Where to Get Fashion Design Training: Fashion design is a highly competitive field, with little growth expected. Finding the right fashion design training increases your chance of success.
According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics the majority of fashion designers in the US are employed in California and New York, with the main face-to-face training opportunities based in those locales. With only about 23,000 coveted jobs to go around, you need three things to succeed: a good eye, artistic talent, and the best training possible.
Face-to-Face Design Schools
If you live near one of the face-to-face fashion design schools, or if you are in a position to move, attending is a way to quickly get hands-on training complete with professional feedback. The Art Institutes and The Academy of Couture Art are two design schools offering a campus experience.
Most employers look for designers with either an Associate's or a Bachelor's degree. Depending on your interests, pick a degree in either fashion design or pattern design. Many of the core classes will be the same, so it is possible to get started even if you don't know exactly which design field you prefer.
Internships
Some designers accept internships as a way to learn the trade. An internship provides hands-on training that can be combined with a formal education, or can stand alone as experience in the field. If no big clothing manufacturers are in your immediate vicinity, experience can be gained working in retail clothing stores or tailoring shops.
Distance Education in Fashion Design
While many students prefer face-to-face learning, if you are not in a position to attend on-campus courses, distance learning is a viable option. Note that it takes more effort on your part to succeed in distance courses, but if you put forth that extra effort it will pay off in the end.
An Internet search will provide links to several fashion design distance, or correspondence, courses. Take the time to read through the information about each course. If you plan to complete a degree, so you can advance in this field, make sure you choose an accredited school.
Accreditation
Approximately 300 post-secondary institutions with art and design programs are accredited by the National Association of Schools of Arts and Design. Basic art and design courses are normally a prerequisite for entering a design degree program.
Attending an accredited academy holds more weight with some employers. It just gives you a little more credibility in the professional world. It also means your credits will be more transferable than those from a school lacking accreditation, if you decide to further your education at a different school at a later time.
Jobs for Fashion Design Degree Holders
Examples of jobs held by trained fashion designers include lead designer, clothing designer, foot-wear designer, and accessory designer. Self-employed designers sometimes combine design training with business or marketing training.
If becoming a fashion designer is your dream, getting the best fashion design training available to you is, along with a good eye and artistic talent, the key to success in the field.
Source List:
Face-to-Face Design Schools
If you live near one of the face-to-face fashion design schools, or if you are in a position to move, attending is a way to quickly get hands-on training complete with professional feedback. The Art Institutes and The Academy of Couture Art are two design schools offering a campus experience.
Most employers look for designers with either an Associate's or a Bachelor's degree. Depending on your interests, pick a degree in either fashion design or pattern design. Many of the core classes will be the same, so it is possible to get started even if you don't know exactly which design field you prefer.
Internships
Some designers accept internships as a way to learn the trade. An internship provides hands-on training that can be combined with a formal education, or can stand alone as experience in the field. If no big clothing manufacturers are in your immediate vicinity, experience can be gained working in retail clothing stores or tailoring shops.
Distance Education in Fashion Design
While many students prefer face-to-face learning, if you are not in a position to attend on-campus courses, distance learning is a viable option. Note that it takes more effort on your part to succeed in distance courses, but if you put forth that extra effort it will pay off in the end.
An Internet search will provide links to several fashion design distance, or correspondence, courses. Take the time to read through the information about each course. If you plan to complete a degree, so you can advance in this field, make sure you choose an accredited school.
Accreditation
Approximately 300 post-secondary institutions with art and design programs are accredited by the National Association of Schools of Arts and Design. Basic art and design courses are normally a prerequisite for entering a design degree program.
Attending an accredited academy holds more weight with some employers. It just gives you a little more credibility in the professional world. It also means your credits will be more transferable than those from a school lacking accreditation, if you decide to further your education at a different school at a later time.
Jobs for Fashion Design Degree Holders
Examples of jobs held by trained fashion designers include lead designer, clothing designer, foot-wear designer, and accessory designer. Self-employed designers sometimes combine design training with business or marketing training.
If becoming a fashion designer is your dream, getting the best fashion design training available to you is, along with a good eye and artistic talent, the key to success in the field.
Source List:
- Bureau of Labor Statistics
- National Association of Schools of Arts and Design
Copyright Laure Justice. Contact the author to obtain permission for republication. Originally published on Suite101.
