge of body shapes
knowledge of fabric-cutting methods
computer skills, including the ability to use computer-aided design (CAD) software
good communication skills
planning and organisational skills

Entry requirements

To become a clothing designer a certificate, diploma or degree course in clothing design is recommended.

Secondary education

There are no specific secondary educational requirements to become a clothing designer, but Sixth Form Certificate or NCEA equivalent in maths, English, art, clothing and textiles is preferred.

Training on the job

Skills are gained on the job and training courses such as computer design are often provided. Trainees can also work towards a National Certificate in Clothing Manufacture.